Are my chances of getting employed over?

[deezil21]

Im a young man who just finished academy about a month ago and I am trying to gain employment somewhere in the Central Florida area. I am the son of a marine and current law enforcement officer I have a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice and am one semester away from finishing my Masters in Public Administration. Im 23 and was sponsored through academy. I was a squad leader in academy and was in top 5 physically in my academy class.

My problem is that I was dismissed from academy a week before graduating for having a part in a sharing of test information investigation in which i have admittedly told the investigators that i did say aloud a subject that i could remember from the test that i took earlier that day to the night class who was to take the test the evening. Due to my actions i was dismissed from the academy and was put down as incomplete on my record and I was terminated form my job. I have since gained enrollment in another academy and finished my courses, taken my state exam and passed. Now that i am certified i have been looking for employment but no one will give me a chance. I have no criminal history nor drug or alcohol related use, no tickets or any run ins with law enforcement. Other then my dismissal from the academy i have never received any disciplinary action academically either.


As the denial letters from different agencies and departments have came in i am starting to get discouraged and don't know what to do. My question is are my chances of gaining employment over with? and What can i do to gain employment?

[LAChief]

What size of Departments are you applying at? You might have to relocate or try for a smaller department that is short on certified manpower. Frankly, if what you have told us is the absolute truth, I wouldn't have a problem with you.

[PhilipCal]

When all the smoke clears and the dust settles,you've got an "integrity issue". Academies/agencies are extremely sensitive to these matters, and what appears to have happened is that you divulged information of an unauthorized nature to another Recruit. Unfortunately, your standing in the Academy, which was excellent, did little to mitigate this lapse of judgement on your part. The only suggestion I can make to you, is to start applying at some small agencies in your area. It's possible that if they have any vacancies, they might be a little more tolerant of your error in judgement than a larger Department. Hope things work out for you.

[hooknbook]

What you have to realize is that things like this; questions of integrity, honesty, etc, can negatively affect any potential law enforcement cases you get involved in as an officer. Your testimony in cases can from here on out be impeached to some degree by the defense. Most departements are not going to want to hire an inidividual that can be impeached because it's on record that they cheated during their academy. I'm sure your dad has explained this to you???

[Smurfette_76]

You are nothing in this job without your integrity. Nothing. Your integrity was called into question and you admittedly did something wrong. Were I doing your background, I woudn't touch you. You made the wrong decision in a simple situation WTF would you do in a real life one on the street or in the courtroom? I wouldn't trust you.

[just joe]

Some places will give you a chance, some will not. We can't speak for every dept. in the country. As stated, a lot of places are going to consider it an integrity issue and give you a pass. Also, like chief said, consider small places that need officers. Of course they also need higher pay and better equipment and that is why there generally is a high turnover rate in these depts.

[deezil21]

Ya i understand that my integrity has been called into question but the only reason i was not red flagged was because I kept my integrity throughout the investigation and i told the whole truth. At the time I was not aware that talking about the difficulty and topics that were on tests was grounds for dismissal and if I would have i wouldn't have taken part in such actions. The director who dismissed me told me that if he were a employer he would hire m because unlike others in the situation i kept my integrity. I do though understand why many employers at first glance would say no to me but how do I get them to do the research in order to find out what really happened?

[ummone]

Try another line of work.

Just cause your dad can do it doesn't give you a pass.

[PhilipCal]

Ya i understand that my integrity has been called into question but the only reason i was not red flagged was because I kept my integrity throughout the investigation and i told the whole truth. At the time I was not aware that talking about the difficulty and topics that were on tests was grounds for dismissal and if I would have i wouldn't have taken part in such actions. The director who dismissed me told me that if he were a employer he would hire m because unlike others in the situation i kept my integrity. I do though understand why many employers at first glance would say no to me but how do I get them to do the research in order to find out what really happened?

Not desiring to be argumentive, but the simple fact is, your integrity has been called into question, and that's the crux of your problem. Quite possibly, in your own mind, you maintained your integrity, but at the very least, you were guilty of a serious lapse in judgement. So, in theory, even if you were able to argue away the integrity issue, you still have a poor judgement problem. You don't need either issue, but in reality, you have both. Once again, if there is any salvation for you at all, it will be with a small department. Even there, you run a serious risk of having your integrity called into question each time you testify in court. A defense attorney can very legitimately bring this issue into open court in an effort to impeach not only your testimony, but your very character. That fact has serious implications for any future value you may have as an arresting officer. It will also account for a Department's reluctance to hire you.

[Narc1911]

Most departments would see your integrity as questionable at best. If you have to be told not to tell the answers to test questions to other students then you lack enough common sense to be a cop.

[SleepyCop]

First off, I want to commend you on your educational success. I think more people should strive to achieve a graduate degree, as it can be rewarding in many different ways.

As far as your situation goes, I would try and relax a bit. At my agency, (a very competitive agency) the only thing we could disqualify you for is a lack of poor judgment for a period of five years. This disqualification would also have to come from our chief after a full investigation, talking to all parties involved. We would also take a look at the rest of your background to determine if you've shown poor judgment in other areas of your life. If we don't find anything else, we'll decide that the one incident was isolated, and that you're fit for the job.

My recommendation would be for you to email some recruiters regarding your situation, and see what they say before you apply. They won't be able to give you a simple yes or no, but they can provide you with a feeling of where you stand.

After this if you're unable to obtain employment due to temporary disqualifications, I would try going for some reserve jobs so you can maintain your certification. Find a job in the public administration skills, and then reapply for a full time position once you have put enough time between your incident of poor judgment.

I really wouldn't get your heart broken just yet. My department recently hired an applicant that had been expelled from a university for plagiarism. He worked hard to get into another school, and then got his masters degree, while holding down a full time corrections job, so it can be done.

If this is the worst thing you've done, and you don't have any other issues in your background, then I would hire you. Stay motivated.

-SC

[SleepyCop]

iPhone + Saint Patrick's Day = double post.

-SC

[PtlCop]

You'll likely get hired somewhere. Probably not at the large, prestigious agencies right now. Apply at smaller ones, get your foot in the door, show up to work, do your job well and then if you want to lateral, you'll have an impressive body of work to put up against the poor decision in the academy.

[boomhower1820]

Don't give up. If this is the only thing against you someone will pick you up. It's going to be a small dept with low pay and aging equipment but it's a start.

What I don't understand is exactly what happened. You said aloud a subject that was on the test? What kind of test did you have that the subject was unknown? Or did you elude to a more specific question that was on the test?

[jhonnyD2]

thanks for ur work