Skip to main content

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

A
Anonymous

Feb 03, 2025

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.

M
Mr. Dock Kihn

Dec 25, 2024

They’ll take anyone. Many cops are thugs in disguise.

Want to answer this question?

Join our community to share your knowledge!

Related Questions

1
What Happened to the People Who Destroyed a Repo Truck with a Crane on Private Property in Operation Repo?

What happened to the people who destroyed a repo truck with a crane on private property in the show "Operation Repo"? Co...

8
2) Juror 8 has raised ‘Reasonable Doubt about the boy’s guilt in this trial. Identify one element

Juror 8 has expressed "reasonable doubt" regarding the boy's guilt in this trial. Please identify one element that contr...

1
Aunt Louisa pays Thoreau’s taxes so that he can leave jail. Why is he upset that she has done this?

Aunt Louisa pays Thoreau's taxes to facilitate his release from jail. However, he feels upset about her actions. What ar...

8
Should 13 year olds show cleavage?

{"error":"400 The response was filtered due to the prompt triggering Azure OpenAI's content management policy. Please mo...

10
The mcculloch v. maryland supreme court case firmly established that

What principle was firmly established by the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland? a. State governments can overrule...

5
Can Colleges find out about previous colleges you’ve attended?

If I performed poorly after my first semester and decide to apply to another college using only my high school grades, w...

4
-Suppose you work for a government agency that regulates the buying and selling in the country. Which main purpose of government is

Suppose you work for a government agency that regulates buying and selling within the country. What main purpose of gove...

5
Where can i find/What are the Maryland Airsoft Laws?

Could someone provide information on Maryland's airsoft laws or direct me to a reliable source where I can find detailed...

10
Which way to turn your wheels uphill or downhill?

I'm preparing to take my driving test soon, and I have a few questions about parking on slopes. When parking uphill wi...

10
It seems today, all you see, is violence in movies and sex on tv?

It seems that nowadays, all we see are violence in movies and sex on television. What are your thoughts on the impact of...