Past Behavior

[curiosity25]

Hi,
I have high aspirations of being a police officer someday. I, however, have a somewhat checkered past. There are two things that I've done in the past that I’m afraid will hurt my chances of being hired.

1) When I was Seventeen I made fake ID's for me and my best friend. We then proceeded to use them about three times to purchase and consume alcohol.

2) Sometime between the ages of sixteen and nineteen I stole two street signs. One sign had been run over in some sort of accident the night before. It was all bent up but I took it anyway. The second sign was a sign with the name of a city on it. I climbed up the pole and unscrewed that one.

I'm curious how these misdeeds will fare on an application. I’m twenty-nine now. I haven’t had ANY run-in's with the law or traffic tickets ever.

Thanks.

[txinvestigator1]

Depending on the circumstances, making a fake ID in Texas can be a felony. That would forever disqualify you.

There is at least ten years between you and your youthful cases of dumba$$ ;) Give it a try.

[yahcanmicrowave]

Originally posted by txinvestigator1
Depending on the circumstances, making a fake ID in Texas can be a felony. That would forever disqualify you.

There is at least ten years between you and your youthful cases of dumba$$ ;) Give it a try.

You have to be convicted of the crime. Saying that you made false ID's on its own is not a felony.

[txinvestigator1]

I don't agree with that. An admission of felonious bahavior in an application for a PD here would be a disqualication. Just because a person was never apprehended or charged does not preclude the fact that the offense took place.

[EHStaley]

Originally posted by txinvestigator1
I don't agree with that. An admission of felonious bahavior in an application for a PD here would be a disqualication. Just because a person was never apprehended or charged does not preclude the fact that the offense took place.

I agree with you. On the application here, it asks if you have commited certain events (drug dealing, etc.). Just because you were not caught does not make it ok. Granted, felony convictions are an obvious DQ, but admitting to certain things can be too, even without a conviction. If you admit to dealing drugs, domestic violence, or using hard drugs (anything but marijuana), it is considered a DQ here whether or not you were arrested or convicted of it.

[sbrad]

I think you'll be fine, as long as you stole the signs for the only acceptable reason: to use as a floorboard in your vw bug because the floor pans were rusted out.

[siberianexpress]

If you aren't caught, how would that go against you? I'm sure alot of people broke laws and weren't caught. Unless you get polygraphed, I wouldn't worry about it.

[txinvestigator1]

So you suggest he lie?

[yahcanmicrowave]

Originally posted by txinvestigator1
So you suggest he lie?

NO NO NO

Never lie. If you are going to lie or cover up for any reason, find another profession (President?).

I don't know - If you committed a youthful indecression and no one knew about it at the time, and the statue is up, did you in fact commit the felonly? Good question. Any lawyers around?

[siberianexpress]

It's not lying if no one asks. If I stole a piece of gum when I was 12, and no one saw me, I wouldn't walk around telling everyone about it. The things he talks about aren't crimes against the community or against people...they don't show a violent side. He wasn't even an adult when these things happened . If I were him , I would just forget about it, unless a background investigator asks " have you ever used fake ID's" or have you ever "stolen a street sign". I would think they only cared about convictions. This is just my opinion. I believe that if no one got hurt, and you weren't convicted, just keep it to yourself. Just because you weren't a saint when you were a kid doesn't mean you can't be a cop.

If a tree falls in the woods, and no one hears it, did it really fall?

If I bought beer with a fake ID, and no one caught me, did I really buy it?

hmmmmmmm....................

[metallicat]

So you are suggesting that undetected crimes are OK as long as they don't hurt anyone? I disagree with that 100%.

[mcsap]

I would disclose everything and I SERIOUSLY doubt that making a fake ID to buy booze 12 years ago and grabbing a couple of street signs 10 yrs ago is evidence of a person with felonius tendencies.

Admit you made some mistakes, show that you did it a LONG time ago and you knew it was wrong. And (truthfully) indicate that it is ancient history and you not done anything like it since.

Assuming that your background is otherwise clean, I would hav eno qualms accepting your application. As has been said, you were never caught/charged but you are certainly admitting to it now because you have NOTHING to hide.

It would be BAD if any of this surfaced in a BI and you didn't tell them . That would be a 100% DQ offense.

[Stump]

Originally posted by siberianexpress
It's not lying if no one asks. If I stole a piece of gum when I was 12, and no one saw me, I wouldn't walk around telling everyone about it. The things he talks about aren't crimes against the community or against people...they don't show a violent side.

And this is exact what is wrong with kids in society.
It is a lie of omission. If you have that attitude, I seriously hope you are not looking to be a cop.
FYI siberian - I stole a pair of plastic Barbie shoes when I was 3, and I told my poly dude. If your poly dude asks if you have ever stolen anything, you should admit to the gum, because otherwise it would show that you are lying.

No, the crimes aren't violent, but are you saying that nobody is hurt by these crimes? Who has to replace the sign? The City. Who has to pay for the sign to be made and installed? The people in the community. It is a crime against someone. There is rarely if ever a victimless crime.

[mcsap]

Amen Stump.

[yahcanmicrowave]

Amen again Stumpy girl. A lie of omission is still a lie (just ask our former President).

To the original poster; Be honest and upfront. Talk with the recruiter and tell them your background. If they have a question, they can ask up the chain of command for their opinions. I am sure that a non-violent, non drug offense crime committed 12 years ago is not going to hurt you that much depending on the dept.

A suggestion: Go for departments who hire more people and are not as desirable as other departments. Make a good name for yourself and then lateral out.