Wanting a job as Loudoun County Sheriff but iffy background? PLEASE help!

[ninjapower]

EDIT: I think this was put in the employment forum first, I got a bit confused about which forum this was posted in, I had a couple tabs opened on my computer and this may have accidentally been posted to another forum topic. If it did, I apologize. But Please read the whole thing!
Hello,
Let me first say I'm not the one who wants to be a Loudoun County Sheriff. This is Northern VA by the way, a DC suburb. Loudoun County LEO are all sheriffs, you don't start as something smaller. It's my boyfriend- and no, that's just not a cover story.
He is deeply passionate about wanting this but I'm really concerned about his history and would really appreciate some solid answers. Here's the problem:
So, currently he is 21 (he turned 21 this year). He is a permanent resident of the country, but should be able to apply for his citizenship "soon" (which means possibly not until up to a year), and once he applies for that it may take awhile for him to be approved.
He cannot apply until he's a citizen. In the meantime, he's working on getting a 2-year degree to boost his record which includes Criminal Justice courses. He's also bilingual, fluent in Spanish and English. He's in good shape and has no mental or emotional disorders that I'm aware of. He also has a Class M designation (motorcycle license), which seems good because I've seen some Loudoun sheriffs on motorcycles. So, these factors seem like they'd be a good boost to his resume...
However... his past is far from spotless. In his teens, he hung with the wrong crowds. He was never in a gang, but I know he had friends in gangs and he took part in/was subjected to many fights. I also know he smoke pot rather heavily during this time.
When he was 17, he actually smartened up and quit this lifestyle. He stopped hanging around those areas, deleted any webpages he had, and changed his number so none of his old "friends" could contact him.
Since then, he's been pretty good. Last year he got a possession of an open container charge in Fairfax County-- our friend left some alcohol in his car, and since it was HIS car he got the charge. He paid the $100 fee, and other than that has only got 2 speeding tickets.
Since he turned his life around, he taken pills a few times (inlcuding times when he's had a prescription (his job is very laborious and he's gotten hurt)) and also smoked weed a few times-- but just a few. I believe the last time was in December or January. I know that he bought weed maybe a month or two ago, but not for himself, as a favor to a coworker. Now that he's 21, he drinks occasionally but really almost never, I've only seen him drunk once (and that was on his 21st birthday) in our long relationship.

My question is.... is he going to make it? His next best option would be applying to Fairfax County, but I have a feeling they may be even tougher. Like I said, he cut out the dangerous behavior and pothead lifestyle at age 17. Since then, he's done a few things since then, as I detailed above. No major charges and no major drugs, not once in his entire record.
I would estimate he would be able to apply for a job within a year in a half to two years-- minimum. It may be more as the citizenship process is tedious and can take awhile.

Please don't judge him. Since I've met him, he has NEVER said he's wanted to do anything else but he a police officer-- maybe his past and the things he bore witness to inspired him. He's deeply passionate about it and wants it sooo badly-- he's very sincere and honest. If we see cops on the road or on the TV, he always mentions with pride that that will be him one day. He's taking classes on top of his already-intense job to boost his resume. We live in an area with many Hispanics (both Fairfax and Loudoun County), so I feel that would be a plus to him... He's so determined.

But please be honest. What are his chances?

[Trip]

I first put this in the employment forum but then noticed this one so reposted it here... Please read the whole thing!
Hello,
Let me first say I'm not the one who wants to be a Loudoun County Sheriff. This is Northern VA by the way, a DC suburb. Loudoun County LEO are all sheriffs, you don't start as something smaller. It's my boyfriend- and no, that's just not a cover story.
He is deeply passionate about wanting this but I'm really concerned about his history and would really appreciate some solid answers. Here's the problem:
So, currently he is 21 (he turned 21 this year). He is a permanent resident of the country, but should be able to apply for his citizenship "soon" (which means possibly not until up to a year), and once he applies for that it may take awhile for him to be approved.
He cannot apply until he's a citizen. In the meantime, he's working on getting a 2-year degree to boost his record which includes Criminal Justice courses. He's also bilingual, fluent in Spanish and English. He's in good shape and has no mental or emotional disorders that I'm aware of. He also has a Class M designation (motorcycle license), which seems good because I've seen some Loudoun sheriffs on motorcycles. So, these factors seem like they'd be a good boost to his resume...
However... his past is far from spotless. In his teens, he hung with the wrong crowds. He was never in a gang, but I know he had friends in gangs and he took part in/was subjected to many fights. I also know he smoke pot rather heavily during this time.
When he was 17, he actually smartened up and quit this lifestyle. He stopped hanging around those areas, deleted any webpages he had, and changed his number so none of his old "friends" could contact him.
Since then, he's been pretty good. Last year he got a possession of an open container charge in Fairfax County-- our friend left some alcohol in his car, and since it was HIS car he got the charge. He paid the $100 fee, and other than that has only got 2 speeding tickets.
Since he turned his life around, he taken pills a few times (inlcuding times when he's had a prescription (his job is very laborious and he's gotten hurt)) and also smoked weed a few times-- but just a few. I believe the last time was in December or January. I know that he bought weed maybe a month or two ago, but not for himself, as a favor to a coworker. Now that he's 21, he drinks occasionally but really almost never, I've only seen him drunk once (and that was on his 21st birthday) in our long relationship.

My question is.... is he going to make it? His next best option would be applying to Fairfax County, but I have a feeling they may be even tougher. Like I said, he cut out the dangerous behavior and pothead lifestyle at age 17. Since then, he's done a few things since then, as I detailed above. No major charges and no major drugs, not once in his entire record.
I would estimate he would be able to apply for a job within a year in a half to two years-- minimum. It may be more as the citizenship process is tedious and can take awhile.

Please don't judge him. Since I've met him, he has NEVER said he's wanted to do anything else but he a police officer-- maybe his past and the things he bore witness to inspired him. He's deeply passionate about it and wants it sooo badly-- he's very sincere and honest. If we see cops on the road or on the TV, he always mentions with pride that that will be him one day. He's taking classes on top of his already-intense job to boost his resume. We live in an area with many Hispanics (both Fairfax and Loudoun County), so I feel that would be a plus to him... He's so determined.

But please be honest. What are his chances?

I'm not a LEO but I can tell you that both counties are tough and Fairfax County is even tougher.

[Citicop]

I would tell him to find a good backup plan, because he will probably not be hired.

"All he's ever wanted to do since you met him is be a cop."

But he's been using illegal drugs, buying/distributing drugs as recently as 8 months ago or so, and displaying all around poor decision making.

His heavy marijuana use would disqualify him from most agencies in my area. But even absent that, buying and using drugs while you say you want to be a cop eliminates you in my opinion. Why would I think that he would not continue to break the law once he got hired if he can't quit breaking it now?

He really needs to find a new "dream career" because I would put him at under 5% to get hired anywhere at all as a police officer just based on what you wrote above.

-Citicop.

[ninjapower]

I'm not a LEO but I can tell you that both counties are tough and Fairfax County is even tougher.

Yeah. The thing I'm hoping for (and this is just a guess and likely totally ignorant, so all of don't get into some cocky remark about what I'm about to say) is that the areas we live in-- Fairfax Co and Loudoun Co-- are known to have some rough areas (ever seen Gangland? In the Northern VA/DC episode, a few of the scenes are shot right by my house, and one of the main focuses of the episode on a particularly bad spot is where he grew up) and I'm hoping it won't seem so extreme to them as a lot worse types of things go on around here and unfortunately his activity isn't all that unusual among people in our area, especially since we're close to DC which is like the capital of law corruption, haha. I know there are also ppl in our area who refrained from anything "bad," but I'm just going on a long shot here.
Also, DC has the highest rate of pot-smokers in the nation, and being a DC suburb I just hope that will be another extreme to tone his record down a bit.
One other factor is, assuming I'll still be with him once he applies, is using my dad as a reference. My dad really likes him, and my father has worked some very notable and respectable positions in the military and government. I'm hoping his word will help my boyfriend also.



I did look up on Loudoun County's gov site about applying to be a sheriff with them. They weren't completely clear; they said said drug usage would be judged on a case-by-case basis.

[ninjapower]

I would tell him to find a good backup plan, because he will probably not be hired.

"All he's ever wanted to do since you met him is be a cop."

But he's been using illegal drugs, buying/distributing drugs as recently as 8 months ago or so, and displaying all around poor decision making.

His heavy marijuana use would disqualify him from most agencies in my area. But even absent that, buying and using drugs while you say you want to be a cop eliminates you in my opinion. Why would I think that he would not continue to break the law once he got hired if he can't quit breaking it now?

He really needs to find a new "dream career" because I would put him at under 5% to get hired anywhere at all as a police officer just based on what you wrote above.

-Citicop.

I do understand what you're saying about the incident as recent as 8 months ago, but that's why I included the time frame concerning obtaining his citizenship. It could very well take 3 years before he's fully naturalized and thus even able to apply. At that point, it'll have been 6 years since his regular usage (which was while he was a minor) and he'll have been completely clean for 3 years.

I understand what you're saying. Really, I do. I know this may not seem viable, but I admit with deep shame and regret I may have been a cause to him slipping. Someone in my family is a regular drug user, so the exposure and availability to drugs was heightened thanks to being with me... (no, I'm not a druggie by the way just because I have a fam member that is)that, plus I know he was having a hard time; his younger sister was raped by his brother-in-law. I know there's no excuse for really slipping, but he's human and has made that mistake. As I said, otherwise he's been great since he turned his life around. I wouldn't say it's that he "can't keep from breaking the law," because for the most part he has with the exception of some of these slips.

Even I know this sounds a bit far-fetched, but gah he's so set on this cop thing I don't even want to THINK about what it'll be like for him if he can't get in...
Thank you for your honesty though.

[deputywave]

Not likely to get hired with his prior drug usage.

[ninjapower]

I appreciate all of you guys' responses.

Just for the sake of it, is there anything he can do to boost his chances further? Going on frequent ride-alongs, volunteer work...?

[Citicop]

You NEED to think about it, because that is what is likely to happen.

He didn't "make a mistake." A mistake is when you intend to do something and do something different instead. He made a conscious decision to break the law (while professing an interest in Law Enforcement as a career) and accomplished what he set out to do.

If he can't make good decisions in the face of temptation, then he would simply end up making all of us look bad after his indictment on corruption charges.

His past decisions will probably keep him out of Law Enforcement. Even if you find a department who has loose enough minimum standards that he would meet, he will be facing competition with no drug use, military experience, no gang associations in their pasts, 4 year degrees, etc. He has to beat them and be better qualified for the position than they are, and that will be nearly impossible for him to do.

You asked for honesty, and that's what you're getting. I would feel bad for him if he was stupid at 17 and it kept him out. But if he was really "so set on this cop thing" then he wouldn't be buying, distributing, and using dope.

Sorry. Tell him to major in something besides Criminal Justice so he will be able to use it in whatever other career he eventually finds.

-Citicop.

[ninjapower]

You NEED to think about it, because that is what is likely to happen.

He didn't "make a mistake." A mistake is when you intend to do something and do something different instead. He made a conscious decision to break the law (while professing an interest in Law Enforcement as a career) and accomplished what he set out to do.

If he can't make good decisions in the face of temptation, then he would simply end up making all of us look bad after his indictment on corruption charges.

His past decisions will probably keep him out of Law Enforcement. Even if you find a department who has loose enough minimum standards that he would meet, he will be facing competition with no drug use, military experience, no gang associations in their pasts, 4 year degrees, etc. He has to beat them and be better qualified for the position than they are, and that will be nearly impossible for him to do.

You asked for honesty, and that's what you're getting. I would feel bad for him if he was stupid at 17 and it kept him out. But if he was really "so set on this cop thing" then he wouldn't be buying, distributing, and using dope.

Sorry. Tell him to major in something besides Criminal Justice so he will be able to use it in whatever other career he eventually finds.

-Citicop.

Perhaps mistake wasn't the right word; slip is maybe a better one.
I guess the only reason I have faith is just that I know a few Fairfax County cops who had histories of regular drug usage/selling and I do know one who was involved in an incident with a minor when he was a legal adult.
Apparently Fairfax Co is toughter than Loudoun, though I can't say I really know (but I would assume it is). I don't know if their cases were overlooked or they lied their way through the application process, though it seems a bit impossible to lie.
PS Don't take my responses are argumentative or hostile. I'm simply trying to really figure this out and bring up any possible exceptions or other considerations.

[Citicop]

If you have firsthand information that current cops used to sell drugs, I encourage you to contact their department and talk to their Internal Affairs Officers. They would want to know, I promise.

[ninjapower]

If you have firsthand information that current cops used to sell drugs, I encourage you to contact their department and talk to their Internal Affairs Officers. They would want to know, I promise.

I'll admit I'm wary of doing that, paranoia in the back of my mind is alerting me to making myself a target of some kind. Maybe it's just my less-than-pristine image of cops in the NoVa/DC area.

[Cat_Doc]

Maybe it's just my less-than-pristine image of cops in the NoVa/DC area.

And your foreign born, gang associating, dope smoking, occasional pill popping and dope trafficking boyfriend will change that image once he is hired on as a law enforcement officer?

[pafindr]

I'm not a cop so take it for what it's worth

plus I know he was having a hard time; his younger sister was raped by his brother-in-law.

What is he going to do when he has a call that involves the rape and murder of young children?
Is he going to fall apart each time he goes to one of these tough calls?
You say he turned his life around, but when life gets tough it seems that he falls back to his old ways.
When the Background Investigator starts questioning those people around him (note: they don't only talk to the people he lists on his application) the BI is going to see the type of people he hangs around. This will also become a factor for him. So if he hangs around with your family member that is a drug user what does that indicate about him?

[greg72982]

Maybe it's just my less-than-pristine image of cops in the NoVa/DC area.

It has been my experience that those that have a negative image of the police in a certain area usually have a reason, and the reason is normally that they (or maybe in this case their boyfriend) have had many dealings with them.

[GoDirectly2Jail]

If he distributed drugs, he would not even make it to step 1 of the hiring process at my agency. I also second the advice that if you have information about current officers involved in illegal activities, their department needs to know.