Assault?

[DeltaV]

An expungement is going to probably be the only way to get a department to seriously look at you, however getting an expungement will cost you money (you will most likely need to hire a lawyer) and it's by no means a guarantee just because five years have elapsed. That said, I know that in Florida when we run a criminal history on someone we can see charges that have been expunged. In some other states it's like that, in others it's not. Still, even if you do get the charge expunged you will have to disclose it during the background investigation. The bottom line is that you were convicted in a court of law. Arguing that you were wrongfully convicted is probably going to make your chances even less, as it shows that you're still not taking responsibility for your actions. You're not going to get a skilled law enforcement officer doing a background investigation to believe your story (as is the case with most of us here). Convicted=guilty.

I am currently in school for Criminal Justice and I plan to become an officer and try to focus on Forensic Sciences. I figure I can wait the 5 years for my expongement, seeing as that will give me time for my A.S. in Criminal Justice and work on my B.A. in Biochemistry.

Most forensic scientists are just that...scientists. Not many agencies employ sworn officers as forensic scientists. Many agencies don't even employ sworn officers as crime scene technicians either. So if that's what you want to do, you might as well just stay in college and then apply to a crime lab when you have your degree. Skip being a cop altogether. It might even be easier for you to get hired in a nonsworn position with the assault conviction, as the background requirements usually aren't as stringent.

[retdetsgt]

Most forensic scientists are just that...scientists. Not many agencies employ sworn officers as forensic scientists. Many agencies don't even employ sworn officers as crime scene technicians either. So if that's what you want to do, you might as well just stay in college and then apply to a crime lab when you have your degree. Skip being a cop altogether. It might even be easier for you to get hired in a nonsworn position with the assault conviction, as the background requirements usually aren't as stringent.

Here the lab is run by Oregon State Police, but they all have OSP rank. They are required to have a bachelor's in either chemistry or biology. They used to (I'm not sure about now) spend a little time working with regular troopers, but I don't know if they had to pass all the physical tests and so forth.

But the background is the same. Even though they aren't regular troopers, they handle evidence from agencies all over the state and need to be as credible and reliable as any police officer. Not only as a matter of trust, but they routinely testify in court. A criminal conviction can discredit their testimony.

[Amanda.Lynne]

Here you would have been charged with either DC or some sort of mutual combat. You two mutually " agreed " to duke it out. Neither party has a defense or an excuse. looks like her parents lawyer did ( or could ) do nothing just like yours.

Stay away from stupid people in stupid situations. Self defense can be justified under certain circumstances. Looks like neither of you could do this and all you did was piss off the judge with your " Judge Judy excuses".

Learn from what you did.

I have definitely learned from the incident. I am just hoping to find out how this will affect my career in the future and how to overcome any obstacles it might cause.

[Amanda.Lynne]

Here the lab is run by Oregon State Police, but they all have OSP rank. They are required to have a bachelor's in either chemistry or biology. They used to (I'm not sure about now) spend a little time working with regular troopers, but I don't know if they had to pass all the physical tests and so forth.

But the background is the same. Even though they aren't regular troopers, they handle evidence from agencies all over the state and need to be as credible and reliable as any police officer. Not only as a matter of trust, but they routinely testify in court. A criminal conviction can discredit their testimony.

Just a couple weeks ago, I saw a lot of the requirements and descriptions for Forensic Scientists in Texas and Florida and most, if not all, of them DID include having to appear in court to testify.

Is it common that a one time conviction of assault at 22 years old will PREVENT me from aquiring that type of position in maybe 5-7 years? (assuming that I have all of the other requirements, and have a competitive background - aside of the conviction)

[Amanda.Lynne]

An expungement is going to probably be the only way to get a department to seriously look at you, however getting an expungement will cost you money (you will most likely need to hire a lawyer) and it's by no means a guarantee just because five years have elapsed. That said, I know that in Florida when we run a criminal history on someone we can see charges that have been expunged. In some other states it's like that, in others it's not. Still, even if you do get the charge expunged you will have to disclose it during the background investigation. The bottom line is that you were convicted in a court of law. Arguing that you were wrongfully convicted is probably going to make your chances even less, as it shows that you're still not taking responsibility for your actions. You're not going to get a skilled law enforcement officer doing a background investigation to believe your story (as is the case with most of us here). Convicted=guilty..

Thanks, I understand what you're talking about. I guess I am still in the "denial" stage of it all. It happened in May, and I was just convicted in August. Of course, I am kind of upset with the news of finding out that this could ruin my career options. But, either way, I am sure by the time I get to describe the incident, (and I'm sure a lot sooner) I will be taking full credit for it, and be even more remorseful.

I guess I am just looking for the "what should I do right now" and "what is going to happen then" answers/suggestions to help fill in the time from here until then and hopefully fix it. I know that everything that has happened in my life has been because of everything that I have done.

[DeltaV]

Just a couple weeks ago, I saw a lot of the requirements and descriptions for Forensic Scientists in Texas and Florida and most, if not all, of them DID include having to appear in court to testify.

Is it common that a one time conviction of assault at 22 years old will PREVENT me from aquiring that type of position in maybe 5-7 years? (assuming that I have all of the other requirements, and have a competitive background - aside of the conviction)

It all depends on where you apply. The minimum requirements in most states are no felony convictions and no misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence. Other states have more stringent requirements and will bar someone with a conviction for certain misdemeanor classes or "public order" crimes. Still, even if you meet the minimum requirements you have to understand that only a small percentage of applicants have ever been convicted of anything, let alone arrested. Jobs like this are highly competitive, and short of having something like a PhD when everyone else has a BS, the conviction is going to put your application on the bottom of the stack every time. If you just meet the minimum requirements for the position, why would they hire you over someone without any background issues? They won't.

If you want a job as a forensic scientist then a BS is the MINIMUM as far as education. Experience in a laboratory setting is going to mean more in a position like that than experience as a street cop. Simply getting your BS and meeting the minimum requirements isn't going to put you ahead of anyone else. You need to stand out by having additional education and experience from what is minimally required, and even then it's by no means a guarantee.

[retdetsgt]

You need to stand out by having additional education and experience from what is minimally required, and even then it's by no means a guarantee.

+1. As I said earlier, all our forensic scientists work for Oregon State Police. The pay and benefits are pretty good. People there generally do quite a bit better than folks doing the same type of lab work in civilian labs. They get trooper pay (which is good here) plus a premium pay on top of that They also have the same ranks within the lab. There are several in the state and the head of each one holds the rank of captain.

I spent a lot of years working either sex crimes, homicide or drugs and therefore worked closely with a lot of the lab people. I never ran into one that I thought was a dull tool. All were sharp people and knew their jobs quite well.

[Amanda.Lynne]

Thank you all very much for all of your insight. Of course, I have been doing a lot of thinking about this and trying to figure out my options. Currently, I am just going to continue to do well in school and work towards my goals.

I have also been considering joining the Military for quite some time, as possibly an Army Reserve while going to school. I feel the experience would be great, and I am sure that would help my career out in the long run.

Is anyone familiar with Law Enforcement careers within the Military?