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I have recently placed in the top 5 on a civil service list for a suburb just outside of Cleveland, Oh. This is after the exam and agility test. I have a polygraph appointment on DEC 14th and my BI will be conducted shortly. I'm 25 years old (26 in December) with a wife, two children, and 4 years of military experience (discharged at the rank of Sergeant E-5). I haven't really worked since my honorable discharge in early 2005, but have been a full-time student and have accumulated nearly 75 credit hours total in the field of Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice since my release. Just wanted to give a little background before I get into the questionable stuff.
I have no adult criminal record. I have a juvenile record, but nothing other than a speeding ticket after the age of 15, and nothing other than a vandalism charge past the age of 13 (vandal at 14 years). At 13, I was remanded to a detention center (at my parents' request) and spent nearly a year at a "boys' school." The things I did to earn a ticket to said "home" (B+E, Criminal Trespassing, Petty Theft, Theft, Unruly; all offenses were perpetrated with friends to other friends' homes [3 homes total]) were all done in the city that I have placed for. I am also a H.S. drop-out, opting for a GED shortly thereafter. I lived in this city from ages 2-15.
Being an early drop-out, I have held many (like 20) jobs, with most being run through between ages 15-19. Basically hopeless before joining the military. I am by no means a dummy, despite not finishing H.S. My GED test score was near perfect, I scored a 124 on the ASVAB, I graduated with distinguished honors from my AIT class in the Army, and hold a 3.6 GPA through more than two years and nearly 75 credit hours worth of college.
In the military I received an article 15 towards the end of AIT (summer, 2001) for violation of the U.S. Army Alcohol, Tobacco, and Substance Use/Abuse policy. I was cited for use/possession of alcohol, a medication prescription not prescribed to me, marijuana, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco. This stems from a single incident, not over an extended period. I was tested for the specific drugs (pot, xanax) and all other drugs a day after the alleged incident and was found not to have used these substances. The article 15 proceedings continued, and I accepted the "charges" as guilt by association, as I did put myself in the situation to have my character and integrity questioned. The penalty was the lowest available for a field grade article 15, with the restriction/extra duty suspended and after 3 days. No loss of rank (private E-2) occurred. No harm was done to my career, as I was promoted to Sergeant well short of 3 years later.
My financial history was shady because of credit cards I acquired when I was 18 and unpaid utilities from the same time. All have been paid-in-full or "in full as agreed" for nearly two years. My credit score has crept up to 650 in lieu of this and my credit record is perfect (3 auto loans [1 paid-off], 2 personal loans [both paid in full], 3 credit cards [1 paid in full]) aside from those debts that I incurred. My debt does not exceed income.
I do not currently drink alcohol or use tobacco products. I quit smoking recently (for the third, and final, time) and have not used alcohol in over a year-and-a-half. I never had a problem with alcohol use or abuse, I just decided that not drinking would set a good example for my kids. My wife did the same. I experimented with marijuana when I was 13 and haven't used it since. It made me puke. The fact that I do not and did not use drugs made my article 15 hearing even more embarrassing.
I would like to know if anyone has been hired facing similar obstacles, or if I've done enough to clean up my history to show that I am a qualified applicant despite of it. Being a police officer is my dream, and I have tried to do everything possible to position myself to be able to overcome my past. I did not hide anything in my questionnaire nor do I plan on hiding anything through the interview process. If my future looks grim, what other things can I do to make myself a more presentable candidate?
I have no adult criminal record. I have a juvenile record, but nothing other than a speeding ticket after the age of 15, and nothing other than a vandalism charge past the age of 13 (vandal at 14 years). At 13, I was remanded to a detention center (at my parents' request) and spent nearly a year at a "boys' school." The things I did to earn a ticket to said "home" (B+E, Criminal Trespassing, Petty Theft, Theft, Unruly; all offenses were perpetrated with friends to other friends' homes [3 homes total]) were all done in the city that I have placed for. I am also a H.S. drop-out, opting for a GED shortly thereafter. I lived in this city from ages 2-15.
Being an early drop-out, I have held many (like 20) jobs, with most being run through between ages 15-19. Basically hopeless before joining the military. I am by no means a dummy, despite not finishing H.S. My GED test score was near perfect, I scored a 124 on the ASVAB, I graduated with distinguished honors from my AIT class in the Army, and hold a 3.6 GPA through more than two years and nearly 75 credit hours worth of college.
In the military I received an article 15 towards the end of AIT (summer, 2001) for violation of the U.S. Army Alcohol, Tobacco, and Substance Use/Abuse policy. I was cited for use/possession of alcohol, a medication prescription not prescribed to me, marijuana, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco. This stems from a single incident, not over an extended period. I was tested for the specific drugs (pot, xanax) and all other drugs a day after the alleged incident and was found not to have used these substances. The article 15 proceedings continued, and I accepted the "charges" as guilt by association, as I did put myself in the situation to have my character and integrity questioned. The penalty was the lowest available for a field grade article 15, with the restriction/extra duty suspended and after 3 days. No loss of rank (private E-2) occurred. No harm was done to my career, as I was promoted to Sergeant well short of 3 years later.
My financial history was shady because of credit cards I acquired when I was 18 and unpaid utilities from the same time. All have been paid-in-full or "in full as agreed" for nearly two years. My credit score has crept up to 650 in lieu of this and my credit record is perfect (3 auto loans [1 paid-off], 2 personal loans [both paid in full], 3 credit cards [1 paid in full]) aside from those debts that I incurred. My debt does not exceed income.
I do not currently drink alcohol or use tobacco products. I quit smoking recently (for the third, and final, time) and have not used alcohol in over a year-and-a-half. I never had a problem with alcohol use or abuse, I just decided that not drinking would set a good example for my kids. My wife did the same. I experimented with marijuana when I was 13 and haven't used it since. It made me puke. The fact that I do not and did not use drugs made my article 15 hearing even more embarrassing.
I would like to know if anyone has been hired facing similar obstacles, or if I've done enough to clean up my history to show that I am a qualified applicant despite of it. Being a police officer is my dream, and I have tried to do everything possible to position myself to be able to overcome my past. I did not hide anything in my questionnaire nor do I plan on hiding anything through the interview process. If my future looks grim, what other things can I do to make myself a more presentable candidate?
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