Speeding

I am currently in the US Navy. Want to be Law Enforcement.?

I will be honorably discharged from the Navy in about a year and a half to make a total of 6 years active duty. Before i joined i had a marijuana charge (less than .2 grams) in Florida, as well as several speeding tickets during my teenage years. I plan on obtaining my Criminal Justice degree when i get out, and was wondering if my past record will stop me from obtaining my law enforcement goals. I plan to work for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (Law enforcement) or maybe some local police or sheriffs departments in South Carolina. After that i plan on going into Federal Law Enforcement. Thanks for your help.
-Chris

Your record will probably have no effect, do not lie about in any way. To become a police officer, the standard requirement for most major police agencies seems to be a minimum of 60 undergraduate hours (from an accredited college), although some allow substitution of military service, and a Bachelor’s degree may be preferred (generally required for federal special agent positions). Some agencies have age limits, for federal jobs it is 21 minimum and 37 maximum. Any major is acceptable, but Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Sociology, or Psychology may stand you in better stead. Smaller agencies may have a high school requirement. The agency normally provides training, but some states may have private academies (like TX). There are more applicants than there are positions. Those meeting the minimum requirements may not compare well to the best qualified applicants. Many agencies have increased pay levels for higher education, and higher education facilitates promotion.

A Bachelor’s degree is required for federal special agent positions (very few exceptions). Any major is acceptable, but computer science, Criminal Justice, Sociology, or Psychology, may stand you in better stead. I recommend that individuals major in psych and minor in CJ (even though I majored in CJ, BS & PhD). I attended an agency-sponsored Masters program for an MS in management. Foreign language ability, particularly Spanish, is advantageous. GPA, work experience, ability to communicate orally and in writing, and graduate degrees are what determine who gets hired for federal positions. And, there are always more applicants than positions. Those meeting the minimum requirements may not compare well to the best qualified applicants.

The FBI likes lawyers and accountants, but they hire from various backgrounds (http://www.fbijobs.gov/). Other federal agency job announcements should be available at https://my.usajobs.gov/login.aspx; acceptance of applications is cyclical. NCIS’s website: http://www.ncis.navy.mil/.

You must have no felony arrests, and many misdemeanor arrests are also disqualifying. And, a domestic violence conviction will be disqualifying. Any prior drug use of any sort may be disqualifying, although exceptions are possible in some agencies. There may be a written exam, medical exam, polygraph test, physical fitness test, drug test, minimum eyesight requirements, psychological evaluation, oral board examination, and full background check. As I said, there are always more applicants than there are positions, so it may take many application submissions to get an acceptable job (at least it did for me). Contact the agency directly or look for their website, which will list their employment qualifications and requirements.

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