Background issues.. I'm worried.. should I be?

[Phil]

Good afternoon, everyone! I've posted here before, but I've decided to post something just now as a result of me looking to reapply with my local police service after a two year deferral. I might have some background issues, but I'm not sure.. so here goes. Keep in mind, I have admitted to ALL the issues in here that date up to the middle of 2003. The reason for the long post is to give you a FULL cross section of my life and what I've done in the past few years. I'm 24 years old, turning 25 in December.

I was in college for justice studies from late 1998 - early 1999. I had to leave due to financial issues in my family, and I wanted to help out instead of seeing my family fall into finanicial ruin. I was working at a local restaurant, and had steady employment with them. I also got myself a fulltime job at a manufacturing facility, and worked at the restaurant in the evenings.

Fast forward to September of 1999, where I leave the job with the manufacturer to pursue a great opportunity with an industrial supply company. I am working there for about a month, and I get injured ( broken thumb.) I tell this to the manager at the restaurant, and tell him I will be taking some time off to heal. I told him that I would contact him within a couple of weeks to update him on my progress, and be back to work ASAP. I continue to work at my fulltime job as it didn't require lifting or anything that would put stress on my broken thumb. After approx. 2 1/2 weeks, I contact the manager of the restaurant to give him an update. He informs me that he didn't think I was coming back because he hadn't heard from me, despite me telling him that I would talk to him in a couple of weeks, and has terminated (fired me?) my position. We apparently had a miscommunication and he thought I wasn't coming back. I was reinstated, and continued to work there until June 2000, and then I quit.

I have continued to work at the industrial supply company since being hired in 1999, and have worked my way up through the ranks. In the meanwhile, I had done a few things which I thoroughly regret and realize were terrible decisions. Bear in mind, this was the first time in my life that I have EVER broken a law or done anything remotely wrong. I got involved with a girl in late 2000 (19 years old), and found out she was into smoking weed. Despite my objections and avid anti-drug mantra, I decided to try it out of curiosity, nothing more, nothing less. I tried it two times over a one month time frame (from what I can recall). We are talking two puffs and nothing more than that. I did have to buy some from someone at work, which means I have purchased it, for which I deeply regret. I realize what an entirely stupid decision it was for me to do that, and had absolutely no desire to ever try it ever again or be involved with it in anyway. I know it wasn't a mistake; I know what I was doing and am willing to admit it was wrong. I realized the error of my ways, and convinced the girlfriend to stop doing it, and was successful until around the summer of 2001. She started doing it again, and I made it clear that I wanted no involvement in it whatsoever, and broke up with her.

I decided later in 2001 that I wanted to become a police officer, after bouncing it around in my head for quite sometime. I came to terms with the decisions I made, and strived to avoid stupid indiscretions like I had made earlier in the year. Like I always had done in my life up until that particular ex-girlfriend, I tried to distance myself from people that I knew were involved in illegal activity or wrongful actions. For instance, I distanced myself from the guy at work that I bought the joints from. I didn't associate with him other than in a professional capacity, and made sure it stayed that way. Anyone else at my place of work, I did the same thing with if I found out they were involved in anything illegal.

The big shock: in late 2003, I had two CPS officers show up on my doorstep looking to speak with me about allegations my ex-girlfriend (the pot smoking one) had made about me. She claimed I was assaulting her, raping her, etc etc. I obviously denied it and explained what was going on and what I knew about her (which wasn't much, as I hadn't seen her for 2 years) It turns out it was her current boyfriend and he had coerced her into saying it was me, in order to avoid prosecution. Needless to say, it backfired, but it scared the hell outta me. I was told that I was absolved of ANY involvement whatsoever (besides a record stating that I was questioned in regards to the crimes) and cleared of anything to do with it.

Everything was great and I applied with my local service in late 2003. I got to the interview, and was deferred for two years because of "lack of life experience" and they wanted me to distance myself from the drug usage, etc. Otherwise, they liked what they saw. Since then, I've done some more volunteering with karate, food bank, etc. I tried to get on with Crimestoppers, but my security clearance was denied because of something my stepsister failed to mention to me at the time I applied with them: that she had a warrant out for her arrest for failure to appear. Nothing huge, according to the coordinator there, but I couldn't be taken because of my failure to mention it, regardless of me not knowing about it. He said it wasn't anything serious and that it wouldn't affect me down the road, but he said to be very sure about what anyone in my family might be involved with and to explain that to recruiting if my application got to the background investigation.

I'm currently in an excellent outside sales job, interacting with all sorts of people and handling alot of responsibilities, and have been quite successful in doing so. There is alot of stress, and alot of dealing with people I don't know (cold calling, turnover at the places we do business with, etc) and it has proven to be great experience for some of a police officers job description. I've kept my nose clean in every regard, and strived to be the best possible candidate I can be. My marks on my tests were excellent, and I've been told that I am as close to ideal as one could hope for, the minor drug experimentation and possibly job termination issue notwithstanding. Please keep in mind, I was NEVER charged with ANYTHING in the crimes involving my ex, simply questioned on a voluntary basis, and my stepsister is the only one in our family who has had any brushes with the law. We were all clean until my stepfather came into our lives, and then we had to deal with her issues. From what you guys see here, do you think I look okay, or could this possibly hinder my chances? I would like very candid, very frank opinions of all this information.

Thank you very much,

Phil

[journey2cps-redux]

See the responses on Blueline...

[Phil]

Jay, you bugger... I know you are on there too. I wanted some OTHER responses.

[PATrooper4347]

Phil,
From what I have read of your situation it seems to me that you have taken steps in the right direction.

First, extermination with smoking pot is not necessarily something that will DQ you from a hiring process. The fact that you have only experimented with smoking, and have not done so in more than 2 years, I would believe that would be evidence to show you have distanced yourself from such behavior. Secondly you have grown older, and matured, you seem to have also taken more responsibility in your current form of employment, which should also benefit you.

Although you may have considered most of the aspects to your application these are some other things to keep in mind while taking the application steps.

First, physical fitness – This is usually outlined by any department accepting applicants. Many departments encourage a well rounded physical training program be implemented by candidates at or before they begin initial application. In the instance you are accepted to a training academy you WILL be physically and mentally challenged usually at the moment you arrive at the training facility. So, a good question to ask is can I put up with strenuous exercise and emotional and mental stress. Many applicants do not realize that an academy staff is trained to “break” the candidates, in which people without the proper emotional, mental and physical capacities are eliminated from the training process. While you may be physically fit, those are some other things to be aware of.

Second, this comes as a surprise to many candidates, but financial background. In many departments, any type of financial irresponsibility is grounds for disqualification. By simply failing to pay a bill, if an official record is made of the fail to pay, this could seriously affect your consideration as a candidate. Usually in the event of these problems, three to four years of good credit history is required to clear you as a responsible finical person.

Third, family and contacts. From what you have said of your employment background you seem to be stable in that area. Despite the “termination” from the restaurant, the fact you were rehired would probably not affect your negatively. A good employment background and responsibility is important, for obvious reasons.

Your family history will be important in candidate selection. You said you had a stepsister who had a warrant for a “failure to appear”. While the charge of the initial crime may have been minor, her FTA will have some sort of an impact on your background. Also, any other charges that any of your family or close friends has had may also impact you. Obviously the severity of charges, and weather or not they were convicted will weigh on that aspect. The ex-girlfriend in your case would make me nervous. It is good that you were cleared of any wrong doing with her allegations, but in the same sense the fact that she would make bogus charges against you is most definitely a concern for you, I would do as you do, and keep a good distance and no contact with her.
Well, I seem to have gone off on a bit of a rant, but I feel a lot of this info would be helpful to yourself or other readers, best of luck on your application, and your future in police work.

Stay safe.

[Phil]

Thank you, PATrooper. I really have strived to be the best candidate I can be, and have truly made remarkable steps in the right direction. I'm going to take another year, take some courses and solidify my volunteer experience, and make sure that I'm 150% ready for this. I so badly want to apply right away, but I don't think I will be putting my best foot forward. Also, it will put some more time between my stupid MJ decision and anything else that may appear to be a blemish.

I've made sure that I've been disassociated with that side of my family for the past two years, in order to prevent ANY possible involvement with them that I can. As far as they will be able to see, I only know them and nothing more. It's pretty unfortunate that none of my family has problems with the law until I gain a stepfather with a delinquent child. (shakes head)

I own my own house, car, etc, so my financial background is very strong. I've always been very solid in that regard, so I have no concerns with that. Never a late bill, nothing at all!

I have made sure to completely stay away from anyone remotely involved in anything to do with drugs, illegal activity, etc. I don't know why I chose to try the MJ.. it was absolutely asinine of me to even consider it, but I made a bad decision and have certainly made sure my actions after that decision will be a good indicator that this was a very rare indiscretion and will NEVER happen again.

So far as the ex and those bogus claims, let me put it this way without going into too much detail: The detective who was handling the case told me to completely stay away from her entire family (I was good friends with her older sister, who was my best friend's fiance at one point), as "they are a messed up family, and there are a myriad of reasons she said it was you, but we have apprehended the ACTUAL offender, and I would suggest NO contact with any of those people". I haven't heard anything from anyone remotely associated with them, and hope I never will. It was the association with that family that led me on a bad path that I will never tread again, and I will make sure the BI knows that, should the time come.