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Careers: Police/police disqualifications

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Expert: - 12/14/2009


Question
I am 40 years old and I want to be a police officer. I am going through the background check now and I was asked about my selective service registration number. I am not able to find that number. I thought I did that back in the day when I registered to vote because you had too. I am worried that I did not register. My question is, if I somehow did not register between the ages of 18-26, will I be disqualified? Keep in mind, my background is squeaky clean and I went to to college and graduated. I have paid taxes ever since I had my first job and 16. I am a U.S. Citizen and I registered to vote at 18. As you can see, it wasn't like I was trying to hide or break the law. It just seems that I did not register and I don't know how that was possible. Do I still have a chance to be a police officer due to this one mistake? The mistake was not done on purpose.  

Answer
Dee,

If we had a national police force I could give you a "yes" or "no" answer.  But in fact we have thousands of police departments in this country and they all have their own hiring standards, rules, procedures, etc.  So you can see why its impossible to tell you whether your inability to prove that you registered with Selective Service would be important.

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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