Background opinion (Dispatcher)

[dsj85]

I’ve been lurking for a while, so I know all will be honest here! hehe

I’m 23 and I’ve recently applied for a Dispatcher position. They’re hiring 7 and out of 300 applicants I was one of the 25 that were chosen to move to the next level. I also ranked 5 out of 25 after the interview process. According to the officer that was on the panel, the only reason I was number 5 was because the other 4 have dispatch experience. I don’t know if that means much, but they also (literally) mentioned that they were very impressed.

Good things:
-I have a clean record—no arrest, convictions, nothing.
-Never got suspended or expelled from school.
-One traffic violation when I was 19 (2004) for speeding. I went to traffic school for that too.
-I’ve always been financially responsible.

Now here comes the part that makes me nervous…
-I’ve only stolen once, when I was 13 I was caught stealing make up. The store manager decided not to press charges since I was kid and he also saw how furious my mother looked. Not to mention that my dad is one of those “scare you straight” people. He drove me down to the police station and tried to get them to detain me. That office felt so bad for me… I was bawling my eyes out. Well, let’s just say that I NEVER thought to steal again!
-I did pot in high school and a bit right when I went into college. No more than 6 times in my life though, and all before I was 21.
BUT there is a time frame of 9 months where I was using speed with some “friends” back in high school (2001). Not daily, but I exceed the city’s limit. Such a stupid decision I know, but at the time I never considered what a huge effect it can have on me as an adult. Since then I’ve had absolutely no desire to touch any type of illegal drugs.

Now what I wanted to know is does this automatically disqualify me or will the good outweigh the bad? I’ve gotten as far as my background check. I’m going through this packet and I’m really nervous now. Don't get me wrong, I’m still going to try and I have no intension on lying about ANYTHING. If they do disqualify me for the excessive drug use, does that mean it’s pretty much over or do I still have a chance later in life?

Thanks in advance for all of your opinions.

[Roger Dat]

While B.I.'s for dispatchers are typically similiar to police officer ones they are slightly different. What may be a DQ for a cop may not be for a dispatcher. All you can do is be honest and hope for the best.

[dsj85]

Thank you so much for your reply.