Will being arrested affect me if I want to become a cop?

Mashiki

Probably not. Just be honest and, if they ask be honest. Tell the truth, and most people police officers included understand young people doing stupid things and paying the price. If it's on your criminal record, and you lie. They'll know during your background check.

When they're looking to hire you, they're looking at your integrity and ability to be truthful during the interview process.

Hertha

Yes it was expunged from the public, not the police. Lets face it. the last employer to expect to hire you is the one you beat the rap from. They have no sympathy or anything. You lost the good ole boy edge and they won't want you.

Broken & trying to heal..

Nope.
Had the same issue. :]
Not with throwing rocks tho.
Good luck :]

Thunderstruck

No, it shouldn't be an issue at all. Unlike some of the other folks, I would recommend that you be upfront and honest about it when you take your employment interviews. Agencies will definitely overlook arrest as minor as that, but it could be the one thing that gets you fired as well. Most agencies hold honesty as the ultimate personality trait. Your either are honest or your not. They also believe dishonesty is a personality flaw that can't be fixed. I guarantee you that someday the spotlight will be on you for something either good or bad and that arrest might creep up. If your agency didn't know about it up front, they'd think you were dishonest in not telling them about it. So be honest, it's no big deal.

gator

you don't have to mention anything, you record was expunged so it's history

adrian m

Ya, probally. Your kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you admit it in the interview, there not going to give you the job. 19 is well old enough to know what your doing. It's on file about your arrest somewhere and when they do a background check on you they will come across it. If you admit it, but say how much you regret it and how stupid you were, and how much you wanna be a cop, then you may get a panel to over look it. You could deny having any expunged record but then they'l have nailed you in a lie. Cops will have it on record, believe me.

beverly

Honestly, some departments might choose to eliminate you from the process for this but most would not (assuming we're really only talking about a municipal code/city ordinance level thing).

As a previous poster noted, they aren't looking to exclude anyone who has ever done something stupid; they are looking to exclude people who have truly done something criminally noteworthy.

The fact that it was expunged does not erase or seal every record everywhere; at the very least it certainly does not erase it from the memory of anyone who knows about it. If you were to fail to disclose it and that was discovered you would be DQ'd for lying on a background package, and that DQ would haunt you at every department you applied to after that. Do NOT take the advice of people who tell you 'not to mention it'. Just be prepared to offer a reasonable explanation, to accept responsibility, and to demonstrate how you have matured since then and become someone who has learned from a mistake and moved on to better things.

ahsoasho2u2

For throwing rocks.
Nope would not even mention it as it seems insignificant

dude26

Most likely yes! This because you do have to mention if you were arrested for what ever reason it may be. If you don't mention it on let's say a job application, look at the fine print all the way on the bottom, it will say something like "Any information that is untrue, is a crime and he/she will subject to prison and/or fines". So it's in your best interest to give all the details. Becoming a cop is very hard nowadays. Many dept's now require bachelors and masters degree and a clean record. Your chances of becoming a cop or security officer are negatively impacted due to the competitiveness and large demand of these to work fields.

Argento!

Maybe yea...but overall i don't know....but we all make mistakes and accidents,

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