What are my chances

[kaziko86]

Hello everyone, I am trying to apply with my local agency(Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for the position of Reserve Officer (Volunteer - Part Time). According to their website(and recruiter) I meet their minimum qualifications and I am within their listed dis-qualifiers. I will explain my history/background and I would like feedback on my chances of being accepted (I know this varies between agencies). Please note that I am not trying to downplay any of my history, I am stating important facts of the individual cases so you will have an understanding of what occurred.

I am 25 years old, recently separated from my wife of 3 years, and I have a 3 year old daughter that I currently raise without any help or support from her mother. I am currently a student in college obtaining my Associates in Criminal Justice. I have also completed a few ridealongs with the agency

My Criminal History is as follows:
Arrest in 2008 for Battery(Domestic): Charge Dismissed
The officer claimed he saw redness on my Wifes chest after being called for noise complaint(yelling) from neighbor. The Judge dismissed the charges for lack of evidence / probable cause.

Arrest in 2008 for Theft(Petit): Withhold Adjudication(Record Sealed)
I stole an ex-roomates iPod while intoxicated one night mistakenly thinking it was my own(I had an iPod identical to his). I accept full responsibility for this and I even rectified the situation outside of court with said individual.

Arrest in 2009 for Battery(Domestic): Charge Dismissed
My wife jumped on me and started to strangle me during an argument, and when I sprawled my body to keep her from strangling me to death, one of her fingers broke. Because she sustained injury I was found to be the primary aggressor and arrested. The judge dismissed the charges Immediately after reading the police report.

Arrest in 2010 for Improper Exhibition of a Firearm: Charge Dismissed
Four heavily intoxicated men got into a verbal altercation with my wife in a restaurant, which turned physical when one of the men raised his fist to assault my wife. I immediately stood up from my seat and pulled my (legal concealed carry) firearm, I pointed it at him and ordered him to leave. I stayed for the police to arrive and the four men left and filed no report. I was not arrested on the spot but was arrested two weeks after the incident when a warrant was issued, upon which I voluntarily turned myself in. The SA office offered me a Pre-Trial Intervention program (usually reserved for minors who commit a crime) that would cause the charges to be dropped upon completion of community service. Florida Statute stated that I was within legal rights to use deadly force in protection of my wife due to "Fear of greater bodily harm or imminent death". Having had two friends personally killed via a punch, and having myself been the victim of a life threatening injury a year prior(one that I was still recovering from at the time of the incident) from someone punching me in the face, I felt that this man would have either caused greater bodily harm or killed my wife if he struck her so I did what I thought was necessary to protect her. I see now that my force was excessive but at the time I was in fear of my wife's life/health and felt that was my only option as we were blocked in (we were in a booth and the men were at the edge of the booth) and could not retreat or run away.

Driving history
2 Speeding fines (no greater than 15mph over)
2 Failure to Yield Traffic Device (rolling stop at a stop sign on my street, and I turned right at a red light that had recently been changed to no right turn on red)
1 Careless Driving (Accident, No Injuries)
For this one I backed into a dark colored vehicle that was illegally parked at the end of my driveway. It was early in the morning and I did not notice the vehicle there due to low visibility and extremely low light scenario.

Work History:
Multiple misc. jobs (None of which I have been fired from)

Credit History:
$21,000 in Credit Card Debt (only about $12,000 of this is actual debt, the rest is late fees etc.)
The reason for the $12,000 debt is due to running my own business and working two part time jobs. I was making a substantial amount of income and at the time had the ability to pay the debt with ease. Due to an severe trauma injury received in 2009 while working as Security in a local nightclub, I was out of work and unable to pay the debt, after 3 months of no payment the debt from multiple credit card companies was sent to collections. I have worked since but have not been able to acquire additional money to repay this debt, the jobs I did have I was just barely able to provide the bare minimum necessities for my family. In August one of the debt collection agencies filed a lawsuit against me in attempt to collect repayment. Due to having been out of work while being a full time student in college and raising a 3 year old with no outside financial support I have been unable to handle this matter, but I have made plans and set up a repayment schedule once I obtain employment that will allow me to completely repay ALL debt within 5 years depending on my financial ability. I have made good on all car loans and financial aid loans that I have taken out, so no repo's or delinquencies for those.

I know I have several red flags regarding my background, and thus why I am not trying to attempt to be a Paid Sworn Officer until after I graduate college(2-3 years from now). I am wanting to volunteer my time and service to show that I am willing to make a change and do good for my community and the people in it. Any feedback on how your particular agency would view me as a potential volunteer applicant would be greatly appreciated. Also any information on what pieces of my background(explanations) I should accompany with my initial application would be helpful as well. I have matured quite a bit since these incidents occurred and having to raise my daughter alone has been the contributing factor to this. I want to provide the best future for my daughter that I can, and even though law enforcement won't make me "rich" I will still be able to provide for her, and give back to my community as well. I feel as if I have a calling to be an officer, and that it is the career path that I must pursue.

The Recruit Officer's of my local agency are actual Police officers and are given full arrest authority etc. only while in the presence of another full time sworn officer. They sponsor a condensed 17 week academy for non-certified law enforcement applicants of this position.

Also, on the application it asks for the month/year of previous employment for the past 10 years. I have gone through all of my W2's since I began working in 2005 (after serving less than a year in the United States Air Force and receiving a medical discharge) and I can only manage to get the years of employment, but not months. I typed up a statement that notes I do not have accurate recollection of actual dates of employment and that some dates are via estimate and not the actual month of employment.

I reiterate that I am not attempting to downplay my negative history, I only gave explanation to give you insight on my past and the facts behind the incidents.

[NightR0ver]

Honestly, I'd seek employment in a different field. You will not be hired in law enforcement with your background anywhere that I can think of. The two charges of domestic abuse even though dropped, are big red flags to any agency. Your driving history is absolutely less then stellar as is your credit, your sealed court records will be opened and are fair game to a background investigator and the fact that you seem to be regularly involved in conflicts as you stated by "from someone punching me in the face" and pulling a gun on a group show that you have judgment issues.

If subpoenaed to testify in court, a good defense lawyer would immediately be able to paint you as an unreliable witness and would in fact use your background to make the department look inept as a whole. "well sir please explain how someone who has two prior arrests for domestic abuse himself can arrest my client for the very crime that you have in the past been arrested for committing." I have seen it done before.

Please don't take the above as a personal attack, but as an honest assessment based on the information you provided. There are too few LE jobs and too many candidates in this day and age to risk hiring someone with your background. There are literally TONS of applicants with clean backgrounds and or a combination of college and military service that you would be competing with. As a background investigator, I'd take one look at your file and move on. There is simply just too much risk and liability to take.