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Careers: Police/Question about Police Academy School.
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Question
Hello my name is Eddie,31 and live in Florida, I'm currently in the Army reserves and I am interested in joining the police force. Unfortunately I made some bad choices growing up,it's been 10 years since I committed my errors and have not involved myself in any wrongful doings since. Also yards ago I had my license taken for habitual traffic offender driving we/suspended laic. I had a hard time with money for a few years and couldn't afford my insurance. I always wanted to be in law enforcement, I joining the US ARMY to better provide for my family and to take advantage of there school benefits. I take pride in being a soldier for the united states,I also want to provide my community the same commitment. What do you think my chance are in being accepted into the police academy at this point?
Thank You Much.
Eddie Vazquez
Eddie,
Its impossible to give you a "yes" or "no" answer. I also notice that you have asked about being accepted into the police academy. I suspect that you live in an area where a person attends a private academy and then goes out and seeks employment. In my part of the country you have to get hired first and then a police department sends you to their police academy.
Either way your background is not attractive. "Bad choices and "errors" don't tell me anything so I am going to have to suspect the worse. A bad driving record is also not going to be attractive to a background investigator. "Hard time with money" doesn't tell me squat so I guess you mean you have a bad credit history.
If you were applying for my department and you had a criminal record, a traffic record, and a bad credit history you wouldn't get past the application stage. However that does not mean that you cannot work as a police officer somewhere.
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Answers by Expert:
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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