Greetings from Colorado

[patrick_zimmer]

My name is Patrick. I am a 28 year old cello teacher in Colorado. I have wanted to become a police officer since I was 5 years old. My family did everything they could to deter me from pursuing it and for a while they had me convinced but now I know that I will not be happy unless I go for it. When I told my family they said "oh no, not this again, you'll be injured, thugs will break your fingers etc." Well, I understand that there are risks, and I think that choosing not to go into a profession just because it might not be safe is kind of pathetic.

I do have one thing in my way, and I take full responsibility for it. Four years ago I was convicted of one DWAI, which in Colorado is the lesser version of the DUI, but is still a misdemeanor. I deserved the conviction and I did not make any effort to defend myself from it. I plead guilty and took the punishments that I knew I deserved. Since then I continue to do everything I can to be a model citizen in terms of safety and responsibility. It was the first time I was ever drunk and I am so ashamed of myself for having done that, it is also the only time I was ever drunk. I have not had any alcohol since because I promised myself that once was enough and I will devote my life to public service. I have no other legal trouble in my past and otherwise my driving record is spotless. I intend to be fully upfront about the misdemeanor and I hope that recruiters will see that I have used my experience to learn from and become a better citizen and hopefully, a good cop.

Thank you, and I will be reading this forum diligently to learn everything I can.

Patrick

[Cat_Doc]

You won't know anything until you apply.

Good luck to you in your endeavors.

[marinepilot]

Patrick, Welcome to RP from the Florida Panhandle! Sounds like you're doing the best you can to make good out of a bad situation. I totally agree with Cat_Doc above, you'll never know until you try. Put in some applications and see what happens, and then keep coming back and let us know how things are going.

[pac201]

Welcome; as the others have said, give it a shot.

[patrick_zimmer]

Thank you very much guys. I did what you suggested and I went to the police station. I had a very nice talk with a few officers there. They told me that the recruiting process wasn't currently open as they had just added several academy graduates to their roster, but they told me I should check back in a few months and apply. I mentioned my misdemeanor and they said that I should be grateful it wasn't the full DUI, and that as long as I can show that I changed and learned from it that it shouldn't be a problem.

So I feel encouraged and I'm going to commit myself to becoming a good candidate. I'm going to take classes in criminal justice, finish my EMT-B (can't hurt I guess) and reapply. I heard that you have to run two miles in the academy so I'm getting a head start on that. I currently get severely winded at just under 1 mile so I'll be running every day to fix that. Thanks again, I really appreciate the encouragement. I just can't express how happy I would be to have a job that is truly about doing what's best for the greater good. Maybe that sounds kind of corny but that's the way I feel about it.

[greg72982]

Can a CO officer clear up how there are two different versions of DUI? Is one what you can charge if the person is under an 0.08 or something?

[patrick_zimmer]

Can a CO officer clear up how there are two different versions of DUI? Is one what you can charge if the person is under an 0.08 or something?

Yes sir, that is correct. A DWAI is for an under-the-limit BAC. I am not an officer, but I'm answering from personal experience.

[mcsap]

DWAI ....Driving while almost intoxicated ??

[greg72982]

DWAI ....Driving while almost intoxicated ??

Wouldn't fly in a million years in this part of sunny PA lol

And thanks for the reply patrick

[MikeG]

DWAI ....Driving while almost intoxicated ??

Driving While Ability Impaired