Curious about what disqualifies someone

[Northman]

Greetings all,

I'm a first time poster to this board, though I've scanned through it some as a guest. That said, let me get to the purpose of my post -- I simply hope that the question isn't so boring and common that older and more experienced denizens of the board skip over it.

Some background: I'm a 34 year old man, currently employed in IT. I have been in this field for, oh, 11 years now. I hold a pilot's license, am a certified rescue diver, have worked as a volunteer EMT, and was honorably discharged from the USAR in 2000.


I've secretly nursed a desire to be a police officer for quite some time (15 years, in fact). I put aside that desire mostly due to the money. Given that my financial situation has changed (I have almost no debt now, and can afford to have a lower salary than I currently make, etc), for the past year I've been seriously considering applying to my local police department.

On to the crux of my question. I've been no perfecxt angel in my life. When I was 16-19, I got several speeding tickets, smoked marijuana 3 times (all when I was 17), and while I was in the army, at the age of 19, I received an article 15 for shoplifting a 15 dollar knife sharpener. Trust me, this was not my finest moment, and it's still a source of embarassment on my part. I was young and stupid.

However, I have not gotten so much as a parking ticket in 10 years. My credit rating is decent, with no outstanding huge debts or anything. And, I have a true, honest desire to serve my community. I want to do something that give back to my community, and take on a profession that, while stressful, is personally fulfilling.

Given the above information (and in the interests of full disclosure, those are the only things I can think of that would be disqualifying events), should I even bother going through the application process?

[CCBlueMan]

If that is the worst you've done you should be fine especially if your history shows you have changed. I smoked once and stole a few times when I was younger and I still got in. My department realized that my mistakes were just those of a stupid kid. It may just depend on your dept.

And as for people skipping over the post? I've found that the people on here are actually quite helpfull, the veteran members offer good insight to the posts!

Good Luck!

[Piggy]

You shouldn't have much of a problem going federal either.

[Tater]

Wow, what a first post.

You will never know til you put your feet to the pavement and start trying. The worst that they can do is tell you no. You have a lot of plusses working for you, so what can it hurt?

[Valor55]

I see no significant problems. If you were 22 I'd say wait a couple years. At 34 with nothing significant for 15 years I saw go for it. Just be honest and open. None of us are perfect.

[phantasm]

I'm not a military guy, so I don't know article 15. Some departments DQ for "less than honorable discharge"

Also max age of many departments is 35 years old, BUT will extend that for up to 6 years for each year of military service. (IE 3 years = 38 max age). Definitely start applying now though.

[Northman]

Just as an attempt to educate those of you who haven't been in the military:

An article 15 is non-judicial punishment. Essentially, if you're below the rank of E-5, it gets pulled from your permanent record after 2 years. Basically, your commanding officer can impose up to 14 days extra duty and reduction in rank at his discretion for an offense (and it doesn't have to be any sort of legal violation, really -- failing to follow unit SOP would qualify for article 15 treatment as well.)

Realistically, I seriously doubt it would show up in a background investigation. But, you know? I have no interest in gaming the system or lying. I was able to obtain and maintain a Secret level security clearance for 10 years after my own article 15, and pass a pre-employment polygraph for a private security company that worked for the Fairfax County, VA police department (sorta).

I don't mean to ramble or get off-topic. Article 15s are somtimes referred to as Captain's Mast, etc.

Edit: By the by, thank you for the responses. I did, in fact, get an invitation to test in the upcoming test cycle. We'll see how it goes.

[Valor55]

Fairfax County, VA police department

That's a good place to start. I worked there for a couple years a while back. Definitely a good agency to work for if you are still in that area.

[CCBlueMan]

Edit: By the by, thank you for the responses. I did, in fact, get an invitation to test in the upcoming test cycle. We'll see how it goes.

Good Luck!

[Northman]

That's a good place to start. I worked there for a couple years a while back. Definitely a good agency to work for if you are still in that area.

Heh. Fairfax is many moons ago. I grew up in Virginia, but I live in Alaska now. That's one /long/ commute.

[LA5150]

I don't see a problem with you applying at all. With everything taken into consideration, you seem like a good candidate. You should go for it.

BTW, the LAPD is hiring....:D

[mcsap]

Tine is your [B]friend ![B] With what you did being that long ago AND all that you have accomplished since then , your past is still somethng you will have to divulge but it is not any kind of a DQ.

The Article 15 isn't that big of a deal because you were not courts martialed. Essentially , it is like getting ARD or probation instead of going to court.

If I were you , I would apply immediately.

[RO56]

Tine is your [B]friend ![B] With what you did being that long ago AND all that you have accomplished since then , your past is still somethng you will have to divulge but it is not any kind of a DQ.

Pay CLOSE attention to what mcsap said: It is still something that you WILL HAVE to divulge, but it's not any kind of DQ.

Translation: DO divulge it. Do NOT try hide anything. Do NOT fail to divulge it and then expect to explain it LATER (when they find it) by saying, "Oh, it was removed from my permanent record after 2 years, so I didn't think I had to tell you about it".

DO tell them.

Otherwise, THAT will be considered deception, and THAT will DQ now AND later.

[Northman]

Thanks all, for the informative and useful responses. I very much appreciate the time each of you took to answer what was probably a stupid question.

I'm of the opinion these days that I'm a strong candidate for this particular job. If those involved in the hiring process disagree, given all the info about my past, no harm, no foul -- I make a pretty good living pushing code. It's just not exactly fulfilling or meaningful.

[gringoscott]

A good friend of mine just became a reserve officer. He makes too much to be able to justify leaving his job, and he enjoys it, but he's always wanted to become a cop. Now he has the best of both worlds.

Just an idea though. I think I'd rather be full time instead of reserve. But to each their own.