Letter of Recommendation advice?
 

I'm getting together a packet to be what is essentially a state wide reserve law enforcement officer. I need 3 letters and I'm lost. I have no problem finding the people, I'm just not sure what should be included in the letter. Any tips?

I've only written two, and have to write a 3rd this week. So, FWIW, I mention attributes that suit the job description.

I don't have a references I'm using that would have knowledge of necessary skills for the position. The only skills I have that might match up are either undocumented or from my days in the Army and I haven't kept up with them.

I'm going with a handful of very well qualified in the field individuals whom have known me for anywhere from well over a decade to my entire life...

FWIW in my prior leadership roles in the Navy, the attributes that are important for this type of job are leadership, integrity, physical fitness/appearance, teamwork. Standard stuff. The key to a good letter is being able to illustrate those characteristics without sounding like you are just rattling them off.

The best way to get letters of recommendation written timely and with the contents you need is to write them yourself, send them to the person and have them sign. Win win for both: you get exactly what you need, the writer does not have to bother writing...

That's exactly what I'm trying to do....without it sounding like a canned response.

I would Google this for inspiration: "letter of recommendation for law enforcement template", then make my own from several templates.

How to Write a Letter of Recommendation for Officer Training | eHow