Background check question and wondering if past will disqualify me

[GarbagePlate]

I'm a college graduate working in finance. I'm 23 years old.

I have two incidents in my past that I think are my biggest negatives.

The first is as follows:

When I was 14, my parents submitted a PINS (persons in need of supervision) petition on me. In New York, a PINS petition can be filed either in Family Court or by a county employee with the department of probation. It is typically filed against children who are deemed to be acting quite inappropriately, but have not committed any crimes, making it different than a JD (juvenile delinquent) adjudication from what I understand. Parents can file for PINS for children refusing to obey them and running away from home, and schools can file them on students for skipping school a lot and other related matters. In my case, my parents requested one on me because I refused to listen to them when it came time to go to do chores or do dishes or do homework or do anything, really, but I wasn't doing anything criminal, so their only option was the PINS. I would also often leave school and the school would call home and wonder where the heck I was, why I wasn't in class, etc. I was at the mall most of the time. I also ran away from home four times before the PINS was granted, the longest period of running away being two days.

My parents were fed up with me and the PINS petition was granted. My high school wanted it granted too. I had to see an employee of the county department of probation once a month for 6 or 12 months (I can't remember), and give them my progress on how things were going with my family. If the probation person didn't like the way things were going with me, they were going to have me removed from my home and placed into foster care. But things worked out, and the PINS order terminated after either half a year or a year, with the records being sealed.

I have a two part question regarding this PINS history:

Will this disqualify me from being a police officer? I realize that I made a mistake and should have listened to my parents, and it was a long time ago. We worked things out soon after the PINS terminated and have been on good terms since.

Will the PINS stuff be found in a background check? I guess a New York police officer who reads this post would be best suited to answer this part.

The second issue in my past occurred when I was 17:

I was suspended by my high school because I brought alcohol onto campus and drank it in the parking lot during lunch period. Another student saw me doing it and reported it to the principal, and I was suspended. I went on to graduate high school afterward and graduate college as well, with no disciplinary incidents occurring since then.


Will the above two incidents prevent me from becoming a police officer?

Thanks for your time.

[retdetsgt]

I was suspended once a year, every year of high school for fighting and I got hired. But after high school, my life was a lot different. I served in the military and never got into any other kind of trouble. I can't speak for every dept., but if you've straightened out, graduated from college with no brushes with the law, I doubt you will have a problem.

[ROS]

Originally Posted by retdetsgt

I was suspended once a year, every year of high school for fighting and I got hired. But after high school, my life was a lot different. I served in the military and never got into any other kind of trouble. I can't speak for every dept., but if you've straightened out, graduated from college with no brushes with the law, I doubt you will have a problem.

My high school years were pretty close to retdetsgt's, minus going into the Army afterwards. I wasn't a delinquent, but I got into mischief like every other teenager.

Like retdetsgt said, if you've grown, matured, and don't have a history of acting like that recently, probably not an issue.

[GarbagePlate]

Originally Posted by ROS

My high school years were pretty close to retdetsgt's, minus going into the Army afterwards. I wasn't a delinquent, but I got into mischief like every other teenager.

Like retdetsgt said, if you've grown, matured, and don't have a history of acting like that recently, probably not an issue.

I see.

I think both of you are talking about the suspension issue mostly, right? Will the PINS be an issue for me or no? And will it come up in a background check? From what I understand-nothing was ever filed in Family Court. The petition went straight to social services and it was dealt with through that. Or were you guys talking about both issues (PINS and high school suspension) taken together?

[retdetsgt]

Unless you committed crimes, depts tend to give you a break on things that happened when you were a kid. Your parents filing that in itself probably won't be a huge obstacle as long as you didn't get into serious legal trouble during that time.

[GarbagePlate]

Originally Posted by retdetsgt

Unless you committed crimes, depts tend to give you a break on things that happened when you were a kid. Your parents filing that in itself probably won't be a huge obstacle as long as you didn't get into serious legal trouble during that time.

Thanks. Now that I listed the major things, there's only other two other incriminating things I can think of that happened in my past.

During my first two years of college, 4-5 years ago, I experimented with marijuana twice. I also drank beer underage at frat parties, etc.

Am I still a competitive applicant with the two things in the original post plus these two facts?

I intend to disclose all these things to the police department when I am asked about them.

[ROS]

Originally Posted by GarbagePlate

During my first two years of college, 4-5 years ago, I experimented with marijuana twice. I also drank beer underage at frat parties, etc.

Am I still a competitive applicant with the two things in the original post plus these two facts?

You'd be fine with the agencies I've worked for, just don't repeat your marijuana use and drink responsibly and you'll probably be fine. Like you already said, disclose everything and you should be okay.

[phantasm]

The suspension for alcohol COULD be a problem if you drink often, or get intoxicated. If you have a drink or two once a month as a legal adult now, and don't get drunk, then it shouldn't be an issue.

As for the PINS, its entirely up to the totality of the circumstances. The older you get, the further you put that behind you.

While both of these incidents may prevent you from getting hired by the most competitive departments, you shouldn't have any major hurdles to get hired as a PO.

[GarbagePlate]

Originally Posted by phantasm

The suspension for alcohol COULD be a problem if you drink often, or get intoxicated. If you have a drink or two once a month as a legal adult now, and don't get drunk, then it shouldn't be an issue.

As for the PINS, its entirely up to the totality of the circumstances. The older you get, the further you put that behind you.

While both of these incidents may prevent you from getting hired by the most competitive departments, you shouldn't have any major hurdles to get hired as a PO.

Thanks. I actually have given up drinking entirely since I graduated college in 2007 so I have not had a drink in over 2 years time.

When it comes to the issue of the PINS do those files even show up in a background check? I'm asking you because you're a cop in New York, and it's an NY-specific type of program. I would not be surprised to find out that they didn't. I know that juvenile delinquency and youthful offender records will show up, but for something that wasn't a criminal file, I do not know.

I was looking at trying to get hired by NYPD. Would you consider this to be a "most competitive" agency?

[phantasm]

Originally Posted by GarbagePlate

Thanks. I actually have given up drinking entirely since I graduated college in 2007 so I have not had a drink in over 2 years time.

When it comes to the issue of the PINS do those files even show up in a background check? I'm asking you because you're a cop in New York, and it's an NY-specific type of program. I would not be surprised to find out that they didn't. I know that juvenile delinquency and youthful offender records will show up, but for something that wasn't a criminal file, I do not know.

I was looking at trying to get hired by NYPD. Would you consider this to be a "most competitive" agency?

NYPD is not a competitive agency, and I'm not familiar with the PINS system at all. I don't deal with that many juveniles.

[Cat_Doc]

Nothing you have mentioned would be a DQ at our agency, especially with time separation, indicators of maturity and compliance with social expectations.

[GarbagePlate]

Originally Posted by phantasm

NYPD is not a competitive agency.

Wow really? I thought NYPD was super competitive what with the whole post 9/11 thing and being the biggest department in the country. Plus I thought that all police agencies were at least somewhat competitive considering the expectations that society places on them.

Well, anyway, I'm not looking to move out of state, so if NYPD is not competitive, then what agencies in New York State are considered competitive? State troopers? Would they hire me with my background? How about Syracuse PD or Nassau/Suffolk?

Thanks.

[phantasm]

Originally Posted by GarbagePlate

Wow really? I thought NYPD was super competitive what with the whole post 9/11 thing and being the biggest department in the country. Plus I thought that all police agencies were at least somewhat competitive considering the expectations that society places on them.

Well, anyway, I'm not looking to move out of state, so if NYPD is not competitive, then what agencies in New York State are considered competitive? State troopers? Would they hire me with my background? How about Syracuse PD or Nassau/Suffolk?

Thanks.

SCPD which hires maybe 200 off of a civil service list, and has 20,000 take the test is competitive. NCPD is competitive. NYSP as well.

NYPD if you pass the test, you will get called eventually to start the process.

That being said, I don't think that either would be an absolute DQ for any of those agencies. You just have to make yourself shine better than the other candidates who haven't been suspended from school.

[GarbagePlate]

Originally Posted by phantasm

SCPD which hires maybe 200 off of a civil service list, and has 20,000 take the test is competitive. NCPD is competitive. NYSP as well.

NYPD if you pass the test, you will get called eventually to start the process.

That being said, I don't think that either would be an absolute DQ for any of those agencies. You just have to make yourself shine better than the other candidates who haven't been suspended from school.

Thank you sir. If I went to work for an agency like Syracuse PD or whatever and stayed a few years, do you think I would be equally competitive for a federal agency like DEA/USMS as I would be if I had worked for NYPD or NYSP or an agency like those?

[phantasm]

Originally Posted by GarbagePlate

Thank you sir. If I went to work for an agency like Syracuse PD or whatever and stayed a few years, do you think I would be equally competitive for a federal agency like DEA/USMS as I would be if I had worked for NYPD or NYSP or an agency like those?

We can't speculate. All we can do is give our experience based on our own background investigations, and what we believe would or would not be a disqualifying factor.