I want to be a cop but?

Question

Ok well I'm 19 right now and i want to be a cop, I actually used to want to be one growing up then highschool happened and i got into a bad crowd, and wanted to become a starving artist and just waste away. I used to do pot on a very very rare occasion but i stopped cause i wanted to do somthing with my life wanted to be a better person and get back to my morals thats when i thought about becoming a cop again and began to look into it. Well it appears i can't be a cop if i have previous drug use. Will this small mistake that i made a stand to fix keep me from forever being a cop or is there a way?

Answer 1

when you apply.,..be honest

Answer 2

It could depend on factors such as how many times you have smoked, how much you have smoked, when was the last time you smoked, etc. There are certainly departments that will hire you if you've simply smoked marijuana. It depends. Some departments are more stringent than others when it comes to past marijuana use. Tell the background investigator about your marijuana use upfront, be completely honest, and go from there. Check out http://www.peaceofficerjobs.com for excellent information and advice about becoming a police officer.

Answer 3

Dude, ....one of my best friends in High School was the biggest dope head in history! I swear the guy was stoned most of the time we were at school! Anyways, ...I joined the military and had a very prestigious 21 year career and kind of lost track of him over the years. One time after I'd retired from the Navy, I went back to my hometown and visited my cousin's husband who happens to be a detective sergeant on the Police force. As we were sitting having a cup of coffee in his office, I saw a very familiar person walk past us dressed in a police uniform with lieutenant's bars on his collar. I went out of the office and called his name and sure enough, it was my friend from high school! This had to be the most dramatic turnaround of any person I've ever known in my life. Point being, ...if you didn't get into trouble you have a clean slate. Don't beat yourself up too hard about it, ...at least you saw the error of your ways and want to do something constructive now. Go for it. Make the police tell you no. Don't give up on your dream, ...to many people have to settle for doing whatever they can to make ends meet; you have the chance to do what you really want to do; be a police officer. The cops need people who WANT to make a difference.

Answer 4

it all depends on where you live. go to the police department and ask them

Answer 5

Be a cop. Just don't forget your pipe in the squad car.  

Answer 6

Listen to me!  If you want to do the job and truly only smoked a bit of weed, you are who the departments want.  You know how hard it is to get someone that has never done it.  

Take the lie detector.  This is what you are worried about.  You will pass it, trust me.  If not, then you aren't what is needed in the department.  Hanging out with a bad crowd and experimenting is a great value that will make you that much better at the job to deal with those persons smoking it daily.  You understand them and know better than them.

Don't get me wrong, they don't want someone who smokes it but the experience in itself will only help you relate to other people.  That is why departments usually set 2 or 3 year limits or time-frames when using the lie detector to weed out those who are current users from those that experimented only (no pun intended).

Answer 7

Talk to the cops in your area.  Its probably not the career ender you think it is.  No one wants a police force made of Mr Perfects who know nothing about dealing with growing up and choices.

Good Luck to you

Answer 8

as long as you didnt get in trouble by the cops for drug use then your still good to become a cop

Answer 9

Depends on the department.  Depends on the drugs used and the frequency of use.  Most departments will not talk to you unless you have at least 3 - 5 years of no drug use, and probably will not except you if you are over a certain age - usually 18 or 21 when the drug use happened.

Answer 10

You sell out! make up you're mind..either do drugs or do drug busts.