Guidance

[Hi-Point]

It seems all of you helpful people never tire of this subject. So I will also seek advice. I have dreamed of being a police officer for over ten years. I am nearly thirty and have put it off too long. So I am hoping that some one here that is or has been involved with hiring can give me their view of me.

I worked for Kroger for three days short of 7 years. The circumstance of my departure weren't great. A register I had operated was one hundred dollars short. I looked every where and could not find it. I called my manager and he implied that I should artfully replace the money. I did and someone thought it was suspicious. The video looked like I had something in my hand. That is what I was told anyway, they did not let me see the video. I was told my integrity was damaged and could be suspended or resign. I was told if I resigned I would leave with a good reference so I resigned. I regret what I did and have learned from it. I learned never lie about anything you did. What ever you did you can face and move on. I made a bad choice. My last two jobs I was laid off.

In 1997 I got my first speeding ticket. I also have been cited for a tag light and expired tag. The tag light was late 1990's. Expired tag was 2007. I had just bought a car and was not aware that the tag that was left on it had expired. I have had about 5 speeding tickets in all I think. The last one was in 2004. That is the only one that shows up on my seven year MVR. Two years ago I had a ten dollar bad check. I can't recall if I was out of town and came back too late to catch it or if I just forgot it. I showed up at the business to pay it one day too late. I paid it and all the fines that went along with it the next day at the courthouse, and it was a lot.

I don't drink or use drugs. I took a course to begin a criminal justice degree a year ago. The next course was Algebra and I have a very hard time with that. Also I needed the overtime at work to make ends meet so I haven't continued the course. I found out yesterday that I could have gone to the police academy with the same grant that I used for the college. I have a CCW permit and have taken a firearms safety course. I have studied various forms of martial arts. The course in college was on Microsoft products like IE, Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.

Writing all this out it seems like a lot to overcome and that I am fighting a losing battle. What do you think?

[pac201]

I worked for Kroger for three days short of 7 years. The circumstance of my departure weren't great. A register I had operated was one hundred dollars short. I looked every where and could not find it. I called my manager and he implied that I should artfully replace the money. I did and someone thought it was suspicious. The video looked like I had something in my hand. That is what I was told anyway, they did not let me see the video.

What do you think?

what I think is, why would you replace something you didn't take???????

[Hi-Point]

Several weeks before that money had come up missing. I was put on accountability and was not to leave my till to be counted alone. My manager told me to go pull reports I had not brought with me. He was my direct boss so I did what he told me to. When I came back he told me one hundred was missing. Later on the phone he implied for me to replace it. Thinking back it is very possible that he had taken the money, and he was the one who counted the tills both times they were short. I had caught him cheating on his wife and staying the night with one of his employees so he had motive to get rid of me. That is just my speculation though. I didn't want to lose my job with out one to go to. That is why ultimately I replaced it.

[pac201]

what I think is, why would you replace something you didn't take???????

I stand by my original question. I'm not paying for anything that I haven't taken.PERIOD.

[Hi-Point]

I understand that. I didn't even have the money to replace it with, I had to borrow it. I repeat wanted to keep my job and was lead to believe that was the best course of action.

[Roger Dat]

Something isnt right. Either they have enough evidence to tell you pay restitution and leave or they arrest you. Your not telling us the whole story.

[Wanabe]

At my job the register is short all the time but its b.s because more then 1 person is able to get in the register and their is something wrong with the computer. Anyway any time the register is short the host is responsible to pay whatever is missing regardless if it was their fault or not or they will be fired. I know this happens at my gf job also.

By all the time i mean at least once a month.

[Hi-Point]

Something isnt right. Either they have enough evidence to tell you pay restitution and leave or they arrest you. Your not telling us the whole story.

Are we on the same subject? They called me in the office and asked about bringing in money. It wasn't the money that went missing. No one knows where that money is. They gave me back the money I had brought in because it wasn't theirs to start with. I have heard that people have to pay back lost money at some jobs but that is not the policy with that company. I told them the truth and they wanted me to write a statement about my manager and what he told me to do. I never did write that statement. I couldn't see how taking someone else down after I left was justifiable. I had free will. I made a bad choice. Why punish someone else?

Theft never came up. Only thing I did was bring in money that wasn't there to begin with. Police were never involved, just store management/loss control. Is that what you meant Roger?

[pac201]

my bs meter is still going ding, ding, ding...

[Roger Dat]

Yup thats what I meant, see how you left THAT part out when you posted originally.

I still dont believe you. If I was being fired and I thought it was unjustly I damn sure would have taken down the person responsible with me. If you can be swayed into making bad decisions this easily then your done. Dont bother applying to LE because your morals and values can obviously be changed with just a little bit of pressure from someone.

Tell the whole story, be honest with yourself and find a new career.

[Hi-Point]

Yup thats what I meant, see how you left THAT part out when you posted originally.

I still dont believe you. If I was being fired and I thought it was unjustly I damn sure would have taken down the person responsible with me. If you can be swayed into making bad decisions this easily then your done. Dont bother applying to LE because your morals and values can obviously be changed with just a little bit of pressure from someone.

Tell the whole story, be honest with yourself and find a new career.

That is the whole story. After that day I made a decision to be honest no matter what it brings. I was in a union there and the union was weak. No one really supported it. They told me if I left on my own them I would have a good record on file there, I need to check into that. On the other hand if I took the suspension pending their investigation, which is their terms for termination, I would have a poor record. I tried to contact my union rep for about an hour trying to get his input and representation, but he had apparently left the office for the day. I feared fighting and losing so I caved.

I am glad I did leave. I am not making quite as much in money but my quality of life is much better. Regardless this follows me so I should have fought. As far as morals and values go they have strengthened. I have made mistakes since and never lied about them.

As far as taking someone down with me, why? It will not get me my job back. Regardless of what I was advised to do I made the choice to do it. I am not a person that seeks revenge or is vengeful.

[noelchabanel]

I worked a few retail jobs for a while, and like everyone I came up short or over a few dollars on occasion. Sometimes you give people too much or too little change, ring up the wrong thing, forget to notate some cash you sent to the safe, it's just part of the business. Being off exactly $100 is really suspicious if it's not actually some easy to figure out accounting error, since no store anywhere uses $100 bills to make change. Sounds like someone must have showed up with new shoes that week to me. If the drawer was locked there are only a few possibilities: the cashier, a vault/accounting worker, or a manager with access. Considering they tape all the registers it should have been pretty easy to fight and bring down the thief with you when they tried to can you.

I know that several managers at one of these places were fired for fraud and theft after they went on a spree of firing highly-paid long-term hourly workers for very weird reasons no one really believed. Employee theft at all levels, including LP and management, is sadly pretty wide spread at retail jobs.

[Hi-Point]

I worked a few retail jobs for a while, and like everyone I came up short or over a few dollars on occasion. Sometimes you give people too much or too little change, ring up the wrong thing, forget to notate some cash you sent to the safe, it's just part of the business. Being off exactly $100 is really suspicious if it's not actually some easy to figure out accounting error, since no store anywhere uses $100 bills to make change. Sounds like someone must have showed up with new shoes that week to me. If the drawer was locked there are only a few possibilities: the cashier, a vault/accounting worker, or a manager with access. Considering they tape all the registers it should have been pretty easy to fight and bring down the thief with you when they tried to can you.

I know that several managers at one of these places were fired for fraud and theft after they went on a spree of firing highly-paid long-term hourly workers for very weird reasons no one really believed. Employee theft at all levels, including LP and management, is sadly pretty wide spread at retail jobs.

The accounting camera where all tills are counted can't see in the safe. And he could have blocked the camera enough to stash the one hundred any where in the room. Later on I heard another supervisor that had a problem with him came up short exactly 100 when he counted her till. It could be coincidence. I doubt it though.

[Roger Dat]

This isnt a a huge problem for most other jobs you want. LE is out.