felony charge nolle prosequi

[rgame]

Hello to all,

This is my first post here. I have been following these forums and several others for awhile now and decided its time to get some feedback on my problem. I have recently applied to several different agencies and have not gotten to the background check yet. Here is my problem that im worried about:

Right after i graduated highschool i was still living at home with my mother, this was 2004. I have always been aware that my mother had a very big alcohol problem. However, i was not aware of the drug problem she had. Long story short, after the DEA was watching a guy that was seen coming in and out of our house for several months they decided to bust in the door with a search warrant. This was august 2004. During their search they found some very small amount of cocaine, a digital scale, and roughly $2500. They seperated us all and interrogated each one of us to try and get a confession for whose dope and money was it. There were four people in the house including my girlfriend, my mother, my mothers friend, and myself. Me and my girlfriend had no clue as to what was going on and appearantly my mother and her friend couldn't decide who the drugs belonged to. So naturally everyone in the house was charged with possession w/ intent to distribute narcotics. When we all went to court everyones charges were nolle pross except for my mothers that was put on a stet. So my question is do you all think the BI will be understanding of my situation. I moved out of my mothers house right after that because i did not want to get locked up again for her. Thanks for all you time and any responses are appreciated. Sorry if the story is unorganized and jumps all over the place. I'm in a hurry and just had to type fast as i could.

[Kimble]

Sorry if the story is unorganized and jumps all over the place. I'm in a hurry and just had to type fast as i could.

I see people post this sort of comment often when their posts are not written well, and have to wonder, do you believe this excuse will work for a future boss? What are you doing with your time that is so fast-paced that you can't take a moment to write in proper English so that others can understand what you're asking? Bosses don't want to hear "why" you can't write a report correctly, they just want you to do your job, so why not get the proper mindset squared away now, and save yourself (and a future boss) the grief down the road.

[mythoss]

I see people post this sort of comment often when their posts are not written well, and have to wonder, do you believe this excuse will work for a future boss? What are you doing with your time that is so fast-paced that you can't take a moment to write in proper English so that others can understand what you're asking? Bosses don't want to hear "why" you can't write a report correctly, they just want you to do your job, so why not get the proper mindset squared away now, and save yourself (and a future boss) the grief down the road.

+1

[rgame]

I had an interview today. Thats why i was rushing. To be perfectly honest i did not believe it was written that bad. I just did not have time to think about what i wanted to point out before i started typing. As i was typing, new thoughts came to mind, so i tried to get them down. Most internet forums do not need a well written paragraph. I just noticed that many people on here got agitated by it so i decided to point that out before people start commenting on my sentence structure/grammer...and i still got comments about it. Would it help to get responses if i rewrote the post?

[Kimble]

Most internet forums do not need a well written paragraph.

Every forum is different, and the rules and culture here are what they are. With 2 posts, you're new, so no harm in not knowing, but when in Rome do as the Romans do. Here's a good place to start as well: ** BEFORE posting in "Ask-A-Cop" **

Would it help to get responses if i rewrote the post?

I would think that writing something that has a logical flow and makes sense would always be a step in the right direction, don't you? It's not that one can't understand what you're saying by reading you're entire post, rather, because you jump all over the place (and we're not paid to read anyone's posts here), most may say, "I'm not bothering reading that mess, more trouble than it's worth" and skip over your thread without answering.

[Safety Steve]

How did the interview go today? What were you interviewing for? What reason or reasons were you dropped from other LE jobs?

Unfortunately you cannot pick your parents! Good for you for moving out when you found out drugs were in the house. Be Safe.

[rgame]

Thanks for pointing that out. I will give it a read.

I would think that writing something that has a logical flow and makes sense would always be a step in the right direction, don't you? It's not that one can't understand what you're saying by reading you're entire post, rather, because you jump all over the place (and we're not paid to read anyone's posts here), most may say, "I'm not bothering reading that mess, more trouble than it's worth" and skip over your thread without answering.

Yes sir. I will read above thread and rewrite. Thanks for your responses.

[rgame]

How did the interview go today? What were you interviewing for? What reason or reasons were you dropped from other LE jobs?

Unfortunately you cannot pick your parents! Good for you for moving out when you found out drugs were in the house. Be Safe.

I was interviewing for a company to do security work. The interview went very well. I must say i impressed myself today. Thanks for asking. I have not been dropped from any other LE jobs. I live in Maryland, so i have just began to apply to several different agencies in the area. I am waiting to be assigned a BI from one department, which is why i am looking for some insight into my problem. I understand i cannot choose my parents. The problem i have is that i was charged with a felony. Although i was never convicted, it becomes a problem. With most civilian employers, they have the mindset that if you are charged with a crime, you are guilty. I am hoping that since im dealing with LEO's that they will understand the procedures for certain situations. I don't want my BI to be under the impression that i was selling drugs and that there was not enough evidence for conviction. I really had no idea anything like that was going on in my house. Either im very niave, or my mother was very good at hiding things.

[ChaosXIW]

Unfortunately you cannot pick your parents! Good for you for moving out when you found out drugs were in the house. Be Safe.

+1 to the above....

Just be prepared to answer A LOT of questions on the issue if you are serious about pursuing a career in law enforcement. It's a major competition out there these days, and the fact of the matter is that although the case was nolle prosequed, you're still explaining a felony PWID charge when the other guy likely has a squeaky clean background. It's an unfortunate situation for you, especially assuming you are telling the truth. Your best bet is to try for a department that has a lot of openings and more time before the academy starts. If the BI has a lot of spots to fill and plenty of time to do it, he's more likely to spend the time listening to your explanation and looking into it. If you're in a tighter race for fewer spots, and I was your BI, I would see that you were arrested on a serious felony charge and not even bother going deeper into it. Just my two cents, good luck

[ChaosXIW]

What agencies in Maryland? I can share of bit of insight for you, perhaps steer you in a good direction

[rgame]

+1 to the above....

Just be prepared to answer A LOT of questions on the issue if you are serious about pursuing a career in law enforcement. It's a major competition out there these days, and the fact of the matter is that although the case was nolle prosequed, you're still explaining a felony PWID charge when the other guy likely has a squeaky clean background. It's an unfortunate situation for you, especially assuming you are telling the truth. Your best bet is to try for a department that has a lot of openings and more time before the academy starts. If the BI has a lot of spots to fill and plenty of time to do it, he's more likely to spend the time listening to your explanation and looking into it. If you're in a tighter race for fewer spots, and I was your BI, I would see that you were arrested on a serious felony charge and not even bother going deeper into it. Just my two cents, good luck

Thank you for your input. I am not sure how to tell how many spots are available in a particular department. I do know that the particular department that i really want has on average 6 academies per year. I don't know if thats a good thing or not??

[rgame]

What agencies in Maryland? I can share of bit of insight for you, perhaps steer you in a good direction

My first choice is BPD. Just recently i have went to Howard County Police Dept, and i plan on going to PG and MdTAP next month.

[ChaosXIW]

MdTAP is a great dept., but they aren't having an academy for possibly another year. Their last class just graduated this past Thursday. I can also tell you they have a TON of applicants, and they like to eliminate people quickly from the orientation with personal history statements. You would likely flag on your statement and may be asked to leave without testing. As for your other three, pros and cons to all. You'll face stiff competition in Howard County, but they are very actively recruiting right now. BPD is having serious budget issues, and I have a couple buddies in the Sheriff's right now who tell me it's just a political mess. PG is recruiting, and they usually take a lot of people for their academies. BPD and PG are criminally active in terms of how busy they are, so those are likely your best choices in terms of how likely you are to be allowed to explain yourself. The fact is that Maryland has major drug problems, so someone with a drug arrest is going to have a tough road. I would apply to Howard, PG, and BPD and see how it goes. I'm assuming your arrest took place in Maryland, and that will likely make it easier for a BI to investigate. Make the rest of your background sparkling, and tell the truth is everything. If you do that, you may have a chance at convincing a BI. If you lie, you're done. Trust me. Good luck. You have a very tough road, just realize that

[Safety Steve]

My first choice is BPD. Just recently i have went to Howard County Police Dept, and i plan on going to PG and MdTAP next month.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, none of that initial talk! I can figure out what BPD means, but the rest of those initials mean nothing to the Old Texan here! Please spell it out for us down here in the south! And please type it slow so I will understand! .

Be Safe.

[rgame]

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, none of that initial talk! I can figure out what BPD means, but the rest of those initials mean nothing to the Old Texan here! Please spell it out for us down here in the south! And please type it slow so I will understand! .

Be Safe.

Sorry, i was replying to chaosXIW who from my understanding knew the area. I did not mean to leave you out lol. BPD is baltimore city police dept. and PG was for Prince George County and MdTap is the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.