Careers: Police/child support

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Expert: - 12/14/2008


Question
QUESTION: I am on the road to applying to be a police officer in my local county, and i have 3 child support orders in a total arears of 42,000$...i am employed and i am making payment and have been for quite some time,.but every so often in the past when i wasnt working, i would go through a spell of a suspended licence in total about six times,.im just wondering if the amount of my arearage and my employment insability are grounds to get me DQ,d

ANSWER: Do you live in the United States or the UK?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i live in maryland in the united states.

Answer
Ok from the way you wrote I suspected that you lived in the UK.

I don't know how far your hiring process is but those things are not good things to have on your record.  I am not saying that it is going to be an automatic disqualifer but it won't help.

But having said that you need to remember that EVERY state has its own hiring standards so there is not a "yes" or "no" answer to your question.

Careers: Police

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.

Experience

Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.

Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.

Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.

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