Update:

About 15 people a week visit this post by searching for “Cobb County Police Department obstacle course”. Since my original post said very little about the course itself, I was surprised that so many were directed here by Google. So, here’s what I remember about the course. Things may have changed in the four years since I was hired, and if so, please let me know so that I can update this page.

You have 75 seconds to complete the test. I finished it in 45 seconds. You start with climbing over a four to five foot wooden wall, and then weave between about five posts. You then climb a smaller (maybe three feet) chain link fence. I hurdled the smaller fence. I believe after that you had to cross a balance beam (maybe ten feet long and on the ground), followed by a sharp turn and a long jump over a sand pit. You finish it by crawling through a large cement pipe and sprinting to the finish line. There may have been some tires that you have to run through. Like I said earlier, it’s been four years since I took the test.

I opted for the obstacle course because I was out of practice when it came to long distance runs. But if you don’t think that you’ll be able to complete the run within a couple weeks of training, you need to start running now. You’ll have to complete a timed run at least three times during the academy. The last one is really the most important, but they’ll still grade you on the tests leading up to it. I barely passed the first run, but by the last one I was kicking butt.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me an email at paul@amipow.com. You can also read about my time at the academy by clicking here.

Original Post:

I’ve been in the application process for a job with the Cobb County PD since early January.

On January 31st I took the entrance exam, which consisted of around 400 questions, and took 3 hours to complete.

Two weeks later I returned to take the physical agility test. I had to bench 72% of my body weight, leg press 120% of my body weight, do sit ups, a step test, and an obstacle course. I had the option of running a mile and a half in 15 minutes, or doing the obstacle course in 75 seconds. Considering that I haven’t run since high school, I opted for the obstacle course. I finished it with 30 seconds to spare.

After the physical agility test, we had to take the P.O.S.T. (Peace Officer’s Standards and Training) Test, which is a test that you must pass to be a police officer in Georgia. It was a basic reading/grammar test.

I received a phone call from Corporal Harris a few weeks later with my schedule for March.

On March 9th I met with Corporal Harris for an interview, then I went to have a polygraph test administered. Part of the test was just a face to face interview. One of the questions that he asked me was, “At what age did you first try marijuana?” Not, “Have you ever?” but “At what age?” I said, “Never.” He looked at me like I was an idiot, so I said, “I really have never tried it.” To that he responded, “Why not?” He was a really cool guy. We joked a lot through the process which made it easier. After that I had a psychological test. This test consisted of nearly 1000 questions. Luckily, it was on a computer, so I didn’t have to fill in any more bubbles. Once I finished the test I spoke with a psychologist about my childhood, family, friends, etc. Then he asked me some math questions.

The next day I had a physical at a medical clinic. Everything from drug tests to eye exams were run. They said that my eye sight was 20/200, and in order to be on the Cobb PD I had to have an uncorrected vision of 20/70. They told me to get a second opinion about my eye sight (because their’s was very unprofessional, as was everything else there). I also needed to get second opinions about a couple other things.

I met with Rusty for an eye exam, and told me the same thing: 20/200. I told him that it had to be at least 20/70, so he said, “Alright, squint really hard and read that line.” I did, so he gave it to me. Technically, I can read at 20/70, so neither Rusty or I cheated.

And now for the good news…
I got a call from Corporal Harris yesterday with an update. He told me that I was no longer on hold with the medical center so he was continuing with my packet. He called back later and asked if my grandmother lived with my parents because, “She keeps hanging up on me.” I thought it was really funny, but held back my laughter. I told him I’d have mom and dad call him for their phone interviews.

The only thing left to do is the final interview with the hiring board. I’m told by my teachers at KSU and some of the police officers in my classes that it’s just a formality, that if I’ve made it this far they’re not going to say no during the final interview. So it’s not official, but I’ve made it to police academy.

Academy starts on May 9th, just a week after classes get out. I’ll be in academy for five months. Assuming everything goes fine there, I have five months of field training afterward, and then I’m on my own. The only thing that I’m worried about academy is firing a weapon. I’ve never really shot a gun before, so Michelle’s uncle, who is an officer in a neighboring county, said that he would help me practice. I’ll have to take a year off of school for academy and training, but afterward I’ll be able to return to finish my Criminal Justice degree, and start another in Psychology. The best part is that the department will pay for my tuition. That way, if I’m not able to take a full load to receive HOPE Scholarship, I’ll still get to go for free.