How to Become a Police Officer in Ontario

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A law enforcement career provides excitement, career security and the pride of serving your community. But because of the power and responsibility that police officers wield, candidates have to undergo a fairly rigorous recruitment process. This process varies among different jurisdictions. In Ontario, the major police organization is the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). You need quite a few qualifications to join the OPP but this article will lay out the steps you need to take.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Ontario Grade 12 or equivalent
Clean driving record
Clean criminal record
First Aid and CPR certification

Step1

Get your COR. The Certificate of Results, or COR, is a prerequisite for applying to the OPP, as well as to any other Ontario police force like the Toronto Police Service. To get the COR you must pass a battery of written and aptitude tests, vision tests and physical tests. It's a two-day process and there's a fee of $67.62 to take the test. If you pass, your COR is good for three years--except for the physical fitness test. The Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police, or PREP, is only good for six months.

Step2

Prepare your application package. Once you have your COR, you can fill out the application for the OPP. It's a fourteen page packet that includes your actual application to become a Constable along with various releases for background checks and other paperwork.

Step3

Go through the interview phase. After initial screening of your application, if there are no problems, you'll be called in for a Local Focus Interview. The interview is conducted with a recruiter. This is essentially a job interview and you should treat it as such. It will cover your background and your motivation for wanting to become a Constable, and give you a chance to demonstrate the personal qualities you think will make you a good candidate for the OPP.

Step4

Wait for the background investigation and medical assessment. Apart from cooperating with any questions OPP investigators may have, there isn't much you can do during this stage. Assuming you don't have any medical problems or serious skeletons in your closet, the investigation should come back indicating you're a viable candidate and then you can move on to the next stage.

Step5

Pass the psychological assessment. One of the most important steps in selecting a Constable is the psychological screening to ensure a candidate is stable and mentally healthy--the kind of person who can be trusted with authority and a firearm and who can be put into high stress situations.

Step6

Clear the final review. The final review is your last step in the process. Again, it's largely out of your hands. A Final Review Board examines each application that's made it to this stage and selects those to be passed on into the Eligibility Pool. Once you're in the Eligibility Pool, you can be offered positions within the OPP. The most competitive candidates are offered jobs from the pool first, but you're ready to become a Constable. If there are no hitches, expect the overall process from COR to Eligibility Pool to take about six to eight months.