Facing a steep steep uphill battle

[Luis650ar15]

Just thought I would come on here in hopes some one has some secret knowledge they can drop. I started with a bit of background. I am a 28yo chef at the Stanford Univ. Graduate School of Business, and have been so for the last 5+ years. I have had the privilege to work for some of the most respected and influential people of our time. Some of the great people include ; President Barack Obama, Vice President Al Gore, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, Magic Johnson, Prime Minister Tony Blair and diplomats from atleast a dozen more countries. I have gone through securtiy checks for these events when needed with Dept. Homeland security, F.B.I., and Secret Service. This brings me to my current issue. I now want to transition into a new career, Law Enforcement. I have reached out to Oakland pd, BART pd, and even San Mateo County Sheriffs office. I made a mistake at the young age of 18 (2007) and evaded a police officer, while riding my motorcycle. I was leaving Foothill college when a CHP cruiser initiated a traffic stop for speeding. I evaded the officer and when i eventually pulled over , was charged with a Felony. It was the biggest mistake of my life, one I am still paying for now. I have remained out of trouble since, repaired my credit, started a family, joined a civilian police academy, even had my charges reduced to a misdemeanor and expunged. With this being said is there anything I can do to not be disqualified for employment as a peace officer? I have also petitioned for a gubernatorial pardon in May of this year. Are there any more steps I can take to put this all behind me? I have fully disclosed my past to the agencies I am interested in and will do so with 100% honesty. I sincerly appreciate any reaponse. I am determined and willing to do whatever it takes to become eligible. I Hope to hear from you with ANY response or help. I will be taking the POST written and fitness in January and will just start applying and seeing what happens. Thanks for the responses.

[sigguy552]

If it got dropped to a misd. and then expunged, you're eligible to be hired(doesn't mean they will). That being said, it's been a decade since your lapse of judgement so you should be in the clear.

I have a much more "colorful" background than you and I was still offered employment by a bay area PD(which I declined).

[Luis650ar15]

SIGGUY thanks for the response. This might sound terrible to some people ,but for my situation that makes me feel better. Thanks for the comment

[yzErnie]

Because is has been expunged from your criminal history doesn't mean it never happened. It sounds like you have corrected your ways and be diligent in staying that way. Don't give up, lots of departments are hiring.

[Samuelx]

1. Doesn't hurt to try and you won't know until you do.

2. Regardless of whether you have changed your ways, it's concerning to me that you think a bunch of the people you name dropped are "great". Influential? Yes (unfortunately in many cases). Great? Not so much.

[Luis650ar15]

When I say great I mean for who they are and what position they are in. I put political actions aside in a professional setting. I dealt with them in my profession where personal beliefs shouldn't interfere. I certainly DID NOT vote for Obama but he was the first African American president and will be remembered for ever by it. I still take that as a privilege and honor to serve my president when asked regardless of how I feel.but this definitely is not a topic intended for politics.

[Rapid Cool]

Coming from the fire service side of things, I have seen the same stuff and even helped a young man who got a DUI join the fire service. And the fire department is much harder to get on over the police side.

Here is my advice- Pick a dream department you would like to work for and become a Reserve Officer or volunteer for them. This is how they would get to know you and start building that bridge to a career LEO position. Prove yourself, learn the job, learn their SOPs and protocols and build up a good reputation. I also also look at departments in the So Cal area, but thats just me. I would also stay away from the LAPD after reviewing the Christopher Dorner case as I feel he got screwed on probation.

And use paragraph breaks in your posts too. Hope that helps.

[CG11]

Good luck to you on your quest. I applaud your willingness to do what is necessary, honestly, and with your heart in the fight. Such qualities speak well of your success as a law enforcement officer. Never give up, never surrender.

[socom308]

Master the art of the paragraph first.

[Luis650ar15]

Thanks guys for all of the comments. (Insert my excuse here) I am on a mobile phone so typing sucks! Lol jp ..will dust off the old conjuntion junction tapes for a tune up while im at it.

[Rapid Cool]

Also, this website is dedicated to the firefighter candidate, but you will find alot of helpful nuggets there- www.eatstress.com

[micro911]

You will never know until you actually try.

[StraightShot04]

Apply for an academy. Don’t make excuses to try and justify why you did the things you did when called in for an interview. Don’t only explain why you think what you did was wrong but also how you’ve learned from it. Be humble.

[esy]

Like others have said, it doesn’t hurt to try and own your mistakes. Own them and show how you have learned from them.

Different departments do different things and no circumstance is ever the same. I will say that I have a friend who got picked up that had a somewhat similar reckless driving on a bike going some 150+ or faster. I don’t know all the details of his situation, but he’s hired now. So, it doesn’t hurt to try.

[omgwtfbbq]

Since it was reduced and expunged, it won't automatically DQ you from hiring, but it is going to make it harder. You need to be that much better than the other candidates who don't have a record.

That might mean putting yourself through an academy on your own time and dime to make you a more attractive hire.

The only other piece of advice is the obvious one. Be honest about your background, which it sounds like you are. You may or may not be DQd for answering a question honestly, but you will be DQd for lying.