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Careers: Police/Police Candidate.

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Expert: - 3/6/2010


Question
Hi Jack,
My name is Ryan. Im 20 years old and in about 6 months I plan on sending myself through the Academy and applying to departments while im attending. I am currently in the Marine Corps Reserve and have 4 years left on Reserve Status.
The only problem is I was recently caught stealing about $1050 from my previous place of employment over the course of 3 months. The manager and I agreed that If I paid it back ASAP, we will drop all charges, but none of this is certain. The arresting Officer changed it to a misdeminor and It shows up in my background check when I applied to a different job. Will I still be able to be hired as an Officer or Deputy?
Thank You

Answer
Ryan,

I get countless questions like this.  What people do not understand is that there are NO national standards for hiring police officers.  Each department, several thousand of them, have their own hiring standards and rules.  

But to address your question even if your employer "drops all charges" you will still have a criminal record which will be a huge red flag for an employer especially a police department.  This is not an attack on you but anyone who does your background will immediately realize that you were a thief and not a desirable candidate.

I am in no way telling you that you don't have a chance to work in law enforcement but your criminal record certain will not help you.  Before you spend thousands of dollars on tuition I think that I would get advise from people who do the hiring on whatever department you strive for since you might not ever qualify.

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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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