Careers: Police/a good question

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Expert: - 1/22/2009


Question
Hi i was just wondering if i could be a cop if i committed a felon when i was 16 and sentenced at 17 and never did no jail time but went to djj and had 6 months of house arrest would it still matter now even if i got my record cleaned

Answer
Luke,

There are thousands of police departments in this country.  Every one has its own hiring standard.  No two are alike.  Its impossible for me to give you a "yes" or "no" answer.  The best I can do is tell you that your felony conviction will surely not help you but it might not hurt you.

I will tell you what you need to imporove on if you have any hope of being a police officer (not cop).  You need to improve your mastery of the English language.  Your grammar is horrible and you wrote your question in one big run-on sentence.  Prospective police officers are given a test where their writing ability is analyzed because officers have to write lengthy reports that are sometimes introduced as evidence in court.

Take some remedial courses or get some help with that and you possibly could stand a chance.

Careers: Police

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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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