I have to admit, it's good to know people in your local PD. I'm very familiar with the people in my department and hope to join them soon on the service. The whole thing took me about a month from start to finish.
Alternately, it took my dad about 3 months when he got his. Both of us being active in the firearm circuits, we have rarely encountered anyone of whom the process took more than three months with an average of two.
Of course, there are many mitigating factors to consider:
-How many times have you moved in your lifetime?
-Ever lived out of this country?
-Convictions of any kind, even juvenile?
-Where and what do you do for work?
Most of these factors wont prevent you from getting a permit as most of you may know but it can considerably slow the process.
For example, my father many years ago while trying to obtain an assault rifle (post-ban, lame) was held up for many months by the ATFE simply because he had an arrest over 20 years ago that never led to conviction. They didn't stop him but he did have to wait and jump through a few hoops.
Also, don't be afraid to ask as to the status of your application. Sometimes you just get pushed to the back of the line for whatever reason and they need to be reminded of the fact that you've been waiting far longer than the legal time limit imposed by the state senate.