Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I'm a resident of Minneapolis Minnesota and about 3 months ago was pulled over for not wearing my seatbelt. the officer suspected weed was in the car, which there was none. subsequently my pothead sister left a weed bowl/pipe in the glove compartment that i knew was there but just always forgot to take out and return to her, cause we share the car.

i was given a Citation for no seatbelt as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. All i received was a citation that just looked like a regular traffic ticket. the car was searched, i waited in the back of the squad car but was not arrested. I payed the ticket on time later.

My question is will the drug paraphernalia show up on a background check when trying to get a job, does it go on a criminal record and am i screwed now when trying to get a job? i'm pretty worried. i asked a hearing officer and she couldn't seem to get her answer straight.

thank you for any help

What exactly was the citation for ?

And what are your future plans regarding family members/ friends who use drugs and ride in your car ?
Isn't it nice when someone else leaves such things in your car and YOU get blamed for it ? I can't really be sympathetic , you knew it was there and didn't really care.

like i said, it was for not wearing a seat belt and for having the paraphernalia in the car.
this is none of my family's concern and im not asking for anyone's sympathy, i know i was responsible and like i said, i forgot it was there as i had no use for it. i learned my lesson and what not but thats not what i'm worried about.

I just want to make sure i'm not screwed when trying to get jobs in the future because this mishap

like i said, it was for not wearing a seat belt and for having the paraphernalia in the car.
this is none of my family's concern and im not asking for anyone's sympathy, i know i was responsible and like i said, i forgot it was there as i had no use for it. i learned my lesson and what not but thats not what i'm worried about.

I just want to make sure i'm not screwed when trying to get jobs in the future because this mishap

So let me see if I got this right. You were stopped, "forgot" about your sisters "bowl" in the glovebox (excellent spot since your registration etc is kept there) and you were cited. I am sure it will show on a background check as a "drug related charge". You can try to explain the story to the employer (they probably wont buy it).

Will it affect your application? None of us can answer that because it will depend on the employer. Flippin' burgers, probably not. A government job, most definately. A job that requires you to operate a company vehicle, most likely.

With the attitude you have about it (no big deal attitude) why are you even concerned about it?

Put it this way, when I did my initial background with the San Diego Sheriff's Office, my investigator had a copy of a jay walking ticket I had gotten 5 years prior. A jay walking ticket is a $40 fine with no lasting implications in ones life...good thing I told them about it because they had it right there. My assumption is that they wanted to see how forthcoming I was going to be in divulging even the most trivial of details concerning myself and the law. Smart money says that they (employer with savvy) can and will find out about this citation. Can you explain it? Sure, but doesn't mean the words you say will coroberate a story since they weren't actually there.

I don't like having an unopened six-pack in the front seat and that's completely legal. Knowing you have illegal drugs and/or paraphernalia in the car and you just happened to forget it was there? Not buying it.

Will it come up on a background check? likely. The best way to find out is go get a criminal history from the state/county/city agency responsible for it. You could start here:

https://cch.state.mn.us/

So you got two citations or one that said " NO seatbelt was used and you possessed drug paraphernaila ?

@ mcsap, yes i basically got 2 citations, one for each of those things, the total price of the ticket however was only 150$. I was told if i fought it, would go on a record so i thought i'd be fine if i just pay it, but now i'm hearing different things from all sorts of people. I already have a good paying job but dont plan on making a career out of it. I'm a college student studying market, not a drug user, so @scott715us, I don't see why you "dont buy it" but you can believe what you want.

and to everybody who said otherwise, Its not that i dont care, i obviously do care about my future or i wouldnt be so worried about it and asking questions on this forum.

When i was asked if anything was in the car i remembered that was in there cus i didn't want to lie to the cop and risk more trouble, so i can do with out the criticism if you guys don't mind, i'm just here for answers not your opinions about me.

Anyways the woman at the government center said the citation would go on "purge" after two years and wouldn't be accessible to anyone but I plan on applying at different places during that time

Regardless of your " good intentions" , you knew your sister is a drug user and you knew you had drug paraphernalia in your car AND you didn't care.

You care now that you got caught.

Please don't expect a shred of sympathy from us. You got what you got and if you are ever asked if you were caught with drug paraphernalia , you would be lying if you said no.

I am not saying to disown your sister but you can certainly control what she brings into your car.

That is if you care.

When i was asked if anything was in the car i remembered that was in there cus i didn't want to lie to the cop and risk more trouble, so i can do with out the criticism if you guys don't mind, i'm just here for answers not your opinions about me.

This is a pro-police forum where officers take their OWN time to come in and respond to questions. You really don't get to dictate how we respond. If there is some criticism/cynicism inside our answers, grow a little thicker skin and deal with it. That's right, I DON'T buy it. Many people fear arrest, prosecution, and a chance to go to jail. Obviously you don't think it's that big of a deal because you don't mind riding around in a car with weed or drug paraphernalia in it. Keep in mind that many of us have made hundreds, if not thousands, of traffic stops where we hear the exact same excuse (i.e. "it's not mine") you're throwing on this forum. Forgive us if we have a tad problem believing you, because 99% of the time when dealing with the same situation on the road, it belongs to the driver.