Do I stand a chance?

[unhcj]

got my answer :D

[Toeknee112]

Is my background that bad that i will never be a cop??? Thanks.

Hmmm...could be depending on the department. Realize that there are so many applicants out there that do not have the extra baggage that you do. It was good that you were truthful with your answers. Your job history, GPA, credit, etc. are all positives. Good luck in your job search!

[Group9]

Keep looking. While your background is definitely going to keep you out of some departments/agencies, there are some who might give you a chance.

Your background may not sound too bad to you, but you have to remember that you are competing against people who don't have all of that stuff in their background. And, remember, you are applying to a position that grants you tremendous power and tremendous responsiblity. No one likes to bestow that lightly on anyone.

The only advice I ever try to give teenagers is to remind them that they are not too young to start screwing up their lives in ways that can't be fixed.

[ngcsubutterbar]

It 'may' be a hardline on last drug ussage thats holding you up. One possiblity of many though.

[ngcsubutterbar]

unhcj, while thats true, from the day I knew I wanted to do LE as a career, I realized a few things. One of those is I could no longer on good consience hang out with some of the 'cool kids' anymore. I could no longer associate with even part of my family. There are just things one has to forgo for just a chance of being a cop one day. While yes I do completly agree about being candid and honest is the best thing for you to do, again there is just some policy that can't be overlooked, as it will set a bad precedence for later hires. Its a fact of life, even more so in a profession such as LE as group9 said. It is still a fact of life one must live with. I sincerely think that one thing that could be holding you up is last drug ussage in 1999. While that is nearly 5 years ago, some policies have a hard line cut off they must adhere to.


ug ps, would it be possible/prudent to ask in writing why they didn't consider you for hire?

[metallicat]

I can understand why a pd would not take me because of certain things but what good is it telling the truth??!! I went ahead and admitted to actions that a backgroundcheck would NEVER find out about me(oral sex at 16) and was truthful and now 8 years later it will destroy my entire life!!! its really got me bummed!

So what if you leave the sex thing off, and then you reach the polygraph where they asked if you have ever engaged in prostitution...what then? You will probably be DQed permanantly for being dishonest.

[Group9]

I can understand why a pd would not take me because of certain things but what good is it telling the truth??!! I went ahead and admitted to actions that a backgroundcheck would NEVER find out about me(oral sex at 16) and was truthful and now 8 years later it will destroy my entire life!!! its really got me bummed!

Well, that may have been true. But, I have done background investigations for the federal government in the past and it was amazing the things you could uncover that people thought you would never find out about.

The main theory of background investigations is the developed reference. That is, finding people you did not put on your application who know things about you. There are a lot of different ways to find these people that can't be covered up. And, once something is found that an applicant left out that negatively reflects on honesty or integrity, you pretty much just tie up the loose ends, do the mandatory checks, and call that background investigation over.

It is better to be honest and not get the job than to lie, get the job, and be looking over your shoulder forever.

[mcsap]

It is better to be DQ'ed from one department because you told the truth than to be DQ'ed from another because you lied or omitted an important fact.

Under the first scenario, you could apply anywhere else you wanted to, maybe even back at the same agency after a year or two . Under the second scenario, you will be DQ'ed NO MATTER where you ever go to apply.

You still have a half decent chance, work at your fitness, stay out of trouble and AWAY from any "friends" that could get you in trouble. Do some sort of community volunteer work, donate blood etc. Be a productive member of the community , showing that you are interested in other people , it looks good on a resume' and feels good to actually do it.

[gijoeyl33]

First and foremost just make sure u are honest for the upcoming application processes u will be in, since u have already admitted to a few things make sure u are consistent in your addmitance because your applications with the agencies that didnt hire you will be looked at by the agencies u try for now. Im sure there is somebody out there that will hire you, especially since most of the things u mention was doen as a juvenile anyways. Be honest, but my advice is avoid agencies who Poly....those things are rediculously unaccurate

[99TAC]

question for the LEOs, is admitting the use of a fake ID an automatic DQ, is it considered a very serious offence when applying?

[gijoeyl33]

Depends on how long ago you were doing it. If you are a 20 year old applicant, still using one then it would be a problem. if you are say..26 and used it when you were 18. who cares

[Jcrazy]

I don't think you are beat. I do think that you will need to wait a while. The more time you put between you and the last time you did something wrong the better off you will be. You are still very young and have plenty of time left, don't throw in the towel yet. Good luck.

[CO.Dep]

Time is your friend. If you have no luck this time around try and find a job that is LE related and do that for a couple of years. In the mean time, stop drinking so much and do some community related volunteer work. Pump up your resume as much as you can. Try looking for a detention officer job, you will build a great deal of experience dealing with the criminal element and you will make a lot of LE contacts.

[elisa8002]

Well, you havent made some of the best choices in life but you were honest about them. Though, were you honest because you thought that your investagator would find out or because of your conscience? None the less you were honest. I would keep being honest and keep trying. I agree with CO. Dep try getting in to corrections, alot of our cops were correction officers first and that opened the door for them. If all else fails try Philly they take everyone lol j/k we are ranked pretty high. GOOD LUCK

[dave_in_IL]

i was honest becuse i thought i would fail the poly if i didnt admit to things...i know for a fact that an investigator would have NEVER found out about paying for oral sex at 16 but my dumb *** said something!!! :mad:

I wouldn't be so sure of that. I'm sure they would have found out some how. It's best to be honest. I know in the military if you even lie about your medical history you can get thrown in a federal prison.