Careers: Police/Just wondering

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Expert: Eric Potts - 9/28/2008


Question
Hi my name is Jessica im a 23 yr old single mother of 2 and ive always been interested with becoming a homicide detective ever since my fiance was shot and killed and they couldnt find the killer. The thing is i have a criminal backround from when i was younger and acting stupid. Over the years ive grown into a different person. My question is even with a criminal backround can i still go through schooling to get a degree? And if i can is it worth going to school, would i be able to get a job with the record i have. Its maining for theft and i have a forgery charge which is a felony, the only felony i have. thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Jessica,

I don't know about the State you live in, but here in NJ you can not become a Police Officer with a felony conviction. I imagine it is much the same in every State.

Contact your local Police Department and inquire about the requirements. Speak with a lawyer and see if there is anything you can do to help clear your record, beyond that you can still go to school and get involved with helping your community in so many different ways.

Good Luck

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Eric Potts

Expertise

I am a Veteran of The United States Army where I served as a Military Police Officer for 6 years and have been a Municipal Police Officer for 20 years. I am a certified Arson Investigator, as well as a certified Community Police Officer. I am a DARE teacher in the local schools. I am a Defensive Driving Instructor and worked for years as a Detective specializing in White Collar Crime. I'm qualified to answer general law enforcement questions, general procedure questions (all departments have different rules and regulations. I can answer questions about how to become a law enforcement officer, and questions that might help someone understand why an officer acted a certain way. I am also a Police Suicide Awareness trainer and a member of the NJ Critical Incident Response Team. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO SWAT-I AM NOT QUALIFIED TO ANSWER THEM AND WILL REJECT THOSE QUESTIONS.

Experience

I have 27 years total Law Enforcement experience in a wide range of areas. I have worked as a Detective and a Patrolman and have made well over 2,000 arrests in my career.

Education/Credentials
Graduated from the United States Army Military Police School Basic Law Enforcement Training Arson Investigators School DARE Officer Training Interview and Interrogation School Police Suicide and Awareness Trainer

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