A few questions to prepare for a policing career.

[Kenneth.]

Hello, my name is Kenneth. Im am 18 years old, a senior in high school, and live in California. I am definitly interested in becoming a police officer. However, i do know fully how tough it is to become one. That is why i wanted to give an overview of my past and ask a few questions that i can get answered in real truth from real sworn officers. To keep in mind this has all taken place between 2008 and 2010. I have done drugs (this is my biggest concern for my future). In 2008, my sophomore year in high school, i began using marijuana. Most of my use was in my sophomore year. Although i have used a couple times off and on through 2009 and 2010. In all from 2008 and 2010, i used between 15-20 times. I had also used Ecstasy. This occured in 2009, my junior year towards the beginning and in the summer of 2010. In all, i used 5-10 times. No more. Then in 2010, before my senior year, i used LSD one time. Only once. Also, in December 2008 i was arrested for two misdemeanor crimes, vandalism and breaking and entering. Through the process, my crimes were pleaded down to just vandalism and ATTEMPTED breaking and entering. Just recently i had my record expunged. I also have just sworn into the Marines. I plan to attend college for Criminal Justice in the fall of 2012. Right now i have sworn off all drugs, any illegal behavior, and want to get my life on the right path for law enforcement. My past was alot of peer pressure and friend influence as well as immature decisions, but i am in no way making excuses for my behavior. I admit it was all me, nobody else making my decisions. So my question to the officers is, after reading my synopsis of anything that could disqualify me, what parts are excluding me from law enforcement and what are my chances of getting a career as a police officer from any path? Also, what advice can you guys give me on anything related to my post?

[Kimble]

Hello, my name is Kenneth. Im am 18 years old, a senior in high school, and live in California. I am definitly interested in becoming a police officer. However, i do know fully how tough it is to become one. That is why i wanted to give an overview of my past and ask a few questions that i can get answered in real truth from real sworn officers. To keep in mind this has all taken place between 2008 and 2010. I have done drugs (this is my biggest concern for my future). In 2008, my sophomore year in high school, i began using marijuana... between 15-20 times. I had also used Ecstasy... In all, i used 5-10 times. No more. Then in 2010, before my senior year, i used LSD one time. Only once. Also, in December 2008 i was arrested for two misdemeanor crimes, vandalism and breaking and entering. Through the process, my crimes were pleaded down to just vandalism and ATTEMPTED breaking and entering. Just recently i had my record expunged. I also have just sworn into the Marines. I plan to attend college for Criminal Justice in the fall of 2012. Right now i have sworn off all drugs, any illegal behavior, and want to get my life on the right path for law enforcement. My past was alot of peer pressure and friend influence as well as immature decisions, but i am in no way making excuses for my behavior. I admit it was all me, nobody else making my decisions. So my question to the officers is, after reading my synopsis of anything that could disqualify me, what parts are excluding me from law enforcement and what are my chances of getting a career as a police officer from any path? Also, what advice can you guys give me on anything related to my post?

To be perfectly blunt, you're drug usage (particularly multiple use of ecstasy and use of LSD, even once) is going to be an automatic disqualification for most agencies. This alone will make things VERY difficult for you to be hired, particularly since LSD can cause Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder to occur at any time the rest of your life (and hiring you and giving you a gun only to have you experience a "flashback" on duty is a TREMENDOUS liability for the department to take).

Couple that with your arrests and I would say, as kindly and understanding of your desire to be a cop as I can, you need to give serious consideration to a Plan B for careers. Law enforcement will be extremely difficult - if not impossible - for you to gain employment in with your criminal record (even if you were never arrested for the drug offenses).

[Radical Jack]

You have no chance. While the misdemeanor arrests would be a significant hurdle to overcome, it's the drug use that's going to sink you. The 15-20 times you've used marijuana would be considered more than simple experimentation. The use ecstasy and LSD, even only one time, is probably going to be an automatic DQ with almost any department in the US. If I were you I would major in something else besides criminal justice.

[Radical Jack]

You beat me to it, Kimble.

[Kenneth.]

To be perfectly blunt, you're drug usage (particularly multiple use of ecstasy and use of LSD, even once) is going to be an automatic disqualification for most agencies. This alone will make things VERY difficult for you to be hired, particularly since LSD can cause Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder to occur at any time the rest of your life (and hiring you and giving you a gun only to have you experience a "flashback" on duty is a TREMENDOUS liability for the department to take).

Couple that with your arrests and I would say, as kindly and understanding of your desire to be a cop as I can, you need to give serious consideration to a Plan B for careers. Law enforcement will be extremely difficult - if not impossible - for you to gain employment in with your criminal record (even if you were never arrested for the drug offenses).

I had definitly expected an answer something along those lines. Down the road, and im talking 10+ or so years, if not even more, is there any chance i could possibly become an officer? Maybe as i become more mature, expirienced, and have much more integrity in my way of life?

[cntryboy0531]

In Florida, you'd have zero chance. I'd suggest looking for another career option.

[Radical Jack]

I had definitly expected an answer something along those lines. Down the road, and im talking 10+ or so years, if not even more, is there any chance i could possibly become an officer? Maybe as i become more mature, expirienced, and have much more integrity in my way of life?

No, an automatic disqualifier is an automatic disqualifier whether it be today or ten years from now. As was already mentioned no department is going to want to make the news because one of their officers had a LSD flashback and went on a shooting spree at the mall trying to kill demons.

[Kimble]

I had definitly expected an answer something along those lines. Down the road, and im talking 10+ or so years, if not even more, is there any chance i could possibly become an officer? Maybe as i become more mature, expirienced, and have much more integrity in my way of life?

Ten years doesn't magically change the past. If an agency deems something to be an automatic disqualification, no amount of time, additional education/experience, etc. is going to change things in your favor. The tough part about being an adult is long-term (and sometimes permanent) consequences exist for past behavior, that's life.

[DeltaV]

In ten years you may find a job at an agency that scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find applicants because they're a terrible place to work and have salary and benefits on line with those at McDonalds. Yes, there are departments like that out there. You will NEVER be able to work at a halfway decent law enforcement agency due to your background. Use of drugs like Ecstasy and LSD are automatic disqualifiers no matter what you did in the time since you used. You could go into the Marines, win two Medals of Honor, then come back and get a law degree and we still wouldn't hire you.

If you seriously want to consider law enforcement and have entered the military, honestly your best bet would be to be a career military MP if you qualify for that. You really don't have a chance in civilian LE.

[mcsap]

GO military if you are sincere. IF they will even take you.

[ChesCopPodz]

The department in the town I grew up in would probably hire you. One of their 2 officers did meth, I know for a fact, he went to school with me.

Problem is that he makes less than 10 an hour as a full time officer, and gets no health insurance or other benefits. These are the types of agencies that you MIGHT have a chance at, the ones that nobody else wants to work at.

[cntryboy0531]

The department in the town I grew up in would probably hire you. One of their 2 officers did meth, I know for a fact, he went to school with me.

Problem is that he makes less than 10 an hour as a full time officer, and gets no health insurance or other benefits. These are the types of agencies that you MIGHT have a chance at, the ones that nobody else wants to work at.

Wow, just wow...

[deputywave]

Drugs are bad. No LE career for you.