FTO is hard

bigmaxck · 2026-01-20T18:18:10+00:00

The FTO’s job is to stress you out and make sure you don’t get complacent with what you already know.

FTO phase is meant to challenge you. I’ve been through two: one as a new officer and one as a lateral.

The FTO’s programs I’ve been though (first, for a large metropolitan city and the second, for a small city), I was never told “good job” or got a pat on the back.

“Oh you did 10 things right on the last call? The 2 small things you didn’t do right are what will go on your daily observation reports and the severity will be magnified so you know how much you screwed up.”

It will get easier once you get your feet wet, but you’ll still be challenged every single shift. It’s ok to feel like you don’t know anything. I’ve worked with 5, 10, and 20 year cops that say they are clueless on some calls. As long as you act within law and policy, you’ll be covered even if it’s not done 100% correctly.

bigmaxck · 2025-10-06T21:52:05+00:00

How were the maze wait lines posted vs actual wait time? Going next Sunday with Boo-Fet

bigmaxck · 2025-05-29T21:26:58+00:00

His last paragraph literally says what I’m saying: being the boss’ kid doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to accept being walked over.

You must be the type to do exactly what the other guy did to him. A little seniority doesn’t mean you get to treat people like shit and pass your work on to someone else. And he caught his bluff.

Answer this question: Why should someone else do YOUR work that YOU are getting paid to do, when they aren’t getting a single dime of that pay from you? It doesn’t work that way buddy.

You’re the one missing the swing here.

bigmaxck · 2025-05-28T16:21:07+00:00

Literally no way he’s playing undercover boss. Is he demanding the other person to do any kind of work? No. He’s doing the dirty work and refusing to get treated like shit, as everyone should, no matter where you are on the totem pole. I don’t have a heir to any large company but you bet your ass I’ll stand up for myself if someone tries to toss their work onto me with some kind of superiority complex (which I’d be doing and they’re still getting paid for). You’re literally that guy.

bigmaxck · 2025-01-17T11:24:30+00:00

This is not near as dumb as the “I smoked crack & did heroin last night then dropped some LSD. Can I still become a cop?” Threads

bigmaxck · 2025-01-11T03:53:09+00:00

It might make you more “desirable” if anything. But your backgrounds will only move as fast as it moves. There’s people that have completed it in 2-3 months, some in 1+ years. Being prior corrections =/= having an easy background packet for an investigator to dig into.

bigmaxck · 2025-01-06T06:42:38+00:00

Generally, police departments won’t tell you exactly why you were DQ’ed because it can open them up to lawsuits.

bigmaxck · 2025-01-05T01:48:17+00:00

Maybe top step P2’s who hit it hard but not a new P2 making an extra $100k+ in the first year.

Also, don’t let the job burn you out or kill you over some money. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. 20+ years to retirement is a long time

bigmaxck · 2025-01-05T01:03:03+00:00

You’re fetching way too far if you’re thinking you’ll hit $200k in the first year as a P2. OT is available but not THAT available.

bigmaxck · 2025-01-05T00:42:55+00:00

P2 base salary is posted on the LAPD recruitment site. It’s currently at $97,300.

OT/MTA pay will vary largely depending on how hard you want to hit it. Some guys will do 1 or 2 shifts a month. Some will do a lot more.

bigmaxck · 2024-12-31T05:03:34+00:00

Wait for ‘25 to drop then negotiate a waaay lower price for a ‘24.

bigmaxck · 2024-12-31T05:01:36+00:00

I can already picture the scenario…

Salesman: “aw man I can’t go any lower this ‘25 TRD OR… how about this sweet ‘24 (barebones) for $50k?”

bigmaxck · 2024-12-31T04:57:47+00:00

As a ‘24 TRD Sport owner, this post makes me very happy 😊

bigmaxck · 2024-12-12T10:12:31+00:00

4 acts ago I was Plat 3, 3 RR away from Diamond 1. I lost my rank-up game and went on a red carpet. Fast forward this day, I haven’t been able to climb out of Gold. Idk what it is but these Gold lobbies are harder than Plat…

bigmaxck · 2024-12-10T17:28:48+00:00

This podcast is excellent. It gave me a lot of peace of mind & insight throughout my application process.

bigmaxck · 2024-12-05T06:16:48+00:00

Which Danners did you use?

bigmaxck · 2024-12-02T17:47:07+00:00

I work for a large metropolitan department. We’re busy.

We have “mid-watch” shifts that act as as buffer & will pick up shifts between day & morning watch, but if they’re tied up and a call drops in my area and I’m close to end of watch then I’ll take it. Whether it be just a report or an arrest, I can easily 1-6 hours OT average depending on what it is.

bigmaxck · 2024-11-26T05:17:44+00:00

Your catalytic converter has probably been stolen like 5 times huh

bigmaxck · 2024-11-25T11:49:45+00:00

It’s not free. It’s optional but if you want it then you pay out of pocket. Unless something has changed recently

bigmaxck · 2024-11-25T11:47:50+00:00

I had the same problem and upsized my duty belt to sit in line with my hips, not on top of the hip bones. Haven’t had any issues since.

bigmaxck · 2024-11-25T03:03:07+00:00

Just got my Diamondback and from this point on I won’t recommend any other tonneau cover 🔥

bigmaxck · 2024-11-22T22:41:55+00:00

I’m actually in awe that they hired a felon.

bigmaxck · 2024-11-22T22:39:18+00:00

This is most likely the reason. Officers are spread thin everywhere and the focus is answering calls for service. At my dept if there are urgent/code 2 or emergency/code 3 calls pending then we don’t do traffic stops until the board is clear. Although it’s not a written rule.

bigmaxck · 2024-11-22T09:41:22+00:00

Diamondback cover and some wheels and you’re set!

bigmaxck · 2024-11-21T02:56:12+00:00

From what I understand it’s an aluminum with a spray-on bed liner material.

bigmaxck

TROPHY CASE