I applied in-person. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at Miami-Dade Police Department (Miami, FL) in Feb 2009
Interview
Be honest when completing Application and Personal History Questionaire. You could be terminated for omitting information or falsifying ANYTHING in these documents. You should recognize that you will be working with a very diverse general public. Your interview answers should reflect your ability to work well with others and tolerence for different cultures and people. Focus your answers on your personal integrity and honesty. College education, while not a minimum qualification is definately a plus.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Two questions you will always be asked are what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses. Frame the weakness question so that it ends with in a positive statement. For example: My weakness would be a complete understanding of all aspects of this job... I feel confident however, that with the proper instruction, you will find me to be a competent employee, eager and capable of learning new tasks and retaining new information.