Expert: Loren Stevens - 3/23/2008

Question
Hello,
I am 24 years old and am in the military.  I recently got a DUI and my question pertains to that.  I am not an alcoholic nor do I usually drink.  This DUI is not who I am and it was a learning mistake.  My question is: will this DUI affect my goal in becoming a police officer eventually a detective?

Answer
Hello Cassondra,
Your recent DUI charge may, or maynot have an impact on your plans to enter law enforcement. I know that is not what you want for a cogent answer, but prophecy is not one of my gifts.
That said, maybe I can walk you through some considerations for you to entertain.
What the rest of your resume looks like, may offset some of this negative, but you can't count on that.
The surrounding facts and circumstances associated with your DUI may have an impact. If you were a "difficult" subject to deal with, were there other passengers in your vehicle, were you stopped DUI in or near a school zone, were the roads crowded, was there an open container of alcoholic beverage in your vehicle, how far had you driven while under the influence, how far did you have to go, were there children in the mix, and on and on. Any attendant features may have an impact.
In law enforcement, recruiters are focused on: honesty, character, and judgement, as leading areas of interest.
Arguably, two of those three are at issue concerning you as a viable candidate.
You have to do some self analysis as well. What could a background investigation discover about you, relating to alcohol abuse, or related concerns?
What is your social pattern? what would others say about you during a discrete interview? Would others say you have driven a vehicle while impaired with alcohol in the past...pattern etc.
And, you are at an age, where better choices should be within your grasp, coupled with a measure of military discipline etc.
So, ceteris paribus (and they never are), it is difficult to nail down an answer for you that is solid. That in itself may very well act in your favor.
What I would suggest you do, is to speak to a police recruiter face-to-face, and pose the question to him or her, and petition for a straight answer without the dance.
You may want to do this to a few agencies that you have an interest in.
And, it's not my intention to offer you legal counsel, but if it were me....I would DEFINITELY have an attorney represent me on this charge. Depending on the attendant issues, e.g., BA count etc, there may be a chance for an amended complaint or something of that nature.
An arrest, or citation is one thing, the ultimate case disposition is yet another.
Sometimes records are sealed, expunged, etc.
What I've listed are just some of the considerations you may want to think about.
Hopefully, this has been helpful to you.
Good Luck, and regards.
loren