how will a misdemeanor effect me in the future?

[mickey15monti]

quick question about BI's. This past december my friends and i were riding around in a car, i wasnt the driver, but we decided to make a stupid choice and throw some paintballs out the window. we ended up getting caught and are now going to court about it. The cops told us since we're pretty good kids(all good students and very involved with the community) and have no previous criminal history we'll probably be charged with a class b misdemeanor for criminal mischief and get around 30 hours of community service. i wouldnt be applying for a job in law enforcment for about another 2 years, but would this have a big impact on me?

[Kimble]

quick question about BI's. This past december my friends and i were riding around in a car, i wasnt the driver, but we decided to make a stupid choice and throw some paintballs out the window. we ended up getting caught and are now going to court about it. The cops told us since we're pretty good kids(all good students and very involved with the community) and have no previous criminal history we'll probably be charged with a class b misdemeanor for criminal mischief and get around 30 hours of community service. i wouldnt be applying for a job in law enforcment for about another 2 years, but would this have a big impact on me?

It could. Two years isn't a lot of time to show a lot of improvement and maturation, even if you do grow up between this 2-year period. Remember that not only is this something that makes you look juvenile, but it's something others who will be applying for the same job won't have in their backgrounds. Think about it. With two candidates being equal, except one having a misdemeanor conviction, and having one spot to fill, who would YOU hire?

I'm not saying your career aspirations are over, but it may take you more than 2 years to out-live this and show a pattern of behavior that illustrates you are a professional, mature, respectable member of the community who should be trusted with the protection of others and given arrest authority.

Just something to think about...

[Citicop]

Sure it will have an effect; it shows poor judgement. Will it be a permanant bar from the job? Probably not, time will be your friend. But remember that there is a lot of competition for relatively few jobs, and many of your co-applicants will not have had such incidents. Let time go by, and work to make yourself more marketable to a potiential department.

Citicop.

[Radical Jack]

Don't just put time between you and that offense, be proactive. Look into doing volunteer work for the community or maybe looking into dispatch or corrections.

[borne_identity]

man where did you get locked up for a little paintball incident like that, In suffolk county this stuff goes on all the time, happened to many people on the block, even causing costly property damage and they cant even be bothered picking locking these kids up never mind getting a class b misdameanor. U think for 100k a year they would do something lol
U wont be the only applicant with this its just the other havent gotten caught
Stay strong and go for your goals

[Citicop]

man where did you get locked up for a little paintball incident like that, In suffolk county this stuff goes on all the time, happened to many people on the block, even causing costly property damage and they cant even be bothered picking locking these kids up never mind getting a class b misdameanor. U think for 100k a year they would do something lol
U wont be the only applicant with this its just the other havent gotten caught
Stay strong and go for your goals

I don't know where to start...

There will be plenty of other applicants that WON'T have incidents like this in their backgrounds.

And you will get better reception for your complaints about your local department elsewhere.

Citicop.

[Radical Jack]

I don't know where to start...

There will be plenty of other applicants that WON'T have incidents like this in their backgrounds.

And you will get better reception for your complaints about your local department elsewhere.

Citicop.

Right on.

[Mike Romeo]

The cops told us since we're pretty good kids(all good students and very involved with the community) and have no previous criminal history we'll probably be charged with a class b misdemeanor for criminal mischief and get around 30 hours of community service. i wouldnt be applying for a job in law enforcment for about another 2 years, but would this have a big impact on me?

I find it easiest to run home to Momma, so to speak, and quote what my department would tell you about pass convictions. Since your "no previous criminal history" is literally about to be a thing of the past, I'm afraid that I must bust your confident bubble. That is, if you plan on appying to my department. Although, I doubt many other departments would be more flexible.

----FROM: EMPLOYMENT DISQUALIFIERS----

Applicants must never have been convicted of a felony or any Class I or Class II criminal misdemeanor (misdemeanors that could require jail sentence), or equivalent offense for non-Virginia laws.

The operative word here is "never".

[phantasm]

A misd arrest with either a misd conviction or violation conviction (or some other conviction) obviously won't help you, but won't disqualify you from every department either.

What bourne identity said about suffolk county is true. One day while my car was parked at the train station, and I was at work, it got shot by one or two paintballs. Since there was no damage (water soluble paint) to the car, there was no report to be filed.

[RO56]

man where did you get locked up for a little paintball incident like that, In suffolk county this stuff goes on all the time, happened to many people on the block, even causing costly property damage and they cant even be bothered picking locking these kids up never mind getting a class b misdameanor. U think for 100k a year they would do something lol
U wont be the only applicant with this its just the other havent gotten caught
Stay strong and go for your goals

Two months ago, a minivan with a father, mother and two young children (7 and 9 YOA) came into the station. They were obviously very shaken. They reported that two kids were standing outside of McDonald's and one "had a gun" and had pointed it AT them (in the van) as they were going through the drive through.

Both my Sgt. and I rolled to the scene (with a BU unit arriving from the next town over at the same time). Nobody was outside. The family (who followed back to McDonald's) pointed out the group of kids inside the restaurant.

Turned out to be two kids with a plastic paintball gun that looked exactly like a Glock handgun. They even removed the orange tip.

Long story short: The PA authorized, among other things, FELONIOUS ASSAULT charges on the kid. FELONIOUS - as in FELONY.

Later that evening, one of the two asked me why we had our hands on our (nearly drawn) pistols when we entered and approached them. It was then and only then that they realized how close they came to having a really bad day.

A 'little paintball incident', eh? If you think scaring the **** out of a 7 and 9 year old, and their parents, is just a 'little paintball incident', then you are a complete idiot.

Enjoy your red.

[borne_identity]

THANK YOU PHANTASM, i knew i wasnt losing my mind when i said what the heck nothing is being done lol
alot of people on here sure cant understand what goes on in this little world out here, its a whole other world with its own little system, rules and players.
I like the water soluble line they give, so if some punks shot up there whole preceint all there cruisers, personal cars, and the walls of the lobby, im sure this policy would hold true for them as well, you know since the paint is water soluble there is nothing that can be done. They will just have to send someone outside to clean all the cars, buildings etc and let these little boys go on there way.
and these arent complaints this is just discussion to what goes on out here thats all.
Thanks men

[phantasm]

Now as an addendum to what RO56 said, you had a case of at the minimum menacing, and possibly CPW, depending on what else occured, there could be additional charges. You had a witness (man w/children), and you had the perps still on the scene. Very different from shotting an unoccupied car (like my situation). Those kids are lucky they didn't get shot, and I wouldn't be surprised if they matched up to some past robberies too.

As to if the precinct got shot up/patrol cars got shot up, you'd probably have a witness (a cop), and the perp would possibly be in the hospital or dead from multiple gunshot wounds, and at the minimum arrested with no injuries if he was lucky.

[mxwelch]

I can say this. I have one from over 10 years ago. It hasn't kept me from applying and being considered but I believe it's one reason why I haven't been hired yet.

[Mz Cheyenne]

Well, I don't know what "EFFECT" it will have on your career son, but it will surely "AFFECT" it in some way. Sorry folks, I couldn't resist it. :p

[scott715us]

THANK YOU PHANTASM, i knew i wasnt losing my mind when i said what the heck nothing is being done lol
alot of people on here sure cant understand what goes on in this little world out here, its a whole other world with its own little system, rules and players.
I like the water soluble line they give, so if some punks shot up there whole preceint all there cruisers, personal cars, and the walls of the lobby, im sure this policy would hold true for them as well, you know since the paint is water soluble there is nothing that can be done. They will just have to send someone outside to clean all the cars, buildings etc and let these little boys go on there way.
and these arent complaints this is just discussion to what goes on out here thats all.
Thanks men

It can vary from state to state so don't be too sure about you & phantasm's posts. According to our vandalism statute, permanent damage does not have to occur:

TN 39-14-408. Vandalism
(a) Any person who knowingly causes damage to or the destruction of any real or personal property of another or of the state, the United States, any county, city, or town knowing that the person does not have the owner's effective consent is guilty of an offense under this section.

(b) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Damage" includes, but is not limited to:

(A) Destroying, polluting or contaminating property; or

(B) Tampering with property and causing pecuniary loss or substantial inconvenience to the owner or a third person; and .....


Basically it would be a substantial inconvenience to clean up a bunch of paint balls shot by a bunch of nimrods so it would in fact meet the vandalism statute.