Expert: Chris Wagoner - 1/6/2009

Question
First let me thank you, Commander Wagoner, for taking time to answer my question.  After having viewed a large majority of the questions/answers the you have received/provided, I feel you would be an excellent "measuring stick" on whether I should persue a career in Law Enforcement.  Here is a little bit about me.  I am 31 years old, married and have 3 wonderful children. I have been employed by the same company for 9 years.  I have no criminal history at all, and do no drugs, tobacco, or alcohol.  I do have an associates degree with an ACICS accredited school. I do not have any Military background, beyond being in JROTC in high school.
Now the questions. While I have a clean criminal history record, my driving record when i was younger (16-20) is not that impressive (speeding tickets, seatbelt violations, etc..) As of late, I have had window tinting tickets and a "fixit" ticket, maybe a speeding ticket a few years ago,

I would have to review my DMV records to find out exactly.  Would any of these preclude me from being a viable canidate for hire at a Law Enforcemnt agency? I am interested in joining the local academy, going at night and working during the day so I can still support my family. Its a dream I have had for a while, but now is a good as time as any to "just do it" I feel.  I just do not want my efforts to be in vain, if after enduring the academy I can not get hired by a local agency.  Are there any tips you can part with for sucessful self-sponsorship or gaining a departmental sponsorship?  Is there anything that I can do to better my chances at getting hired on?  What do you think about my qualifications that are presented, in your professional opinion?  Is my age a hinderance or a help when review boards consider me?

This is just a pretty big step in a new career direction and I want to be as successful as possible.

Answer
Hi Brian,

I do not see it being an issue as long as you have put a few years between you and the last few moving violations. Non-moving are not so important. Those are your fix it, and tinting tickets.

I wrote this for Officer.com forums:
What will Disqualify me from becoming a police Officer????

So you want to be a police officer and you want to know if that time you got in trouble for stealing your brothers bike when you were 10 will do it. Well more than likely no. But in order to help those that want to find out if they can still be a cop I will try to make it as easy to understand as I can, and this comes from being on the hiring board and oral board for a few years with a major sheriff’s office, and as a academy commander and hearing every conceivable story there is (although they come up with new ones all the time! ) and as a cop for the last 28+ years.

Each and every state has its state laws that cover what you have to have to be a cop. States vary in requirements; some say 19 years old, some 21. Some say you have to have this or that, each has its own. You need to look up the particular state (All 50 STates Laws can be found here!!!) you are thinking of being a cop in and read the law carefully. If you meet the minimum standards, then you may qualify by law, but then you need to read those things that will disqualify you also. These are things that may or may not be in the state law;

1. Being a convicted felon - As convicted felons cannot carry guns in most cases, its hard for the police department to give you one or require you to buy one when its illegal for you to have one! Also domestic violence reports or arrest are a DQ.

2. Some misdemeanors that involve perjury or false statements - It’s hard to let you swear to tell the truth in court when you have already lied.

3. Dishonorable discharges from the military. Self explanatory I think

4. Having a bad driving record - I mean tickets for things like speeding, reckless or careless driving, or other tickets that show disregard for safety. A history of a lot of tickets also is a no go in most cases. Suspended license are usually a tough one also. You should have a clear record for a period of time before you bother to apply or make sure it’s a minor ticket like a taillight out or something. A clear record for 3-5 years will get you by this one, or a minor ticket or two will be OK most of the time. Remember the agency has to trust you with a patrol car that you at times will have to drive in emergency mode, kind of hard to justify that in court when you had reckless driving tickets.

5. Having bad credit – this one is different for different agencies, but all seem to be looking at it more. If you have bad credit (really bad, bankruptcies, or loads of outstanding debt) you are a liability for bribery or other problems. You may at times in this job find yourself handling large sums of cash and being in debt makes you a liability when doing that. The temptation is too much for some in need.

6. Drug use – this is one I get questions about a lot. First let me say again each department may be a little different but most are along the same lines. Hard Drugs used even in the last 20 years is a DQ most of the time, heroin, Speed, LSD, addiction to prescription drugs are a few automatics. Most agencies will not touch you if you were dealing drugs at all. I actually had a kid ask me if he was DQ’d if he had dealt pot back when he was a teenager (7 years ago), he just admitted to a felony, so of course you can guess the answer. If you used drugs in the last 3 years or so most agencies don’t like it. If your 5 or more years out, it depends on what it was and how often. Daily usage is a no no, weekly is still not good. Using a couple of times in a 5 year period is better looking.

7. Past Employment – having 20 jobs in a 5 year period is a no go. You should show some kind of ability to hold a job. Getting fired for failing to show up to work, calling in sick all the time, and having an ex-employer tell us that you were the “worst” employee they ever had does not look to good. Agencies depend on you to show up to work on time and ready to work. So do the other guys/gals on the shift.

8. If you have a MySpace or Facebook page, make sure it is something you would want your prospective employer to see. They are hiring people (like me) to look them up and give them copies of everything found there. Also do a web search for yourself and any user names that you use or used and see what you find. They are checking things like that. Remember, never write or put anything online that you would not want your Boss to see as he/she just might have seen it already!

We had several Deputies get fired because of stuff they had put on their MySpace pages. http://www.wesh.com/news/9400560/detail.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...pace_page.html

That’s a rough guide for most places I have heard of or know from firsthand experience. When in doubt you should of course ask the agency you are trying to apply to if something in particular bothers you or your not sure if you are disqualified. It is much better to ask BEFORE you even apply to save yourself the time and money, in addition it will come out in the background if you try to hide something, and that of course is an immediate disqualification.

If you meet the requirements and you pass the muster, it’s a great profession to be in and getting better all the time. Good luck and STAY SAFE!!!


Maybe that will answer some un-asked questions also.

Be well...feel free to ask any others you may have