criminal history question?

[jlq114]

I wanted to apply at a local police dept. in my area but I am unsure if I would get HIRED. When I was younger in 1991 I was arrested 2 times in the same week they were 2 unrelated incidents:
1. I was charged with Assualt & Battery 4 counts, Deadly weapon, deadly weapon conceal, intent to injure. I plead guilty to just 1 count of simple ASSAULT. I have not been arrested since then its been 14 yrs.

2. I was charged with Malicious Destr. of property. This case was dismissed and settled out of court. I hit my neighbors car when he was out of town. This was stupid, my other neighbor told him when he came home that I deliberatley did it. I still don't know why he would say this. but it was resolved out of court.

Both of these crimes do not involve MORAL TURPITUDE so I think I should be ok!!! What do you think? I currently hold a CCW permit for work. I am in the PRIVATE SECTOR of security. I recieved a STATE PARDON with the ability to possess FIREARMS. Another thing that I was involved in was a BANKRUPTCY due to a business I owned that had failed two years ago. It was DISCHARGED with the state and all of the debts were STAYED. I had to file my debts were extremely high, My business just plummeted. no real reason why! Well those are the issues in my PAST. since then I have 0 points on my driving record never arrested again. I also do alot of volunteer work in my area. By the way there was no deadly weapon it was a BB gun they found in my car. It was not pointed or drawn on anyone the people saw it in my waistband. I was young and dumb back then. I wish it never happened and I hope it does not effect me trying to get into LE. What is your opinions on this? Please be honest I am not a KID and I can handle whatever comments you can give me.

[Foo Man]

I'm not an LEO, but I've been applying around and have a pretty good idea of what they are looking for. First off, 14 years is a long time, so you might be alright there. What may hurt is the fairly recent bankruptcy. Departments look at the "big picture". Talk to a recruiter and tell him what you stated here and see what he says. He or she will be able to give you a good idea of your chances and what you need to do to improve them. I don't have a perfect past either, but the only way to really know is to try.

Just be honest about everything and take responsibility for your actions. Good Luck!

[mxwelch]

Sorry, but IMO your chances are slim to none. I don't believe time will heal the things you mentioned. I have some traffic tickets and one misdemeanor from 11 years ago and I've ran into every wall you can run into. A CCW permit won't help you, private security won't help you and the fact that you were pardoned won't help either. This is IMO of course.

[stillwaiting]

mxwelch,
In regards to your response I know people that have been hired that have had worse in there backgrounds. Each agency is different and its all about timing and how much they need applicants and what caliber of applicants they are getting, you know not everyone that is perfect on paper can pass the poly,psych, medical etc... they are not even getting a chance to be reviewed for a background. Come on everyone lets be honest we have all known applicants that have been hired that did not have a stellar background. PLease let me know if you agree or disagree? and if you know of instances of people being hired in your Dept. with issues?
Thanks

[Apollo8138]

mxwelch,
In regards to your response I know people that have been hired that have had worse in there backgrounds. Each agency is different and its all about timing and how much they need applicants and what caliber of applicants they are getting, you know not everyone that is perfect on paper can pass the poly,psych, medical etc... they are not even getting a chance to be reviewed for a background. Come on everyone lets be honest we have all known applicants that have been hired that did not have a stellar background. PLease let me know if you agree or disagree? and if you know of instances of people being hired in your Dept. with issues?
Thanks

This guy was charged with assault, battery, and malicious destruction of property. On top of that he also has a bankruptcy. I'd say those are huge hurdles that will have to be overcome because many other applicants do not have that baggage.

Moral turpitude: Administrative case law has characterized moral turpitude as "a nebulous concept, which refers generally to conduct that shocks the public conscience." Obviously, offenses such as murder, voluntary manslaughter, kidnaping, robbery, and aggravated assaults involve moral turpitude. However, assaults not involving dangerous weapons or evil intent have been held not to involve moral turpitude. Conspiracy, attempt, or being an accessory involves moral turpitude if the underlying offense involves moral turpitude. There is administrative and judicial case law holding that any crime having as an element the intent to defraud is a crime involving moral turpitude.

One can interpret the first charge to be of moral turpitude. BTW, how many departments have you applied to? What department(s) are you referring to when you stated that people had been hired with worse offenses than those stated above?

[Valor55]

The fact that you were 14 will help a great deal. I don't think it will automatically disqualify you but it may make it a little tough to compete.

Bankruptcy can hurt you more if it is due to irresponsibility like buying a car and a boat when you can't afford them. If you were running a business that went under that certainly mitigates it. If you have a history of responsibility otherwise with your personal debt I don't think it will hurt you. You may need a few more years after the bankruptcy to prove that you are indeed responsible.

[phantasm]

larger departments, and the bankruptcy hurts due to departments looking for officers who are "less likely" to be tempted by bribes. The assault did happen a long time ago, and since it's a misd, can be overcome. The other charge, from how you said it, was a false accusation, and only a civil issue, that was rectified, but it still shows on your record. you'll have to explain both issues + the bankruptcy.

[mxwelch]

mxwelch,
In regards to your response I know people that have been hired that have had worse in there backgrounds. Each agency is different and its all about timing and how much they need applicants and what caliber of applicants they are getting, you know not everyone that is perfect on paper can pass the poly,psych, medical etc... they are not even getting a chance to be reviewed for a background. Come on everyone lets be honest we have all known applicants that have been hired that did not have a stellar background. PLease let me know if you agree or disagree? and if you know of instances of people being hired in your Dept. with issues?
Thanks

Worse backgrounds? You've got to be joking. I aced every test thrown at me, excelled at every interview. I've held steady employment with top notch reviews for 16 years, own a home, have a credit score of around 800, been happily married for almost 10 years and I've been shown the door multiple times for things far less serious that the poster said about himself.
I never said it would be impossible but very very unlikely.

[smoke63b]

I agree with Mxwelch here. Of course just about anything is possible but, I think you'll have a slim to none chance here. The only chance you may have is with a very small department. Just my opinion.

I'd suggest you get a decent job that you won't mind having for a long time and apply on the side, but don't plan on being hired anytime soon.

[mcsap]

First of all , how OLD were you when this happened 14 years ago ? If you were a juvenile , that will certainly be better for you.

As was said, the severity and nature of the charges isn't good BUT , ultimately what you were convicted of ( or pled to) does make a difference. The fact that you have been clean the last 14 years is good. Check into getting your record expunged ( call a lawyer). Expungement CAN be very important !

This WILL require a substantial amount of explaining , that along with what I suspect that this was a juvenile offense does give you a shot. Assault w a Deadly Weapon is and sounds BAD but if the weapon was a BB gun , it certainly deflates the severity of the charge compared to someone who was using a 12 gauge shotgun to commit this offense.

The fact that you got a CCW speaks well of you. The volunteer work is good.

The destruction of property isn't wonderful but since it was dropped, it will just need some explaining.

The most recent issue of bankruptcy is going to ding you some but it is not an overall career killer. Just another obstacle to deal with.

Overall, I think you do have a shot BUT be prepared in advance to account for everything you have done. You need to divulge EVERYTHING about the incident and of course the actual outcome.

Will this effect your chances to become a LEO ? It certainly COULD ?

Will other people who were never arrested have an edge over you ? YES.

Can you overcome this difference with polishing up the last 14 years of your life ? You should be able to BUT you will have to have some excellent abilities to bring to the table. Are you in shape ? If not , GET IN SHAPE. What else can you do to make your self a better applicant and a better person in your community ?


Finally, there is nothing wrong with people giving you answers who are not police officers but IMHO , you should give weight to the advice from those who actually are. We have been through the process ( sucessfully) and some ( like me) are involved in the recruiting and hiring process and have 20 years on the job under my belt.

[mxwelch]

Was he 14 when it happened? Or has it been 14 years since?
If he was 14 years old disregard anything I had said. If not, well...
I defer my opinion to the LEOs here.

[jarobins]

I plead guilty to just 1 count of simple ASSAULT. I have not been arrested since then its been 14 yrs..............I was charged with Malicious Destr. of property. This case was dismissed and settled out of court.

I recieved a STATE PARDON with the ability to possess FIREARMS.

If you were only convicted of simple assault why would you need a state pardon to possess a firearm? Simple assault is only a misdemeanor. :confused:

[RO56]

Let me reiterate the most important factor, which mcsap mentioned: competition.

It all boils down to who's the better applicant.

Everything else equal, who do you think the PD will choose: a guy with no criminal background, or a guy with an assault conviction, an MDOP conviction and a bankruptcy?

Yes, ANYTHING is possible and, yes, people HAVE been hired with 'worse' backgrounds (as stillwaiting put it).

However, you do the math.

[jlq114]

First of all , how OLD were you when this happened 14 years ago ? If you were a juvenile , that will certainly be better for you.

As was said, the severity and nature of the charges isn't good BUT , ultimately what you were convicted of ( or pled to) does make a difference. The fact that you have been clean the last 14 years is good. Check into getting your record expunged ( call a lawyer). Expungement CAN be very important !

This WILL require a substantial amount of explaining , that along with what I suspect that this was a juvenile offense does give you a shot. Assault w a Deadly Weapon is and sounds BAD but if the weapon was a BB gun , it certainly deflates the severity of the charge compared to someone who was using a 12 gauge shotgun to commit this offense.

The fact that you got a CCW speaks well of you. The volunteer work is good.

The destruction of property isn't wonderful but since it was dropped, it will just need some explaining.

The most recent issue of bankruptcy is going to ding you some but it is not an overall career killer. Just another obstacle to deal with.

Overall, I think you do have a shot BUT be prepared in advance to account for everything you have done. You need to divulge EVERYTHING about the incident and of course the actual outcome.

Will this effect your chances to become a LEO ? It certainly COULD ?

Will other people who were never arrested have an edge over you ? YES.

Can you overcome this difference with polishing up the last 14 years of your life ? You should be able to BUT you will have to have some excellent abilities to bring to the table. Are you in shape ? If not , GET IN SHAPE. What else can you do to make your self a better applicant and a better person in your community ?


Finally, there is nothing wrong with people giving you answers who are not police officers but IMHO , you should give weight to the advice from those who actually are. We have been through the process ( sucessfully) and some ( like me) are involved in the recruiting and hiring process and have 20 years on the job under my belt.

Thanks for all the info I greatly apprecaite it.....I trust everything you say since you have 20 yrs under your belt. And I am sure you have seen it all trying to apply with your Dept.

[RO56]

Thanks for all the info I greatly apprecaite it.....I trust everything you say since you have 20 yrs under your belt. And I am sure you have seen it all trying to apply with your Dept.

Actually, most of the "seen it all" parts didn't occur @ mcsap's agency ........ they happened here at RP :D