Police Foundations… Scam or Not?

The question revolving around Police Foundations and if it is worth it or not has been heavily debated for years. I have personally known people who attended school for Police Foundations to be told when they applied for policing that they do not look at that certificate as anything they recognize when hiring detectives and police officers. I have also had people come to our private investigative agency and say “I am a better candidate than any other private investigator because I attended school for Police Foundations.” It does not matter what your educational background is when looking into a career as an investigator. I studied business, and although I use my degree as part of owning a business, it did not help me to become a better private investigator. No piece of paper can allow you to know if you will be good or not as a PI.

We often work with police and detectives, and we know people involved in recruiting new officers. One thing steadily declared is that anyone in possession of a Police Foundations certificate is likely not to receive a job as a policeman based solely on that certificate. Within policing, one thing they want is someone who is at least 25 years or older with life experience in jobs but as well in their personal lives. They want to see your physically, emotionally, and financially stable and prepared for the responsibilities of policing.

I have personally worked for Brinks’ Armored Division of Security. There is one main thing they search for, and it is not a certificate of Police Foundations training. They are looking for integrity and stability. Keep in mind when you apply and become hired by these organizations, they can help you become a police officer as the experience you will gain will give you a substantial backing. However, some people do not look to the future when getting hired in placed like Brinks. My intention on working with Brinks was not to have a stepping stone to policing like the majority of people in the training I attended. I was looking for something different to do part time as I enjoyed the differences the job had. One thing I remember in training was sitting in the class, and the instructor asked the group who was planning on becoming a police officer or using Brinks as a stepping stool to go into policing. To my surprise, nearly every single person raised their hands except me. To all of their shock, I was given the best training, jobs, and financial increases over anyone there and within weeks was running my crew. That’s because they knew I was not there for the wrong reasons. An employer knows when you are there for the right reasons. If you have an ultimate goal of policing and you know certainly that is the only job you want to do, then be honest and explain that. However, many of the employees of Brinks made double the amount a police officer makes with a similar pension. So they hindered themselves by being close minded.

Speaking for my company and many others, this will not do any justice to our industry as well as private investigator training certificates from colleges and universities. These are an in some ways a scam to individuals that are ignorant to the private investigative industry. They pay hundreds and thousands of dollars to obtain a certificate they do not need. This will not get you a higher wage for private investigator jobs.

There is a large misconception with the police foundations training, and most people assume if they take the course and get the certificate then become security guards they are an automatic shoo-in for a position as a detective or police officer. This is not true and in most cases, a security guard does not become a police officer unless they ran or managed a crew or completed more serious tasks or sites where more responsibility was needed.

I have spoken with recruiting officers many times within local, provincial, and federal policing and they all confirm given the candidate’s background they would see a private investigator having a better opportunity at being a police officer than a security guard.

Why?

A security guard does some of these things, however, there is a clear difference in the industries. Rather than attending school and obtaining student debts, consider becoming a private investigator right out of high school and start working in a career where you can make good money, travel, and consider options for your future.

The Smith Investigation Agency’s Private Investigator Training, also known as the Private Investigator Course, is required through the Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services. Our course meets and exceeds their requirements. So if you would like to become a private investigator, visit our website for more information.