Why does Portland’s testing process take longer than some agencies?
The longest part of our testing process is the background investigation phase. Remember that, patience is a virtue and the best things in life are worth waiting for! The Police Bureau believes in using our testing process as part of our selection of police officers. This means our testing process helps us select officers who have the skill sets that allow them the best chance to make it through our academies and field-training program. What this means to you is that we do not have the number of recruit officers fail our academies and field training programs. While other agencies who select their officers by relying heavily upon their academies and coaching programs have higher failure rates.
