Entire Police Recruit Class Fired

1*girl · 08-08-06, 08:14 AM

Cobb Fires Entire Police Recruit Class For Cheating

POSTED: 6:09 am EDT August 8, 2006

MARIETTA -- Cobb County Police dismissed an entire class of 20 recruits on Monday after they were accused of cheating on a test at the police academy.

The county's public safety director, Mickey Lloyd, said an instructor caught two recruits comparing answers during a driving exam, and investigators learned that the entire class had "gotten together and decided none of them was going to fail."

No criminal charges are planned, but the recruits will never be allowed to be sworn law enforcement officers in Georgia, Lloyd said.

Cobb authorities will report the dismissals to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which oversees training and certification of law enforcement officers.

The recruits were in the fifth week of a 22-week training period required to join about 600 officers on Cobb's police force, where salaries start around $34,600.

-Ya know, a little study time for a career you want wouldn't hurt! I'm kinda glad they aren't allowed to be sworn in GA now.

**Growler** · 08-08-06, 08:47 AM

Great. Now they will all come to Richmond!!!

**General Patten** · 08-08-06, 09:03 AM

In my humble opinion, they probably shouldnt be hired anywhere...

If Im not mistaken, lying during the hiring process gets you disqualified throughout the entire country... shouldnt this be treated in the same manner?

**BigDawg** · 08-08-06, 09:07 AM

It's to bad they couldnt be entered into the NCIC or some system similare so they couldn't be sworn anywhere.

**Growler** · 08-08-06, 09:35 AM

Which they shouldn't be hired anywhere, but departmetns are desperate these days so some things are sliding through. Yeah I know...

Who wants someone taking your back on a call who came in with credibility issues!!!

**gozling** · 08-08-06, 09:51 AM

lol...
if they had to go through the CMS crap I am not surprised..i dont know if other states use the CMS shit or not...

i am amazed though that all were in on it.. yikes

**MisterK** · 08-08-06, 09:59 AM

Yeah statistically it seems odd that they were ALL in on it. Maybe they thought they were having a study group or something. Dunno.

**Standard Dave** · 08-08-06, 10:32 AM

On a positive note they were showing good team work and problem solving skills

Dishonest is a bit of a

type thing though.

**snuffy2202** · 08-08-06, 11:25 AM

I'm just glad that the county had the guts to fire them. I can just about guarantee that the powers to be here wouldn't have done anything to them and probably would have blamed the instuctors for allowing it to go on!

**sflcop** · 08-08-06, 12:10 PM

Damn you all, beating me to posting this. They should have been fired, and should not get jobs elsewhere, but they will probably get hired elsewhere, and some will no doubt become chief.

**Willowdared** · 08-08-06, 01:12 PM

Sheesh!

My class vowed to get thru together, but we did it by testing/quizzing each other on our breaks, not cheating on the finals.

**TheOldRhino** · 08-08-06, 02:13 PM

Cobb's always had a reputation for being hard-nosed; which is a good thing IMO.

And as a Georgia-certified officer, if you have to cheat on the tests they give you, you're probably not made for this job. Maybe it's time they go cook some fries.

**Just KC** · 08-08-06, 02:57 PM

Damn!! I know in the dept I am trying to get into, they already said if we were dishonest during ANYTHING from here on out that they would be sure we weren't hired anywhere in CA. (where i am)........Just not worth it!

**snuffy2202** · 08-09-06, 11:22 AM

Hell, they will probably come over to Alabama and get hired. As an Academy Instructor, I personally caught two recruits cheating on tests and nothing happened to them other than a counselling form. Whoopee!

1*girl · 08-10-06, 07:14 AM

COBB COUNTY -- Some of the Cobb County police recruits fired in a cheating scandal are speaking out today. The recruits tell Channel 2 they were just following orders when an academy instructor allegedly caught them cheating on an exam.

Channel 2 talked with about a half dozen members of that former recruit class who were down at police headquarters Wednesday turning in the last of their gear. They didn’t want to show their faces because they still hope to salvage their careers in law enforcement. But they bristle at the perception that they conspired to cheat their way to becoming cops.

“I don’t think it’s the intention of any one of us to absolve ourselves of any responsibility,” says one recruit.

County officials say they fired the 20 recruits for cheating on a state-mandated test. But some of the recruits told Channel 2, they were just doing what they had been told.

“There was one occasion where the officer came in and told us we had a certain amount of time to complete an exam, uh, he’s going to leave the room, we’re going to converse amongst ourselves and collectively come up with the answers to the test,” explains one former recruit.

The former recruits say this had all started early in their time at the academy. The entire class had failed one of the first state-mandated tests. Their instructor was furious, yelling at them saying ‘how could all 20 fail this test?’. He said they were all to work together in the future to pass the remainder of the tests.

“There was an instance where we took a state mandated test, where we were told that one half of the class did questions 1 through 25 and the other half of the class did questions 26 through 50, and we cross filled in our answer sheets accordingly,” said another former police recruit.

It was only when an academy sergeant came into the room during a test, and saw two of the recruits talking, that all 20 were questioned then terminated.

“And that was the first time that we were told by someone in a position of authority that we were doing something wrong,” explains a recruit.

The half dozen recruits told Channel 2 Wednesday that they still hoped to pursue a law enforcement career – in a place other than Cobb County – and they hope telling their story at least helps others understand.

The recruits want to tell their story to POST – a state agency that certifies law enforcers in the state. There may be an investigation done by POST after Cobb County forwards the agency their files – the recruits they plan to make sure their word is included in any such investigation.

1*girl · 08-10-06, 01:58 PM

That was Kennesaw PD.

**Growler** · 08-10-06, 02:51 PM

[QUOTE=1*girl][I]COBB COUNTY -- Some of the Cobb County police recruits fired in a cheating scandal are speaking out today. The recruits tell Channel 2 they were just following orders when an academy instructor allegedly caught them cheating on an exam.

The former recruits say this had all started early in their time at the academy. The entire class had failed one of the first state-mandated tests. Their instructor was furious, yelling at them saying ‘how could all 20 fail this test?’. He said they were all to work together in the future to pass the remainder of the tests.

That does not mean cheats little shits. It means form a study group. Oy vey!!!

**narcodog** · 08-10-06, 05:02 PM

According to the newS

reports this morning a few of the former recruits stated that that they were encouraged to "work together" as each had failed the first test and the instructors advised them to work together. "This group take the first 25 questions and the other group take the second 25. Sounds to be a sever case of miss communication.