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Careers: Police/Hireable?
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Question
I was in the military for approx. 2 years. I was engaged to be married at the time and my then fiance, now wife, was wanting me to try to get out of the military. I missed a couple of PTs, and broke phase once, and the commanding officer of the squadron basically said do you want out of the military. I agreed and I was discharged with a "General under honorable conditions" Rentry code 2b discharge. It's been 4 years since then, and I've grown up considerably. Im wondering however, that if i attend the police academy down here in Gainesville FL, if the fact that I have a General, and not a full on Honorable discharge, will greatly effect my chances of being hired.
Other than the discharge I have nothing on my record. Ive only tried pot once when i was 13, and have never been in trouble with the law.
Does my discharge make me non-hireable tho?
Chris,
Anything other than a Honorable Discharge is frowned upon during the hiring process. Be prepared to fully explain why you received the discharge you did and be prepared to justify your answer. That is the best you can do under the circumstances.
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Answers by Expert:
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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