Words of Encouragement..

[kid_koala]

I wanted to address some private messages I have received, you know who you are. I came here to receive some criticism, negative or not, that is what I wanted and was expecting. However I did not expect to get some very negative pm’s though. They were unnecessary. I don’t care what is said too me personally because I am 28 years of age and quite frankly, I’ve heard it all and I’m too strong willed. But in the future, consider some of these young folk’s feelings. They are very impressionable and can be easily discouraged. Try being more optimistic and give some words of encouragement. Some young men actually sent me pm’s telling me they were worried to apply anywhere because they have a similar background like myself and they read my post titled “Would Appreciate Feedback. “

For those of you young folks that I speak of, and those I did not answer through pm, don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t and won’t do something. If a career in LE is what you want, don’t stop until you get there. If you want my advice, I have spoken with many LE officers, my law professors, and listened to what those had to say here on these forums and I applied it too my “plan.” The fact is that agencies use different hiring protocols. Take me for example. You can clearly read about my background on my previously stated post, and you will see that many suggested that I’m “not hirable,” and I respect their opinion because many of them are in LE. However I am now 2 steps from getting hired at my #1 department of choice and it is the first I have applied too. Some have wondered how I got as far as I have thus far so here it is..

What I have not stated on these boards is that I have been through a local police academy when I was 21 but because of my first DUI, my chances of getting hired were ruined for 3 years. This helped because it shows that I can hack it in the academy. Also, I am now 3 semesters away from obtaining my B.A. and with the department I have applied for, education has made a big difference from what I was told from one of the Lt.’s who interviewed me. She told me that cadets that are hired by the department are required to succeed in the top 5% of all cadets attending the academy. This is a demanding request because I know how tough the academy is. In my departments experience with hiring cadets, the ones with a college education can more easily stay within the top 5% of the academy class and they are most likely to successfully complete the academy training. So does having an education help? In my opinion for agencies in my area, YES. The department encourages education so much that college students get priority shifts to help work around their school schedules. Also, after taking the CA. POST exam and the department exam, I scored in the top 8% of all applicants. I did not fail 1 polygraph question, and for those who are in LE, you know the types of questions that can be asked so I have proved my honesty. So for those of you who sent me pm’s stating that with my background I should not have gotten as far as I have in my application process, well sorry to disappoint but I have. Thank-you all so much who have replied to my posts, you were all very helpful. Remember this post was just in response to the private messages I received.

[FireCop86]

while i do agree that you should "Never Give Up!!" you have to understand the people that respond on here are cops. they will tell you like it is and most of the time wont sugar coat it. why should they? they know what it takes to be a cop and giving false hope to someone who is not going to make it as an LEO would be messed up IMHO. you gave some great advice in your thread but don't jump on the LEO's who give "their" advice (good or bad) when it is asked for.

[kid_koala]

Thank you FireCop86 for your response. Please read my post again good sir. I thoroughly agree and am not bothered by the honesty, I personally asked for it. I stated, "I wanted to address some private messages I have received," not replies to my posts. All the replies I received were greatly appreciated. I’m commenting about several derogatory remarks I received in private message basically saying I’m a liar. Quote from one message, “it is virtually impossible for you to get in LE anywhere in CA with your background, trust me I know,” and he continues to go on. Another one wrote, “I applied to that agency and I have a perfect background yet I did not get a call back. You can better benefit from this forum if you would just be honest,” and then he goes on. If this is how some respond to me, I can imagine how they reply to youngsters that are seeking hopeful advice but end up getting a lot more. One kid wrote me, “I have a similar background but I didn’t wanna ask here on these boards because I was embarrassed.” Perhaps I was rattled at the fact of being called a liar but none the less, this post was in response to the aforementioned.

The fact of the matter is there are automatic DQ’s, this we know. If you have nothing in your past that is considered an instant DQ then there is hope, bottom line. For instance, I may have gotten fired from 1 job 4 years ago but shortly after, I went back to school and maintained a 3.2 GPA for the next 3 years thereafter. That is one example of how you can “improve” yourself and make yourself more desirable despite blemishes in your background.

[kid_koala]

sorry, double post

[FireCop86]

hmm that's interesting... well first off i am a ma'am sounds like the ones that PMed you were trying to tell you their experiences but made it sound rude by saying well i did this and didn't get it so you have no chance. i do not know why someone would call you a liar and for you to be more honest, you seemed pretty honest to me in your other thread, why wouldn't you be? anyways there are a lot of good LEO's on here that offer great advice and constructive criticism, hopefully the youngsters will take their advice in contrast to someone telling them they "can't"

[Garbage Man]

You know I was serious about the AA thing.