You are here:

Careers: Police/In need of expert

Advertisement


Question
Mr. Toomy
  
  Hello sir my name is Sorann im curious to know, I was discharged from the US Marine Corps with a OTH discharge for bad conduct.(usage of Marijuana) first time offender no priors for anything as a civilian, and just wanted to know if there is any possibilities that i would still be able to enter the law enforcement field. I am just trying to pick my life back up from the whole i put myself into any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou.

Answer
I probably should put this in my profile. We do not have a national police force.  EACH police department operates independently of each other so they have their own hiring standards are rules.  What might be true on Department #A might not be true on Department #B.

So the best that I can do for you is to tell you that your less than honorable discharge is certainly not going to help you.

Careers: Police

All Answers


Answers by Expert:


Ask Experts

Volunteer


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.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.