Vada Gutkowski
Jan 13, 2025
Can I still become a police officer despite an undetected crime?
I am currently attending college to study criminal justice and have been researching the interview process for police officers in Texas, particularly how the polygraph examination works. In my teenage years, I committed some minor offenses, such as pirating movies and being an accessory to shoplifting on one occasion, which I still feel guilty about. Additionally, shortly after turning 18, I made some poor choices that concern me more. I bought a cigarette for an underage friend, which I regret, and during a hunting trip, this same friend attached a water bottle to the end of my rifle in an attempt to create a makeshift silencer. Although the water bottle was ineffective, I recognize how wrong this behavior was. At the time, I was not thinking clearly, but I believe these actions do not reflect my true character.
I am an Eagle Scout and actively involved in community service, and I aspire to continue serving my community as a police officer. I have not committed any crimes in the past seven years. My question is: will I be disqualified from becoming a police officer due to any of the undetected offenses mentioned above? I would appreciate insights, preferably from current or former law enforcement officers. Thank you.
2 Answers
If you do not lie with most departments, no problem.
Thinking that majoring in any so called police major, police science,criminal justice etc at an undergrad level will help you become a cop will hurt you more than your teenage “crimes”
You will get up to date and useful cj courses in the police academy.
A future and working cop needs great critical thinking skills. The problem with cj etc are that they do not help you develop those skills. They are rote memory courses of study.
Those that do best on entrance and promotion written and oral testing are those who have a wide spread education and have taken classes in, not majored especially, philosophy and comparative religion.
Public speaking, psych classes like small group interaction, body language etc are great also.
Having some work or volunteer experience where you have had a lot of interaction with the public also helps prepare you for the job.
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