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Becoming a LEO 101

k9gsxr600 said:
it's 3 years clean is what my classes are telling me. weed is fine E i take it was those pills in hs that may be ok as long is it wasn't to heavy. I too am going to the acadamy POST after this. this is the first year sjpd will except evergreens post and you won't have go through sjpd's acadamy because of the budget. but yea just stop NOW and keep your speeding tickets and all tickets down and keep your credit score up and get some life experience like move out or military and your facebook and myspace delete all of your hs friends that even remind you of your "experiential days". get your 60 in hopefully AJ AS degree but doesn't have to be and pay on your own for POST it's otd $5.000 almost with things you need to by on your own ect. take the post pelletB practice written now you want a 50 or above and the physical is 320 but you'll do fine. the next open post writen is April 6 for free 8:30 am evergreen college. you should be ok with some but some pd sept say weed is the only one that will fly. do some research and ask your teachers. pm if you want to know more about me and my path. gl
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The drugs are behind me, that's not an issue to me, what I was worried about was the fact that it's been done so close to me applying. You helped clear up along with bojangle that I wont be able to apply as soon as I'm 21. I'm getting my AA in AJ law enforcement, so hopefully that'll help a little. I'll think about getting a 4 year since I have time.

Alexvance,

This is all just my opinion. I am not a background officer, nor am I in charge of hiring, although I have sat on oral boards and have worked in the business for 14 years with 3 agencies. From your post, seems like it has been less than one year since you have used drugs. That is not good. The ecstasy use could even be disqualifying for some departments. Others might accept this, BUT....

If you are serious about this career and think you have what it takes, you need to put some time between the YOU that you will try to sell and the drug use. You will need patience, for your best bet is trying to get hired in your mid 20s (25), not at 21.

Use the next few years to make yourself an exceptional candidate in every other way. It goes without saying, no more drugs. Instead of an AA, how about a 4-year degree. If that is not your thing, get the AA and maybe consider the military.

And GET LIFE EXPERIENCE. Be responsible in every area of your life.....credit rating, responsible employee, keep the driving record clean, and maybe even do some community volunteer work or volunteer with a local PD. Since you are not 21 yet, no alcohol. You wouldn't want to get popped for minor in possession, or worse, DUI.

If you make yourself the best applicant you can be, and the only real negative is the drug use, you MIGHT have a chance of getting hired somewhere by your mid 20s. Also, considering that on average, only 2% of all LE applicants end up getting hired, a backup plan might be a good idea.
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Sound advice. I am now considering the 4 year. Def no drugs, never dome anything that could amount to possession of alch or DUI so that'll just stay the same. I'll also look around at the volunteer work, I'm hoping that would help show I'm committed.

And are you saying at the end there that I just made very slim chances even slimmer:facepalm? Are we talking any kind of LE at all?
 
motorman4life said:
Other than an AA or BS/BA degree and/or the military and non-military services.. Stay out of trouble. Don't fuck up your driving/criminal/credit records.
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Assault charge @ 19 - should one just look into another field? I understand everything is a case by case basis, but how much does that one set somebody back? Assuming all others areas are exceptional....? Might help to mention the charge was 'dismissed' upon completion of an absolutely squeaky clean 2 year probation period.
 
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norcalkeith said:
Assault charge @ 19 - should one just look into another field? I understand everything is a case by case basis, but how much does that one set somebody back? Assuming all others areas are exceptional....? Might help to mention the charge was 'dismissed' upon completion of an absolutely squeaky clean 2 year probation period.
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You're right, it's a case by case basis. Any felony conviction is disqualifying for any agency. I am assuming this is a misdemeanor conviction. Time is definitely a must. Time to demonstrate maturity and responsibility. I wouldn't expect you'd have a chance of getting hired before age 25 or so. The more time that passes without any negative factors in any area, the less weight an assault arrest might be given to the overall background, but it will still be a negative factor.

There is no single answer as all individual circumstances are different and each agency is going to have a different opinion on what they deem acceptable.
 
bojangle said:
You're right, it's a case by case basis. Any felony conviction is disqualifying for any agency. I am assuming this is a misdemeanor conviction. Time is definitely a must. Time to demonstrate maturity and responsibility. I wouldn't expect you'd have a chance of getting hired before age 25 or so. The more time that passes without any negative factors in any area, the less weight an assault arrest might be given to the overall background, but it will still be a negative factor.

There is no single answer as all individual circumstances are different and each agency is going to have a different opinion on what they deem acceptable.
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Thank-you.
 
New to this thread -

I'm full-time E-7 in the Army Reserves (yeah, the stuff <-- is accurate) and a good friend in the SFPD is strongly suggesting that I would be a good candidate for the SFPD, or any PD. I'm 54, in decent enough shape that I pass all the Army APFTs, no felonies or misdemeanors, more college credits than many with BAs (don't ask... :laughing), fairly intelligent, fairly mature, etc. And I'm multi-lingual, I speak and write fluent English AND American... :laughing

Any LEOs want to chime in on this? :thumbup
 
Cincinnatus said:
New to this thread -

I'm full-time E-7 in the Army Reserves (yeah, the stuff <-- is accurate) and a good friend in the SFPD is strongly suggesting that I would be a good candidate for the SFPD, or any PD. I'm 54, in decent enough shape that I pass all the Army APFTs, no felonies or misdemeanors, more college credits than many with BAs (don't ask... :laughing), fairly intelligent, fairly mature, etc. And I'm multi-lingual, I speak and write fluent English AND American... :laughing

Any LEOs want to chime in on this? :thumbup
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Looks good to me. There is only one thing that jumps out at me. :laughing Considering you are about the age that most LEOs retire, that might be your hard sell with some agencies. There are even some agencies that have policies on maximum age hiring limits. Since there are age discrimination laws on the books, I don't know how this is legal, provided one can pass all of the physical requirements.

If you want to become a LEO, go for it. Do some research and find some agencies that seem like a good match for you.
 
I thought police departments didn't necessarily have to follow by the discrimination rules since you can pretty much be told "no thanks" by a department based solely on the vibe they get from you.
 
PELLETB (written) results came back yesterday: Total T-score 65.9. I think that's good but I have no idea what the range is for this test. Anyone know? Did the physical agility yesterday afternoon and I'm pretty sore today but I smoked everybody in the fence climb and dummy drag - that score should come in next week. Turning 40 at the end of the month so it's time for my second career! :D
 
What are the odds of a person with an expunged 288.2(a) misdo becoming a LEO?
 
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Depends... Was it with the police chief's son?? :laughing
 
two6ryder said:
What are the odds of a person with an expunged 288.2(a) misdo becoming a LEO?
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It does not sound like anything that is automatically disqualifying, but it sounds like it would be a really hard sell. My guess is that most agencies would pass on that applicant for another one who more closely matches their more desired background.

It is not impossible, just improbable.
 
A bit off topic for this thread and mods delete if you feel so, but REALLY? WTF??

You got a 288 charge for texting with someone under 18? I take it it was some sort of like 17yo girl 19 yo boy BF/GF situation that went south?
 
SikDMAX said:
A bit off topic for this thread and mods delete if you feel so, but REALLY? WTF??

You got a 288 charge for texting with someone under 18? I take it it was some sort of like 17yo girl 19 yo boy BF/GF situation that went south?
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Wow, good job jumping to conclusions. The specific details would definitely play a part in making or breaking any hiring decisions.
 
^^Exactly right :thumbup

I'm going to go out on a limb here and 'assume' the 288 was the conviction. And figure it was a plea down from something worse.
 
Hey LEO's. Quick questions:

Do your times on the physical tests affect entrance, or do they just care that you pass?

I have a BS (Materials Engineering....don't ask), but looking for a change in direction. However, my grades were horrific (2.5GPA). Is this something that will knock me down, or is just having a BS a plus?

What age do you think it becomes tough for departments to consider you? 35 too old?
 
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