keep trying or move on?

[xmikex]

hey guys/gals

I am 26 years old and currently have my AS in criminal justice (come to find out gets you nothing) i am currently taking a few classes to be able to transfer to another school and get my BS.

I have been applying to several local agencies around my area with no luck, and have even ventured out of state to places that were hurting for officers and still did not get hired. I admit i have made mistakes in my past when i was younger, but nothing as far as a felony or killing someone.

out of all the departments that i have applied for i have been DQ'ed by two of them and was allowed to withdraw from one. one department would not specify why i was dq'ed but i have a feeling it was because of past conduct grouped with my age and my lack of life experience. the other department that DQ'ed me was for conduct and discrep. with othe agencies. this i do not understand because i have been honest with every agency that i have applied for and have used the same answers on all my PHS packets I have even taken and passed a poly for the same department. I seem to get to the background of each process then i wont go any farther. I do not know why i have nothing to hide in my background and I have been honest. for the most part i have lived a normal common life. All the other departments that I have applied for have simply said that they are going to proceed with more qualified applicants then me. one department had me on the eligible list but my background items expired after a year and I had to re-apply. i know that this career path is VERY competitive.

It has been my dream to be involved with LE as a career and stupidly it has been my only goal I have been working towards. I dont however want to spend my life applying for agencies if it is never going to happen for me.

I have been thinking for a while to joining the military to learn skills I can use and to serve my country. I am torn between getting my BS now and keep applying or join the military then complete my BS and try to apply when I have matured and grown.

my only concern is that the DQ from the departments will hurt my chance when i apply again. I know that departments talk and I dont want to be "blacklisted" from a career in LE and not know it and just keep applying.

any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time.

-mike

[Iowa #1603]

grouped with my age and my lack of life experience.

First of all your age and “lack of life experience “ is BS (Bovine Excrement) You are 26 yrs of age which is well above the average age of new Law Enforcement officers

out of all the departments that i have applied for i have been DQ'ed by two of them and was allowed to withdraw from one. one department would not specify why i was dq'ed but i have a feeling it was because of past conduct

You were “allowed to withdraw”------------------that means someone came and talked to you to tell you WHY you were not a viable candidate for the job and YOU CHOSE to withdraw from the “race”

You KNOW why

While the agencies that disqualified you may not have told you why----------------I think you can surmise that it probably had something to do with the reason the agency allowed you to withdraw.

You talk about “past conduct”----------------I really don't want or need you to expand on that statement in open Internet, but that is probably your answer

the other department that DQ'ed me was for conduct and discrep. with othe agencies.*

That statement makes absolutely no sense

. I admit i have made mistakes in my past when i was younger, but nothing as far as a felony or killing someone.

The “offense” that keeps you from being a cop often doesn't have to be a felony----------Being Terminally stupid as a young person CAN stay with you forever

II seem to get to the background of each process then i wont go any farther. I do not know why i have nothing to hide in my background and I have been honest.
my only concern is that the DQ from the departments will hurt my chance when i apply again. I know that departments talk and I dont want to be "blacklisted" from a career in LE and not know it and just keep applying.

You don't get “blacklisted” in this profession. You get seen by law enforcement administrators as NON HIREABLE due to background issues.

SOMETIMES time can mitigate them-----sometimes it can not. It all is going to depend on what the issues are and what the standards are for the agency you are applying to.


YOU know what the issues are...................be honest with yourself

At 26 yrs of age you are mature enough to know why you are not being hired

[xmikex]

My past conduct includes hitting a parked car 5 years ago and not reporting it. Seven years Ago I shoplifted from a store that same year I went in to a abandoned building. When I was fifteen I smoked marijuana.


Don't get me wrong I know I have made mistakes but nothing that I would deem so extreme to not get hired everybody haas made mistakes before.

I was allowed to withdraw from lapd because I was not seen at the time to be a qualified applicant with them. I asked my buddy who is lapd and he said that's what they usually do with canidatws who aren't ready yet.

The one department that DQ'ed me was for discrepancies with other departments, which I don't know how thanks possible since I use the same information on each PHS and give the same answers.

I honestly don't know why I'm getting DQ'ed or looked over. I have been on ride a longs, jail tours, academy workouts every little extra thing I can to show that I want it and that I have matured, but I still get no where.

[HotSoup]

My past conduct includes hitting a parked car 5 years ago and not reporting it. Seven years Ago I shoplifted from a store that same year I went in to a abandoned building. When I was fifteen I smoked marijuana.


Don't get me wrong I know I have made mistakes but nothing that I would deem so extreme to not get hired everybody haas made mistakes before.

I was allowed to withdraw from lapd because I was not seen at the time to be a qualified applicant with them. I asked my buddy who is lapd and he said that's what they usually do with canidatws who aren't ready yet.

The one department that DQ'ed me was for discrepancies with other departments, which I don't know how thanks possible since I use the same information on each PHS and give the same answers.

I honestly don't know why I'm getting DQ'ed or looked over. I have been on ride a longs, jail tours, academy workouts every little extra thing I can to show that I want it and that I have matured, but I still get no where.

What a bunch of Horse Crap...You committed a hit and run accident when you were 21 years old....that WAS NOT a mistake that was a CHOICE by you...then at 19 you committed a theft....that was also a CHOICE made by you not a mistake.....you were an adult not a child during these two CHOICES....smoking marijuana at 15 one time is a MISTAKE....since you failed to mention how many times you smoked it at the age of 15 that's probably why you're being DQ'd

I hate when people come in here and give some BS about LE being their dream then go on to tell of all the CRIMES they've committed....cause that's what you did...you committed CRIMES....where was your dream when you were committing these crimes...then you come in here and try to minimize what you did by calling them mistakes...what a crock...YOU CHOSE to do those things and as an adult.

[xmikex]

Just because I chose to do them doesn't mean that they were not mistakes. I'm not down playing what I did. I know I screwed up and made dumb choices...

I have told them how many times I smoked marijuana

[Shush]

I admit, I committed crimes before too. I sped once and got a ticket back in 1988 - even though in reality I wasn't speeding, I just took off from a 4 way stop too fast. In 1997, I had an expired tag and was driving the car to be inspected so I could get a tag for it, and I got ticketed along the way. Never done drugs, never broke in to buildings, never stole anything.

That's kind of what a "my dream is to be in Law Enforcement" looks like in reality.

[PhilipCal]

My past conduct includes hitting a parked car 5 years ago and not reporting it. Seven years Ago I shoplifted from a store that same year I went in to a abandoned building. When I was fifteen I smoked marijuana.


Don't get me wrong I know I have made mistakes but nothing that I would deem so extreme to not get hired everybody haas made mistakes before.



Try this. Go back and read, re-read, then read once more, the thoughts of my colleagues. Plainly stated. you have too many issues, and these will continue to hinder you in being hired.




I was allowed to withdraw from lapd because I was not seen at the time to be a qualified applicant with them. I asked my buddy who is

lapd and he said that's what they usually do with canidatws who aren't ready yet.

The one department that DQ'ed me was for discrepancies with other departments, which I don't know how thanks possible since I use the same information on each PHS and give the same answers.

I honestly don't know why I'm getting DQ'ed or looked over. I have been on ride a longs, jail tours, academy workouts every little extra thing I can to show that I want it and that I have matured, but I still get no where.

[Lady Blue]

My past conduct includes hitting a parked car 5 years ago and not reporting it. Seven years Ago I shoplifted from a store that same year I went in to a abandoned building. When I was fifteen I smoked marijuana.


Don't get me wrong I know I have made mistakes but nothing that I would deem so extreme to not get hired everybody haas made mistakes before.

I was allowed to withdraw from lapd because I was not seen at the time to be a qualified applicant with them. I asked my buddy who is lapd and he said that's what they usually do with canidatws who aren't ready yet.

The one department that DQ'ed me was for discrepancies with other departments, which I don't know how thanks possible since I use the same information on each PHS and give the same answers.

I honestly don't know why I'm getting DQ'ed or looked over. I have been on ride a longs, jail tours, academy workouts every little extra thing I can to show that I want it and that I have matured, but I still get no where.

Read this carefully several times and then ask you are not getting hired.


HINT HINT Iowa spelled it out for you

[BNWS]

hey guys/gals

I am 26 years old and currently have my AS in criminal justice (come to find out gets you nothing) i am currently taking a few classes to be able to transfer to another school and get my BS.

I have been applying to several local agencies around my area with no luck, and have even ventured out of state to places that were hurting for officers and still did not get hired. I admit i have made mistakes in my past when i was younger, but nothing as far as a felony or killing someone.

out of all the departments that i have applied for i have been DQ'ed by two of them and was allowed to withdraw from one. one department would not specify why i was dq'ed but i have a feeling it was because of past conduct grouped with my age and my lack of life experience. the other department that DQ'ed me was for conduct and discrep. with othe agencies. this i do not understand because i have been honest with every agency that i have applied for and have used the same answers on all my PHS packets I have even taken and passed a poly for the same department. I seem to get to the background of each process then i wont go any farther. I do not know why i have nothing to hide in my background and I have been honest. for the most part i have lived a normal common life. All the other departments that I have applied for have simply said that they are going to proceed with more qualified applicants then me. one department had me on the eligible list but my background items expired after a year and I had to re-apply. i know that this career path is VERY competitive.

It has been my dream to be involved with LE as a career and stupidly it has been my only goal I have been working towards. I dont however want to spend my life applying for agencies if it is never going to happen for me.

I have been thinking for a while to joining the military to learn skills I can use and to serve my country. I am torn between getting my BS now and keep applying or join the military then complete my BS and try to apply when I have matured and grown.

my only concern is that the DQ from the departments will hurt my chance when i apply again. I know that departments talk and I dont want to be "blacklisted" from a career in LE and not know it and just keep applying.

any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time.

-mike

Just because an agency is "hurting " for officers doesn't mean they're desperate.

[BRDeputy14]

You have two choices. One: quit and find a job where committing crimes isn't frowned upon the same as a LE agency. Two: Wait about 10 years and reapply. During this time, ensure you hold down steady employment, stop using drugs, and don't get as much as a spreading ticket. Because only then will an agency be able to take your word for those things you did as a young, dumb man, as being mistakes. You need to really look at your life and the changes necessary for you to fulfill your dream. Some find those changes too much of a sacrifice to make. Others make them, become better people, and then have the wisdom needed to make a great addition to the law enforcement community. Your choice.

[BNWS]

If it takes you to 26 to decide to mature and grow (your words) you probably missed the L/E boat.

[xmikex]

Thank you BR I have kept my nose clean an have kept trying to prove that I am a different person.

It did not take me till I was 26 I have kept my nose clean and try to take any chance possible to prove that. I know and take responsibility for my dumb actions but I'm not the same person I was

[HI629]

Did you ever do anything with a dog that involved a jar of peanut butter?

[Caballero1508]

Mike,

As someone who was accepted into the Police Academy at 18, was sworn in as an Officer at 19, joined the U.S. Military Reserve, and had nothing more than over 60 college credits as credentials... I contest your statement that am AS means nothing. It is the whole-person concept that is hurting your chances.

I would strongly encourage you to either:

A.) Finish your degree and apply for a ROTC program to become an Officer in the military. The US Army has a program where you can be an enlisted Reserve member and simultaneously pursue your BS while a ROTC cadet with the opportunity to commission after you earn your degree or

B.) Enlist in the US Military and take advantage of tuition assistance and the GI Bill. Try for an MOS/AFSC/Rating that has a transferable skill in the civilian sector... such as Air Traffic Control, Medical, etc.

Then... after honorable service and a degree, apply for Law Enforcement if this is truly your end-state goal and demonstrate that you have TRULY matured and grown and you want to serve others.

If that doesn't work out or you decide you no longer want to be a cop... you could be armed with a skillset that you learned in the military to find a stable civilian career.

Ultimately, there is no instant gratification and you don't deserve the career. You have to EARN it and prove that you are worthy. Think of some applicants your age that are also applying... at 26 years old: An individual could have enlisted at 18, served 4 honorable years of service, got out at 22 and spent 4 years using the GI bill to earn his or her BA/BS and then applied to be a Police Officer.

What will make you stand out over any other Officer? You can say that you did everything possible to move towards this path but what does your paper trail say, what have you done besides earn an AA? You can talk about how motivated you are, but what does your application say over someone your age that has served in the military, that has earned his or her BA, that has learned additional languages, gone on mission trips and lived and studied abroad. THAT is your competition.