triplethreat said:
Dick, Can you explain the deputy application process in further detail. I submitted my personal info on the GC site but thats as far as i could go.
Advice???
Thanks
The very first step is to get in contact, in some capacity, with the local WCO. The entire application process is explained and conducted by him/her.
It really is a very involved process that requires a background and character investigation. There is an application that has to be completed and once it is sent through and approved the applicant goes into a ride-a-long status where they have to complete a period of, I believe, twenty hours of ride-a-long with the WCO.
They also have to meet various physical requirements such as vision and dental expectations. Then if everything is still good they go for a written exam. That is not to be taken lightly either because it isn’t an easy test.
If they pass that test they then go back on ride-a-long status and have to complete more hours. Then they will have go for a weekend of training on the Game and Wildlife Code. Then they have to purchase a duty gun, leather gear and other duty belt gear and equipment (the exact type will be dictated so don’t go buying something thinking it will be ok to carry) before you have to go to the Harrisburg Training School for a week of training. You will get the mandatory firearms and defensive tactics during that week.
Then you come back and go back on ride-a-long, for I think something like 80 hours, while you are being trained on a whole checklist of various functions. During this time you are also studying a lot of natural history material because you then have to go back and take another test, that I think requires an 80% to pass.
If you pass that test, and have completed all of the other requirements, you are then sworn in as a Deputy and issued your badge, credentials and uniforms. Then you have to work for one year with the WCO or an approved more experienced deputy. During that year you are on probation and can be dismissed without much cause.
After that year of probation you become a regular deputy and can do some Game Commission work on your own.
You are required to attend a number of both mandatory and non-mandatory training sessions each and every year. It is a very interesting position and can be both fun and fulfilling if a person really wants to do the job and has a sense of wanting to make a worthwhile contribution to the future of our resources and hunting.
Good luck! And, remember the first step is in making contact with the local WCO.
Dick Bodenhorn
