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I posted this on another forum while I was awaiting posting authorization on this one and didn't get a lot of feedback I hope I can get some more constructive responses here.
So I know you get a lot of these types of questions all of the time, and for that I apologize in advance. Obviously my background isn't perfect or else I wouldn't be asking you all to give me advice.
Let me start off by telling you about my current situation. I am a college student and have taken only general education classes so far, however I am seriously considering declaring my major as criminal justice and seeking employment with a police agency after I graduate, which will be in 2-3 years. I know that this is a long way off but I want to be sure that my background is not so serious as to get me immediately disqualified. Basically I want to know if choosing this plan for my future is worthwhile or if I will graduate only to find that there will be no future for me in law enforcement.
On to the bad parts.
When I was 13-14 I was with a friend who got caught shoplifting, I myself was not but I knew he was and did not report him. I don't recall ever being "arrested", as in I was never mirandized or told that I was under arrest. I did have to wait with an officer for my parents to pick me up and I was told to do 20 hours of community service, which I did. I never had to go to court or speak with a judge and was told that if I did the community service the incident would be removed from my permanent record on my eighteenth birthday. I do know that expunged charges still show up on background checks for employment, but I'm not ever sure if I was acctually charged with anything. Is there a way to find out?
Secondly, I have tried marijuana. I know this will look bad but it really was just experimentation. To be completely honest my experiences with marijuana and watching the effects it had on the lives of people who were once close to me is a driving factor in my wanting to become a law enforcement officer.
The last thing to mention is my driving record. When I was 16 I slid on ice off of the road into a sign. I do not know what my original ticket was for but I went to court and got charged with Impeding Traffic which was no points and I was told by the state trooper would not appear on my driving record. Next I got a ticket for an Unsafe Start, where my tires broke traction in the rain, I went to court for this one as well and this time I do not recall the ending charge, but it too was no points and allegedly would not be on my driving record. Is there a way to find out what is on my driving record? I recived both tickets in a state other than the one I live in now will I have to request the information from that state?
I plan to disclose all of this fully if/when I begin my application process, and have no qualms with fessing up to my past mistakes. I just want to gather some information from experienced individuals to see if the plans I have for my future are viable or not.
Sorry about the length of the post, I only wanted to provide the fullest explanation of all counts to get the most accurate advice.
Thank you all in advance for you time in reading and hopefully responding to this post.
So I know you get a lot of these types of questions all of the time, and for that I apologize in advance. Obviously my background isn't perfect or else I wouldn't be asking you all to give me advice.
Let me start off by telling you about my current situation. I am a college student and have taken only general education classes so far, however I am seriously considering declaring my major as criminal justice and seeking employment with a police agency after I graduate, which will be in 2-3 years. I know that this is a long way off but I want to be sure that my background is not so serious as to get me immediately disqualified. Basically I want to know if choosing this plan for my future is worthwhile or if I will graduate only to find that there will be no future for me in law enforcement.
On to the bad parts.
When I was 13-14 I was with a friend who got caught shoplifting, I myself was not but I knew he was and did not report him. I don't recall ever being "arrested", as in I was never mirandized or told that I was under arrest. I did have to wait with an officer for my parents to pick me up and I was told to do 20 hours of community service, which I did. I never had to go to court or speak with a judge and was told that if I did the community service the incident would be removed from my permanent record on my eighteenth birthday. I do know that expunged charges still show up on background checks for employment, but I'm not ever sure if I was acctually charged with anything. Is there a way to find out?
Secondly, I have tried marijuana. I know this will look bad but it really was just experimentation. To be completely honest my experiences with marijuana and watching the effects it had on the lives of people who were once close to me is a driving factor in my wanting to become a law enforcement officer.
The last thing to mention is my driving record. When I was 16 I slid on ice off of the road into a sign. I do not know what my original ticket was for but I went to court and got charged with Impeding Traffic which was no points and I was told by the state trooper would not appear on my driving record. Next I got a ticket for an Unsafe Start, where my tires broke traction in the rain, I went to court for this one as well and this time I do not recall the ending charge, but it too was no points and allegedly would not be on my driving record. Is there a way to find out what is on my driving record? I recived both tickets in a state other than the one I live in now will I have to request the information from that state?
I plan to disclose all of this fully if/when I begin my application process, and have no qualms with fessing up to my past mistakes. I just want to gather some information from experienced individuals to see if the plans I have for my future are viable or not.
Sorry about the length of the post, I only wanted to provide the fullest explanation of all counts to get the most accurate advice.
Thank you all in advance for you time in reading and hopefully responding to this post.
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