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Expert: - 3/19/2008


Question
  Can someone who has been charged with a class A misdemeanor for theft be disqualified from being a police officer?
   I was bout 19 at the time. Now I am 27 and have served 3 years in The US Army during those 3 years I served 15 months on a tour to Iraq. That is the one and only offense on my record. My first and my last.
 
That in mind What are my chances of having a career as a police officer in any state??

 Thank you for your time.
    Sincerely,
               Jonathon Kreamer

Answer
Hi Jon,

Well it is not a disqualifyer in Florida and a Misd. is probably not in most others either. With that said.....

Thank you for your service to our wonderful country, and I think you will find that since it occurred 8 years ago, and since then you have done some maturing and life changes (military) then you are now ready to look into law enforcement.

I think your chances are fair to good. You will be more well received at a smaller agency because of the number of applications being fewer, and they will allow you to talk to them about your past, where some large agencies will not.

Good luck and the worst that can happen is they say no... and you are no worse off than you are now.

If you are interested in Florida, look here for all the information:
www.policecareers.org  

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Chris Wagoner

Expertise

I have been a police officer for 30+ years! I am the Police Academy Commander at the Santa Fe College, Institute of Public Safety in Gainesville Florida It is a full service Law Enforcement and Corrections training facility. I can answer most questions concerning law enforcement procedures, law enforcement training and general questions about law enforcment. I can also answer questions about becoming a law enfocement officer. I have a booklet and web page I have written that answers many questions about how to become a police officer called "So you want to be a cop (police Officer) in Florida?", which is free, Google it.. All you have to do is ask. I teach the following subjects: RADAR/LASER, Law Enforcement Driving, Law Enforcement Firearms and Patrol Techniques, Officer Safety, WMD's for Patrol Officers, Application of Law, Communications skills, Dealing with the Mentally and physically handicapped, and many more subjects. I have worked as a subject matter expert for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and helped to write the police curriculum for the State of Florida. I like answering questions about how to become a police officer, and questions about why did an officer do this or that type questions. I also like answering any questions you may have about police work in general. I do not mind helping with homework questions or trying to answer your questions about legal subjects that I have knowledge of. You will never know the answer until you ask! If you do ask a question, PLEASE take the time to at least rate the answer. I do not get paid to answer these questions and do it on my own time. If you ask, please rate it when I answer. Thanks!!! If its a question about becoming a police officer, it may be answered here: http://sites.google.com/site/flaleohelp/ My "hobby" website - http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdID8487 Military Videos on YouTube and Facebook!!

Experience

I am a 30+ year veteran police officer, I am currently the Police Academy Commander of an Academy in North FLorida. I have been training police officers since 1993 and have trained them in all aspects of law enforcement, including firearms, Driving and legal subjects including patrol techniques and others and training all over the world. I have trained over 5000 officers worldwide in the last 16 years of training.

Publications
I am a published author in Accident Investigation from the University of North Florida, Institute of Police Technology and Management. Also have written and published on the Internet, "So You Want to be a Cop (Police Officer) in Florida?" you can Google it..

Education/Credentials
I have 2 degrees, in Criminal Justice.

Awards and Honors
Phi Theta Kappa, plus 50+ Departmental Awards over the years. FBI Directors award for assisting in a Nationwide investigation into Child pornography.

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