BlueSheepdog
10 Years Experience
Around the Way, FL
Male, 40
Cheating death and fighting communism: that is how a fellow officer once described our job. It was meant to be funny, but as time went on it seemed all too true.
I spent more than ten years in law enforcement, all of it on the street in uniform patrol. I've been a patrol officer, instructor, sergeant and lieutenant.
Do not report crimes here. Nothing here should be considered legal advice. All opinions are my own.
Most agencies will look for a significant period of time between your last use of an illegal substance and the current time. One to two years is not enough time for most departments. I would strongly suggest joining the military or attending college. By the time you finish your service or obtain your degree, you will have been clean for 5+ years, which puts you in a much better position.
If the nerve damage isn't debilitating in some way (can you still lift heavy things, run, have a strong grasp, etc.), it shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure you disclose that before you take a pre-employment physical. I imagine the bullet will show up on the x-rays.
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Possibly.
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Ok. I hope you are not looking for someone to hand you a wad of money because you want something. That's not how life works.
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Education and college degrees are not the same thing. Education is highly valued and has little to do with college. A college degree is an expensive piece of paper that shows you stuck around long enough to get one. I guess that could be called determination, but I'd much rather hire the guy who showed determination by humped a pack up and down mountains in Afghanistan, rescued idiot boaters as a Coastie or worked the catapult on a carrier for 12+ hours/day. Those folks have learned hard lessons and know how to make sensible decisions under pressure.
If Uncle Sam paid your way via ROTC, that is a reasonable approach. Assuming you are active duty upon graduation, you have a paid-for degree and a real education. If you instead dropped $100k+ at Yale to get a $40-50k/year job as a cop - well, I'd question your reasoning and problem solving skills. Even more if you went into debt to do it.
All other things being equal, a college degree is better on the application than not having one. But, all things are not equal. Few colleges teach anything about real life. Take a look at the professors in economics and business schools, for example. How many of them have run a successful business? How many of the law school professors have spent any time in a courtroom?
The sad reality is that college is a black hole in which money disappears, but little is returned for it.
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Are you required to report it if you find something suspicious or illegal on a client computer?
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I can only answer questions when they are asked.
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I would assume so, but there may be statutory or case law that says otherwise. I'd suggest contacting a lawyer if this is more than a theoretical query.
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Not quite.
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