RCMP APPLICANT GENERAL CHIT CHAT

[Pete Broccolo]

The question came up in Ask An Ontario RCMP Recruiter, and I am bringing it forward here, ONCE AGAIN:

When you apply to become a Regular Member (Peace Officer - Police Officer) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, you MUST understand that you are agreeing to serve ANYWHERE in Canada, and perform WHATEVER duties, based on the needs of the Force.

Yes, Shafting and Impersonal WILL consult with you, TO AN EXTENT, to determine your interests in location and duties. Transfers in the RCMP are often the result of a drunken game of darts, with your name attached to a dart and the board being a map of Canada (DEPOT exit) or your Division (Province) (post-DEPOT). The 3 Arctic Territory Divs are GENERALLY postings for applicants originally from there, OR by application of interested members.

True, "E" Div (BC) is THE largest of the Provincial Policinig Contract Divs, with THE largest Municipal Policing Contract Detachments, and the MAJORITY of successfully graduating Cadets who had been originally living in La La Land DO get to return to West of the Rockies, OFTEN getting to sleep in their own little race car beds in their Mommy's house, maybe taking a different commute route.

However, pre-Depot BC postal code types HAVE ended up in Gawdfurseiken NL, NL'ers from closer to Greenland suffered my wrath here in Tommy Douglas Land, and any other criss-crossing of Canada that you fear you could suffer.

To boot, note that you, GENERALLY, will spend your ENTIRE career in the FIRST Div that you land in, but, GUARANTEED, you WILL be transferred MULTIPLE times, OFTEN requiring you to PHYSICALLY relocate your Significant Others and Heirs To Your Bills plus your crap, although you MIGHT now be able to simply make a long commute, dependent on the type of duties and the happiness of your Commander.

Certainly, you CAN apply for a transfer to meet your, and / or your SO, and / or your HTYB, desires, which often times MAY be assisted by you seeking a transfer to the 3 Arctic Territories OR to extremely less-desirable postings in your own Div or a multitude of other factors.

We have postings around the world, but GENERALLY you HAVE TO BE bi-lingual (english and french) THEN it helps being fluent in the local language, but you MUST have a LOT of experience in investigations, so do not dream of getting assigned to Rome right after your Pass-Out.

Think LONG AND HARD about whether ending up in a Prov or area you never heard of before is something that you, and / or your SO, and / or your HTYB, REALLY wants to do.

It is NOT unusual for Troops to lose a Cadet JUST before Graduation because they fainted at the news of their Div, or Detachment, posting. Many of those go on, happily, to get real-jobs, while some decide to take their DEPOT Certificate, walk into their hometown PS, or Prov Police, HQ and walk out with a pair of red-, or blue-, striped, or all-green, pants.

Anyways, carry on.

[Dukenasirew]

[quote="Pete Broccolo" post_id=865431 time=1689254703 user_id=136]
[quote=Dukenasirew post_id=865424 time=1689167835 user_id=53667]
[quote="Pete Broccolo" post_id=865423 time=1689163603 user_id=136]

All you can do is to wait-out the deferral period.
Who knows? By the time your RCMP deferral is over, you may already have been accepted by the OPP.
[/quote]
Just worried abou the age because after my federal is done I’ll be in my late 30s and I don’t know how the RCMP looks at the older age applicants
[/quote]
Add at least 2 years to your deferral period to determine your age for your POSSIBLE start date for DEPOT.
Add 20 to 35 years to that date, for your minimum 25% to maximum 70% pension (subject to changes), to figure out how young you will still be.
Factor in transfers, the possibility of RCMP going the way of AIRBORNE given all the crap going on, and the overall shining glory of dealing with drunk naked people, then think LONG AND HARD whether brass buttons and a bison-head-on-a-salad-platter tattoo on your arse cheek is STILL worth going for.
If so, re-apply.
If not, move on.
[/quote]

I am just wondering why RCMP deferrals period are always the longest , I never hear other police forces deferring applicants for more than 1 year

[Pete Broccolo]

I am just wondering why RCMP deferrals period are always the longest , I never hear other police forces deferring applicants for more than 1 year

We are a big, wide-spread organization, with Municipal, Provincial, Territorial, Aboriginal, Federal, National, and International, concerns / responsibilities / mandates.
And, unfortunately, we still get some b....... along with the cream rising to the top.

[Ont. RCMP Recruiter]

I am just wondering why RCMP deferrals period are always the longest , I never hear other police forces deferring applicants for more than 1 year

We are a big, wide-spread organization, with Municipal, Provincial, Territorial, Aboriginal, Federal, National, and International, concerns / responsibilities / mandates.
And, unfortunately, we still get some b....... along with the cream rising to the top.

I would add to that...

Ask yourself this question: Would you want to work with someone who lied on their application or was deceitful in some way?

Or, instead, change the word "someone" to "a police officer" and ask yourself the same question.

Would you want that police officer investigating your file when you dial 911?

Deferral times have a logical reason behind them.

[Pete Broccolo]

I am just wondering why RCMP deferrals period are always the longest , I never hear other police forces deferring applicants for more than 1 year

We are a big, wide-spread organization, with Municipal, Provincial, Territorial, Aboriginal, Federal, National, and International, concerns / responsibilities / mandates.
And, unfortunately, we still get some b....... along with the cream rising to the top.

I would add to that...

Ask yourself this question: Would you want to work with someone who lied on their application or was deceitful in some way?

Or, instead, change the word "someone" to "a police officer" and ask yourself the same question.

Would you want that police officer investigating your file when you dial 911?

Deferral times have a logical reason behind them.

Up-vote

[EastCoastBestCoast]

The question came up in Ask An Ontario RCMP Recruiter, and I am bringing it forward here, ONCE AGAIN:

When you apply to become a Regular Member (Peace Officer - Police Officer) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, you MUST understand that you are agreeing to serve ANYWHERE in Canada, and perform WHATEVER duties, based on the needs of the Force.

Yes, Shafting and Impersonal WILL consult with you, TO AN EXTENT, to determine your interests in location and duties. Transfers in the RCMP are often the result of a drunken game of darts, with your name attached to a dart and the board being a map of Canada (DEPOT exit) or your Division (Province) (post-DEPOT). The 3 Arctic Territory Divs are GENERALLY postings for applicants originally from there, OR by application of interested members.

True, "E" Div (BC) is THE largest of the Provincial Policinig Contract Divs, with THE largest Municipal Policing Contract Detachments, and the MAJORITY of successfully graduating Cadets who had been originally living in La La Land DO get to return to West of the Rockies, OFTEN getting to sleep in their own little race car beds in their Mommy's house, maybe taking a different commute route.

However, pre-Depot BC postal code types HAVE ended up in Gawdfurseiken NL, NL'ers from closer to Greenland suffered my wrath here in Tommy Douglas Land, and any other criss-crossing of Canada that you fear you could suffer.

To boot, note that you, GENERALLY, will spend your ENTIRE career in the FIRST Div that you land in, but, GUARANTEED, you WILL be transferred MULTIPLE times, OFTEN requiring you to PHYSICALLY relocate your Significant Others and Heirs To Your Bills plus your crap, although you MIGHT now be able to simply make a long commute, dependent on the type of duties and the happiness of your Commander.

Certainly, you CAN apply for a transfer to meet your, and / or your SO, and / or your HTYB, desires, which often times MAY be assisted by you seeking a transfer to the 3 Arctic Territories OR to extremely less-desirable postings in your own Div or a multitude of other factors.

We have postings around the world, but GENERALLY you HAVE TO BE bi-lingual (english and french) THEN it helps being fluent in the local language, but you MUST have a LOT of experience in investigations, so do not dream of getting assigned to Rome right after your Pass-Out.

Think LONG AND HARD about whether ending up in a Prov or area you never heard of before is something that you, and / or your SO, and / or your HTYB, REALLY wants to do.

It is NOT unusual for Troops to lose a Cadet JUST before Graduation because they fainted at the news of their Div, or Detachment, posting. Many of those go on, happily, to get real-jobs, while some decide to take their DEPOT Certificate, walk into their hometown PS, or Prov Police, HQ and walk out with a pair of red-, or blue-, striped, or all-green, pants.

Anyways, carry on.

Maybe historically true; but not quite accurate anymore.

1. Pre-posting to BC from BC is a thing.

2. Pre-posting to AB from AB WAS a thing.

3. Federal Policing Recruit Development Program prepares new recruits for a career in Federal Policing. Successful applicants are hired as Constables and will attend an initial 12 weeks of core police training in OTTAWA. No Depot, No Cadet Training Program, full salary from the beginning. Recruitment takes 6 months or less from application to start date.

4. FEDERAL Policing (specialized units) will be fast tracked to Ottawa. AKA 12 weeks of core police training in OTTAWA immediately followed by two weeks of Immediate Action Deployment and carbine training and then specialized police training and ongoing development, coaching and mentoring over a 2 year period. NOT trained at Depot, and posted in Ottawa. Upon successful completion of the 12 weeks of core police training in Ottawa, you will be given peace officer status.

5. Federal Policing RCMP Police Officers will be posted in the National Capital Region and duties may include domestic and international travel. New Police Officers who bring particular experience and training may be considered for direct entry into the Close Protection Services or other specialized support unit.

6. Of course everyone else in general contract recruiting still goes to Depot in Saskatchewan and is posted anywhere and everywhere (aka probably Manitoba or somewhere else rural is a good bet.)

Source: Official website
https://rcmp.ca/en/careers/become-polic ... nt-program

No this isn't a change...it's simply trying to fill specialized federal units which should have always been separate from contract policing or general duties, and nowhere near the prairies. Does the FBI or Secret Service HQ primarily train in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma? No, it initially trains and posts in Washington DC area.

Is the FBI or Secret Service different than the State or Municipal/Local Police? Do they have different assessment and training processes and timelines? Are they located primarily and train in the national capital region? Yes, Yes, and Yes. That's what they are doing now with the RCMP. Splitting federal from provincial contract streams.

[Pete Broccolo]

Maybe historically true; but not quite accurate anymore.

1. Pre-posting to BC from BC is a thing.

2. Pre-posting to AB from AB WAS a thing.

3. Federal Policing Recruit Development Program prepares new recruits for a career in Federal Policing. Successful applicants are hired as Constables and will attend an initial 12 weeks of core police training in OTTAWA. No Depot, No Cadet Training Program, full salary from the beginning. Recruitment takes 6 months or less from application to start date.

4. FEDERAL Policing (specialized units) will be fast tracked to Ottawa. AKA 12 weeks of core police training in OTTAWA immediately followed by two weeks of Immediate Action Deployment and carbine training and then specialized police training and ongoing development, coaching and mentoring over a 2 year period. NOT trained at Depot, and posted in Ottawa. Upon successful completion of the 12 weeks of core police training in Ottawa, you will be given peace officer status.

5. Federal Policing RCMP Police Officers will be posted in the National Capital Region and duties may include domestic and international travel. New Police Officers who bring particular experience and training may be considered for direct entry into the Close Protection Services or other specialized support unit.

6. Of course everyone else in general contract recruiting still goes to Depot in Saskatchewan and is posted anywhere and everywhere (aka probably Manitoba or somewhere else rural is a good bet.)

Source: Official website
https://rcmp.ca/en/careers/become-polic ... nt-program

No this isn't a change...it's simply trying to fill specialized federal units which should have always been separate from contract policing or general duties, and nowhere near the prairies. Does the FBI or Secret Service HQ primarily train in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma? No, it initially trains and posts in Washington DC area.

Is the FBI or Secret Service different than the State or Municipal/Local Police? Do they have different assessment and training processes and timelines? Are they located primarily and train in the national capital region? Yes, Yes, and Yes. That's what they are doing now with the RCMP. Splitting federal from provincial contract streams.

I HAD read something about this on the RCMP members / retirees / friends individual and closed-groups threads, but did not know the specifics (on an unrelated note, my GroupWise access has been curtailed these past almost-13 years, so...)

Anyways, I am quite surprised that Fed-stream types are NOT being subjected to Club-Fed-By-The-Mighty-Wascanafor the full 26 weeks (no-previous-PO/LEA-experience) or the 12 weeks (patch-overs) in specialized Troops before being sentencing to the hell of Ottawa / "O" / "C".

I support SK and others Provinces' CVE / HP, Conservation, and Sheriff, Officers' duties / responsibilities up-grades, SK Marshall Services creation, and other Prov's efforts at quietly / sneakily re-establishing their Prov PS, PLUS Municipalities and First Nations creating, re-creating, and / or expanding, their own PS. ALL of those jurisdictions have had it WAY TOO EASY, budget AND body-count, for WAY TOO MANY years.

I can see RM, and even Mun PS members, criss-cross patching-over, a la Surrey PS, and applaud the Law, Moving, and Real Estate, firms that, most likely, will collaterally benefit.

As long as my pay-to-stay-away continues unabated, I am cool with the above.

[EastCoastBestCoast]

Maybe historically true; but not quite accurate anymore.

1. Pre-posting to BC from BC is a thing.

2. Pre-posting to AB from AB WAS a thing.

3. Federal Policing Recruit Development Program prepares new recruits for a career in Federal Policing. Successful applicants are hired as Constables and will attend an initial 12 weeks of core police training in OTTAWA. No Depot, No Cadet Training Program, full salary from the beginning. Recruitment takes 6 months or less from application to start date.

4. FEDERAL Policing (specialized units) will be fast tracked to Ottawa. AKA 12 weeks of core police training in OTTAWA immediately followed by two weeks of Immediate Action Deployment and carbine training and then specialized police training and ongoing development, coaching and mentoring over a 2 year period. NOT trained at Depot, and posted in Ottawa. Upon successful completion of the 12 weeks of core police training in Ottawa, you will be given peace officer status.

5. Federal Policing RCMP Police Officers will be posted in the National Capital Region and duties may include domestic and international travel. New Police Officers who bring particular experience and training may be considered for direct entry into the Close Protection Services or other specialized support unit.

6. Of course everyone else in general contract recruiting still goes to Depot in Saskatchewan and is posted anywhere and everywhere (aka probably Manitoba or somewhere else rural is a good bet.)

Source: Official website
https://rcmp.ca/en/careers/become-polic ... nt-program

No this isn't a change...it's simply trying to fill specialized federal units which should have always been separate from contract policing or general duties, and nowhere near the prairies. Does the FBI or Secret Service HQ primarily train in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma? No, it initially trains and posts in Washington DC area.

Is the FBI or Secret Service different than the State or Municipal/Local Police? Do they have different assessment and training processes and timelines? Are they located primarily and train in the national capital region? Yes, Yes, and Yes. That's what they are doing now with the RCMP. Splitting federal from provincial contract streams.

I HAD read something about this on the RCMP members / retirees / friends individual and closed-groups threads, but did not know the specifics (on an unrelated note, my GroupWise access has been curtailed these past almost-13 years, so...)

Anyways, I am quite surprised that Fed-stream types are NOT being subjected to Club-Fed-By-The-Mighty-Wascanafor the full 26 weeks (no-previous-PO/LEA-experience) or the 12 weeks (patch-overs) in specialized Troops before being sentencing to the hell of Ottawa / "O" / "C".

I support SK and others Provinces' CVE / HP, Conservation, and Sheriff, Officers' duties / responsibilities up-grades, SK Marshall Services creation, and other Prov's efforts at quietly / sneakily re-establishing their Prov PS, PLUS Municipalities and First Nations creating, re-creating, and / or expanding, their own PS. ALL of those jurisdictions have had it WAY TOO EASY, budget AND body-count, for WAY TOO MANY years.

I can see RM, and even Mun PS members, criss-cross patching-over, a la Surrey PS, and applaud the Law, Moving, and Real Estate, firms that, most likely, will collaterally benefit.

As long as my pay-to-stay-away continues unabated, I am cool with the above.

Sir, it's interesting because as you may have noticed they are pre-posting each cohort to a specific federal unit for the first posting. I imagine transfers to other federal units are possible after 2 years or possibly sooner depending on vacancies.

Looks like the process is also different with the RMSI/RFI interview removed yet again, and instead replaced with a 3-day Recruitment Evaluation Centre (REC) in Ottawa. It's my understanding that the new physical fitness test, medical/psychological steps, and possibly some other behavioural assessments are all done there in one go. This is oddly almost identical to how the CIA and some US federal agencies run their recruitment out of Washington DC with some initial paperwork and screening disclosure interview, followed by multi day (3) assessment centre in the national capital region. I imagine that endeavor will be very short notice and cost prohibitive to attend for some applicants outside of Ontario.

The other change I noticed is the PARE is gone. And the new fitness test is done during the application stage.
..........................................
Recruitment Evaluation Centre
The Recruitment Evaluation Centre is a three-day, in-person assessment that candidates will attend to ensure that they possess the required characteristics, qualities and attributes of a police officer in Federal Policing, for example a Protective Officer. You will be provided with more information as your file moves through the recruiting process.
Note

You will be required to complete a job-related physical ability test called the Police Fitness Assessment.
What is the Police Fitness Assessment?

The Police Fitness Assessment is a set of 4 assessments to measure fitness for RCMP duty. Each assessment replicates common, essential, physically demanding tasks that may occur in policing.

Foot pursuit: 500m run with directional changes. At the halfway point of the assessment the cadet must climb a 1.4 metre chain-link fence.

Physical control: Alternately pushing and pulling a sled that requires the recruit to overcome 37kg of resistance. There is one position change at the halfway point where the recruit lies on the ground and returns to a standing position. After the sled push and pull is complete the recruit will proceed to pull down a weighted mannikin that requires them to overcome 54kg of force. This assessment must be completed without any stopping.

Emergency assistance: The recruit will load the back of a truck bed with 15 objects. Each item weighs 23 kg and there are 5 different shapes/styles of objects. This assessment is completed for time. The second part of this task is to evacuate patients to safety. This requires the recruit to run 50 meters and then carry a weight that replicates the position and size of half a stretcher with an adult casualty. The recruit will repeat this task three times for time.

High priority task: In this task the recruit will don the additional weight of the hard body armour gear. They will sprint 150 metres, climb two flights of stairs, and finish with an additional short sprint. They will be carrying a 4.5kg weight in their hands during the task. This task must be completed in 90 seconds.
..........................................

The new test looks more difficult (e.g., pull down a weighted mannikin that requires them to overcome 54kg of force) than the PARE strength wise, so I imagine the fail rate will be much, much higher, as opposed to status quo never having to do any fitness test during the application. It probably makes sense to put the fitness testing during the application as that's pretty standard. The new fitness test looks a lot more like the Canadian Armed Forces FORCE Evaluation than the PARE. Almost for sure it was developed in combination with the CAF. It also now looks significantly different from the provincial police or municipal fitness testing. More repetitive heavy lifting like the FORCE Evaluation, and shorter cardio sprints.

Source:
https://rcmp.ca/en/careers/become-polic ... assessment

Also this is not some low key pilot project as a lot of advertisement is being pushed on social media and even in movie theatres! It looks like a full roll out and separation of federal policing from provincial/general contracts recruitment and training wise. By the way the first cohort posting listed some asset qualifications such as additional education so it will probably become very competitive very quickly.

[Prairieplp]

Very impressed with the pace the RCMP have now with the hiring process. I applied back in March, I have my medical next week & they contacted me about 1.5 weeks ago stating they would be reaching out to my references in the coming days. As far as I know all that's left after those 2 steps is the security clearance?

One of my close friends has been a Mountie for 4.5 years now, his process took 18 months back then. Another good friend of mine has been in for 3 years, his process took about 12-13 months.

[Tornelco]

Very impressed with the pace the RCMP have now with the hiring process. I applied back in March, I have my medical next week & they contacted me about 1.5 weeks ago stating they would be reaching out to my references in the coming days. As far as I know all that's left after those 2 steps is the security clearance?

One of my close friends has been a Mountie for 4.5 years now, his process took 18 months back then. Another good friend of mine has been in for 3 years, his process took about 12-13 months.

That's the result of massive vacancy rates across the country. It's a good time to be a police applicant.

[Sav]

I would like to thank everyone who posted valuable information on this forum. I have been following this forum for past one year and finally decided to create an account today. I am proud to say that I will be joining Troop 16 !

As a lurker, I noticed lots of questions that were repeatedly asked. I want to share my insight and advise to every new applicant is that you will find ANSWER to your every question in this thread. You just need to search for it. There were times I was impatient or had a certain question about a specific application step, but I found it all in here. Like every moderator have stated multiple times, each application is different so timeline will be different. You can get a vague idea but nothing is confirmed.

Here is my application timeline. I hope this might help someone but again it could be different for everyone. Anyone else going Troop 16 ?

Applied - Jun 22
Mandatory session - Aug 22
Online assessment - Aug 22
RFIT - Nov 22
RMAQ - Dec 22
Poly - Jan 23
Background - Feb 23
Psych - May 23
Medical - July 23
Security - July 23
Troop 16- Aug 23

[76silver911]

I've been a long time lurker of this board from when I first applied to the RCMP in 2015. I was deferred for 1 year at the polygraph stage when I initially applied. I just wanted to write to anyone who has been deferred or is worried about a deferral. Take the time to reflect on the deferral, better yourself, live your life. If you still want to re-apply after it is over, go for it. I took some time off between my applications and life changed considerably for myself and my family over the past few years.

The loss of my father at the start of 2020 caused me to re-evaluate what I really wanted to do with myself and what direction I wanted my career to go moving forward. I re-applied in September of 2022 and it has almost been 1 year of waiting and hoping I don't get another deferral. Not that I thought I would, or that I had done anything to deserve one, but I had been deferred in the past and I couldn't help but worry it would happen again.

It didn't; I made it through every step of the process and was offered Troop 16 yesterday. I can finally let myself get excited at the prospect of attending Depot and fulfilling my dream of becoming a member of the RCMP. To those that have been deferred, don't let it stop you, it is only a minor set back and one that I am honestly grateful had happened. It allowed me to be close to home for the last few years of my father's life, and I don't regret it for a second. Now I'm truly ready to move forward with my career in policing.

Good luck to everyone who is currently an applicant, and to those that have been recently accepted or will be accepted I look forward to meeting you in Regina!

[SithMedic314]

I would like to thank everyone who posted valuable information on this forum. I have been following this forum for past one year and finally decided to create an account today. I am proud to say that I will be joining Troop 16 !

As a lurker, I noticed lots of questions that were repeatedly asked. I want to share my insight and advise to every new applicant is that you will find ANSWER to your every question in this thread. You just need to search for it. There were times I was impatient or had a certain question about a specific application step, but I found it all in here. Like every moderator have stated multiple times, each application is different so timeline will be different. You can get a vague idea but nothing is confirmed.

Here is my application timeline. I hope this might help someone but again it could be different for everyone. Anyone else going Troop 16 ?

Applied - Jun 22
Mandatory session - Aug 22
Online assessment - Aug 22
RFIT - Nov 22
RMAQ - Dec 22
Poly - Jan 23
Background - Feb 23
Psych - May 23
Medical - July 23
Security - July 23
Troop 16- Aug 23

see you soon!

[SithMedic314]

I've been a long time lurker of this board from when I first applied to the RCMP in 2015. I was deferred for 1 year at the polygraph stage when I initially applied. I just wanted to write to anyone who has been deferred or is worried about a deferral. Take the time to reflect on the deferral, better yourself, live your life. If you still want to re-apply after it is over, go for it. I took some time off between my applications and life changed considerably for myself and my family over the past few years.

The loss of my father at the start of 2020 caused me to re-evaluate what I really wanted to do with myself and what direction I wanted my career to go moving forward. I re-applied in September of 2022 and it has almost been 1 year of waiting and hoping I don't get another deferral. Not that I thought I would, or that I had done anything to deserve one, but I had been deferred in the past and I couldn't help but worry it would happen again.

It didn't; I made it through every step of the process and was offered Troop 16 yesterday. I can finally let myself get excited at the prospect of attending Depot and fulfilling my dream of becoming a member of the RCMP. To those that have been deferred, don't let it stop you, it is only a minor set back and one that I am honestly grateful had happened. It allowed me to be close to home for the last few years of my father's life, and I don't regret it for a second. Now I'm truly ready to move forward with my career in policing.

Good luck to everyone who is currently an applicant, and to those that have been recently accepted or will be accepted I look forward to meeting you in Regina!

see ya soon! troop 16!

[Prairieplp]

For the people who have recieved troop offers. How long did it take to recieve an offer or know you were going to recieve one after your medical was complete? I had my medical this past Friday, and they also started contacting refrences that day as well.

I'm just wondering what I can somewhat expect when it comes to the timeline. Everything up to this point has been going at a quick pace(Applied in March), hopefully the pace continues.