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Career Research for the Delaware State Police

Derrick Brooks

Delaware Technical Community College

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Abstract

Finding a career at a young age is often frightening, confusing, and ultimately overwhelming.

There are many factors that go into it, such as what is most intriguing, what has a

decent salary, and if it is something that one can handle, mentally and physically. Being a first

responder is not often described as easy, especially being a Delaware State Trooper. There is an

abundance of work that goes into it, such as being physically capable, having good

communication and “people skills”, and being able to deal with complicated situations.

There is an extremely complicated process to get accepted, including an academic process, oral

and written test, and also an endurance test. Despite all the work that goes

into it, the outcomes include things such as insurance, uniforms, and a take home car. Overall,

this career is a considerable amount of work, but the outcomes are beneficial.
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Career Research for the Delaware State Police

There were many careers that initially interested me. Farmer, police officer, accountant,

and business owner were all once a part of my choices at one time. After trying accounting, and

realizing it is not for me, and understanding that the need for farmers is not increasing at any

point, I decided to start my journey into the Delaware State Police, majoring in criminal justice.

Despite the negative outlook on officers recently, I was certain that this is what I was most

passionate about. I am determined to help many people and to do this, I must start learning the

ins and outs as soon as possible. For the Delaware State Police, there are certain requirements to

abide by. One must have the following qualifications as posted by the State of Delaware (n.d);

One must be a US citizen, be between the ages of twenty-one at least and at thirty-nine at most,

have a valid driver’s license, no criminal record, and no drug use. Along with this, weight must

be in compliance with a chart depending on height. One must also have normal hearing and

vision that cannot be worse than 20/40 in each eye uncorrected and must be corrected to 20/20

(para 12). Regarding education, applicants must have a high school diploma and must have a

minimum of sixty semester credits from a college or university. For a sergeant, which is my

minimum goal, one must have sixty college credits. A bachelor’s degree is required to complete

for the ranks of Lieutenant (para 3). Job elements for the State Police is that the applicant must

demonstrate good judgment, thoroughness, common sense, motivation, and enthusiasm for the

job (para 1). They must be dependable, work well under pressure and physical danger, and

combine physical and mental resources to carry out tasks (para 1). Along with job elements,

there are multiple responsibilities that a police officer holds.

The duties and responsibilities involve patrol duties such as directing traffic, assisting

disabled motorists, making arrests, inspecting property, checking buildings, and chasing violators
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on foot. Investigating duties include interviewing complaints and witnesses, interrogating

suspects, aiding injured people, handling crime scenes, and executing search warrants (para 2).

They are required and expected to have good communication skills by phone and radio. Along

with all of this, they are demanded to maintain a good personal appearance and physical

condition. They are tested regularly on coordination, muscle strength, and endurance (para 3).

Some assignments may include attending court, conducting speech’s, and training recruits. Shifts

are typically twelve hours rotating day and night, for a maximum of three days in a row. The

duties are typically unpredictable and require intense senses for danger, which could be one of

the reasons the salary is often suitable.

Salary is competitive for this career and can insist of $48,000 during training and $57,000

after training. In 2016, according to the United States Department of Labor, the median pay was

$61,600 per year, with about $29.62 per hour (United States Department of Labor 2017).

The pension plan includes a mandatory retirement at fifty-five and the option to retire after

twenty years. It furthermore includes things such as health insurance, equipment, uniforms, liberal

vacation and sick leave, take home car, medical/child care program, compensation/investment

plan, and blood bank membership.

Besides requirements and expectations, there is a process for applying to the job. It is

based on a written and physical test, an oral board interview, background investigation, and the

polygraph interview. The written tests are based on memorization, visualization, reasoning,

orientation, and written comprehension. The physical test is based on strength, endurance, and

aerobic capacity. They must complete as many sit up and push-ups as possible in a minute and

complete a 1.5-mile run, along with an oral board measuring the ability to communicate

information and ideas to a panel of people. They have to go through a polygraph interview on the
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areas of drug usage, employment and financial history, and criminal activity. The background

investigation incorporates another interview with the candidate, along with family, friends,

neighbors, and coworker’s. Applying for the State Police contains a training academy residing

full time at the training facility with weekends off, for approximately twenty-two weeks. It

includes a variety of topics such as law arrest, criminal procedures, search and seizure, first aid,

firearm proficiency, and more.

Besides using the State of Delaware website to find out information, I also decided to

communicate with a Lieutenant of the State Police to learn more. Just to provide background

information, he is at about twenty-two years on duty for the DSP and been in many programs

such as governor’s task force and head of the K9 unit, besides being at Troop four, seven and

three. He taught me that it is hard, mentally, to deal with some of the tasks, but by the end of the

day, it is a rewarding experience. He mentioned his most rewarding experience was when

someone he dealt with in a high-risk incident, thanked him for getting him help and putting him

in prison, resulting in a positive turn for his life. He also explained how the height of his career

was being with his loyal partner, his K9. Besides learning his person experiences, he taught me

that physical endurance is very important, so I have decided to start CrossFit to get in the best

shape possible before starting the journey of my career. He also explained how he did not get in

the first time, but he worked harder and is now identified as a committed and determined

Lieutenant of the Delaware State Police. This gave me the confidence to know that even if I do

not succeed the first time, I will not give up until I get my desired position.

Conclusion

In all, my ultimate career goal is to be a Delaware State Trooper. The journey to get there

is going to be long and hard. Educationally, I plan on continuing school, majoring in criminal
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justice, to get at least the minimum sixty credits. Physically, I have already started CrossFit in

hopes to be in my best shape by the time of application acceptance. It is a very long and hard

process that requires intense determination and the upmost dedication. I think with the right

support system, knowledge, and attitude, this career will take me very far and allow me to

potentially save and fight for many lives on duty.

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Resources

Interview with Lieutenant of the Delaware State Police (April 17, 2018)

State of Delaware - Search and Services/Information. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2018, from

http://dsp.delaware.gov/index.shtml

United States Department of Labor. (2017). Summary for Police. Retrieved from

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm