Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hey everyone, I appreciate the opportunity to voice my questions to actual LEO's.

I'm currently interested in becoming a LEO myself but I'm only 18 so I have some time before I get to the hiring process. In the mean time I'm participating in ride a longs, going to college as a full time student, and actively trying to become a member of my local PD's Explorer and cadet programs.

What I am worried about however, is my less than stellar driving and employment history. I've had 2 moving violations but went to court and had the tickets wiped, and I've had at least 2 or 3 speeding tickets and other minor tickets issued. I also had my license suspended because of the aforementioned moving violations being so close to each other.

Will this come back to haunt me when I'm 21 and making a push for the hiring process?

the second major thing is that I've worked minimum wage/part time jobs since I was about 15. I've been Fired from 3 of them and respectably quit the last job. Reasons for firing were either personal or being immature and coming late or not showing up at all.

Since most of the jobs were in my teens, will they be seriously looked at or can it be played off as being young and stupid?

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any feedback that can put my mind at ease.

Use the time to show that you have grown up and matured since then and that you aren't the same person now you were back then.

Sure it will hurt you a little; a license suspension and numerous moving violations plus being fired from jobs more than once paints a poor picture of your decision making.

Get a job and keep it long term, drive more responsibly, and give yourself some time to grow up. College and/or military experience will each help that process along.

Yes, that will probably haunt you at 21... but maybe not at 24 or 26.

21 may be the minimum age at which departments hire applicants, but its not the average. If they hire a 21 year old they are probably impressed with his or her maturity at a fairly young age; your employment history and driving record would seem to be counter-indicative of such a 'young maturity.' Nothing you wrote about is a career killer, though, so if you dedicate yourself to doing better (and worry about grades, your current job or whatever) you'll be in a better position in a few years.

What are you doing to rack up the tickets ?






























STOP doing that !!

Don't bother applying until A) You get a bachelors, B) You are honorably discharged from the military, or C)You have a strong resume (meaning a good job that requires maturity, honesty and integrity) I am not a LEO but start the academy in July and out of the nearly 1,200 applicants, only 30 or so are being hired. All of which have one of the 3 things mentioned above. Also, being that so many people are applying these days, I would say you need to be at least 21 or 22 for them to even consider you. Which is good news for you!

Thanks for all the replies guys. I can say that I feel a little better now with all the info.

Currently I'm a full time student at my community college and they offer a program to get my bachelors through a program offered by Lewis University. I am also applying for a cadet position at my local police department so if things go well, I'll keep myself ticket free, hold down a job with the PD as a cadet, and be a full time student earning a bachelors degree.

With all of these things, I am sincerely hoping a department would overlook my past as I have indeed grown up and matured vastly since making my immature mistakes that earned me my unsightly driving record.