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Careers: Police/license suspension

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Expert: - 4/30/2009


Question
At 16 years of age I was arrested for drunk driving, refused to take the test and my license was suspended until I was 18.   The judge sealed my records and there is no drunk driving charges.  I have been accepted to a 4 year criminal justice program in a private college.  How will this affect me getting hired.  My plans are to work up to Federal Marshall positions?  Thank you for your time in answering this.

Answer
Paige,

There is no way for me to predict what the background investigation will reveal once you reach the stage of applying for the position that that you mentioned.  Your problem might come when they ask you if you have ever been arrested.  What are you going to say?  Then there is the polygraph exam.  If you say that you never have been arrested and fail the polygraph then you are sunk.  

Right now I would not worry about it.  You have four years of college to complete and your career choice could easily change in that four years.  You may even meet someone in college who has some experience in the Marshall's Service who could give you advice on how to approach this problem.

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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