Hello everyone. So I found out that the Philadelphia police exam is now being offered. Yes I have a felony of unlawful assault on my record. I spoke with a police officer and he told me that the felony won't stop me from at least filling out the paper work, and taking the exam. However he cannot promise me I will get the job. So I am hoping that God actually guides me to success I will still take the exam and try to fulfill my destiny even with a felony on my record. Who knows maybe I may be the first to actually defy the odds Huh? :) Your thoughts.

Go & see a judge to get a pardon, if you apply & get rejected, you may never be able to apply anywhere for an LE job, same goes for here in Canada, if you wish to be a Police Officer in a Province that does Pre- Employment Polygraph Examinations & you fail, you have 0 chance of ever being a Police Officer.

Congratulations! But i would try and do what slimory suggested!

Judges don't give pardons, at least not in the US. Governors do (it's an executive power, not a judicial power, and one generally restricted to the chief executive personally). He'd have to go to the governor of the state where he was convicted of a felony (they typically have an office in charge of reviewing petitions for pardons). Judges can seal records, but AFAIK not only is it extremely uncommon to get a felony you committed as an adult sealed, but police can also access sealed records for background checks.

He needs to get the charge expunged. I don't know the exact way of doing that but I know you have to go before a judge and there is a time frame set to when you can get it expunged.

Source that I have is my father is LEO and we know a judge from the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. 

I would start looking at your state legislation and see if you are able to get the charge removed via "expungements"

Although, I'm not entirely sure if an expunged record will give you a better chance :/

Edited January 15, 201511 yr by toxicalsyn

Go & see a judge to get a pardon, if you apply & get rejected, you may never be able to apply anywhere for an LE job, same goes for here in Canada, if you wish to be a Police Officer in a Province that does Pre- Employment Polygraph Examinations & you fail, you have 0 chance of ever being a Police Officer.

Could I become a cop in Canada or will my felony follow me there? 

Judges don't give pardons, at least not in the US. Governors do (it's an executive power, not a judicial power, and one generally restricted to the chief executive personally). He'd have to go to the governor of the state where he was convicted of a felony (they typically have an office in charge of reviewing petitions for pardons). Judges can seal records, but AFAIK not only is it extremely uncommon to get a felony you committed as an adult sealed, but police can also access sealed records for background checks.

he is right. Only a governor could issue an outright pardon. Now there is chance you could have that esponged depending on your city laws. Here a felony can't be esponged but can be sealed. Also, here certain felonies will not keep you from becoming an officer. So good luck over there :D

You as a felon cannot posses a firearm or ammunition as per U.S.C. § 921(a)(20). Federal law is the supreme law of the U.S. as indicated in the Supremacy Clause. 

 

I am guessing by "unlawful assault" that would translate to the charge of "aggravated assault" to other states. That is a serious charge. It means you were convicted of causing serious bodily injury or at the very least attempted to. Some people are able to get their rights restored if the felony doesn't involve a forcible felony.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but from my experience you will never get hired. There are thousands of applicants that want to be in L.E. Many of those people are prior L.E., military, have college degrees with clean records(including traffic infractions). You are in competition with them and you are looked at on the lower end of the totem pole. 

 

You would be better off asking this question on the officer.com forum or one of those related sites.

Edited January 15, 201511 yr by EVI

No departments will be keen on hiring someone with a felony on their record, and with very good reason.  How can someone be entrusted with enforcing the law when they themselves have proven that they cannot follow it (i.e. by receiving a felony conviction)?

 

EDIT: EVI summed it up.  Users on Officer.com will likely be very frank in telling you that you're nuts to even pose the question.

Edited January 15, 201511 yr by FCV96

You will not be hired as a police officer. Especially for a department like PPD, there is no shortage of applicants. In my area you wouldn't even be eligible to pick up an application. A felony is a HUGE no go. As for getting it expunged, when you agree to the terms of a background check they will be able to find those records. Unfortunately, you've made too large of a mistake to enter LE. If you're lucky you could join the Army and be an MP but again I doubt they would let a felon into the service. Better luck in future career paths.

Could I become a cop in Canada or will my felony follow me there? 

 

It would follow you even up here; the application asks "Have you ever been charged with an offence outside of Canada?".

 

 

If you have a felony on your record (Which is equivalent to you being charged with an Indictable offence in Canada) the chances of you getting Permanent Residence or Citizenship is slim, let along being hired as a Peace Officer in Canada. Unless you get a Pardon (which I guess would equivalent to a expungement in the states) even then you would still have to explain your record

:( this sucks very badly thread closed I just got told I was disqualified already why are they treating me this way. I have changed I really regret what I did. And I am truly sorry. its been 4 years. Why can't America forgive me. I need to leave the country I think I'll try England. Thanks guys for all of your support.

:( this sucks very badly thread closed I just got told I was disqualified already why are they treating me this way. I have changed I really regret what I did. And I am truly sorry. its been 4 years. Why can't America forgive me. I need to leave the country I think I'll try England. Thanks guys for all of your support.

 

I suggest you try private security or the military. Don't think LE will open many doors for you. Not to mention, you'll have to learn all the laws of a new nation and they will still perform a background check.

You as a felon cannot posses a firearm or ammunition as per U.S.C. § 921(a)(20). Federal law is the supreme law of the U.S. as indicated in the Supremacy Clause. 

 

I am guessing by "unlawful assault" that would translate to the charge of "aggravated assault" to other states. That is a serious charge. It means you were convicted of causing serious bodily injury or at the very least attempted to. Some people are able to get their rights restored if the felony doesn't involve a forcible felony.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but from my experience you will never get hired. There are thousands of applicants that want to be in L.E. Many of those people are prior L.E., military, have college degrees with clean records(including traffic infractions). You are in competition with them and you are looked at on the lower end of the totem pole. 

 

You would be better off asking this question on the officer.com forum or one of those related sites.

I assume you mean 18 USC §922(g)(1)? (§921 is just definitions) Strictly speaking, that wouldn't actually bar you from police work - §925(a)(1) says that nearly all of the prohibitions don't apply to firearms issued for the use of a government department or agency. It doesn't exempt in the case of domestic violence misdemeanors, but that's the only class of person who a government agency can't issue a gun to (incidentally, domestic violence *felonies* can be exempt; if you slap your spouse, the government can't issue you a gun, but if you murder your spouse, that's just fine as far as §925(a)(1)'s concerned). You can also petition the Attorney General for relief, or failing that petition a federal district court.

It's not the fact that law bars you from carrying a gun that *formally* bars felons from being cops (a police agency might in practice deny you in the belief that it does, but it doesn't, and they could legally hire you even if they think they couldn't). It's that a police department isn't likely to *want* to issue a gun to someone when carrying it requires them to fall into a special exemption in federal law. The military might do it if they really need personnel (that's probably the origin of the section, actually), but a police department doesn't want to find itself on the spot defending its decision to give Officer Jones a gun when it was a federal crime for anyone *besides* the government to give Jones a gun.

For that matter, no police department wants to find itself explaining why it hired a convicted felon if there's a big media blowup about an allegation of excessive force by them (even if you specifically won't be involved with excessive force complaints, and they probably expect you won't or they wouldn't hire you, they still have to worry about if you are involved). Or, and this is something all cops *are* involved in, if a defense attorney mentions the officer's criminal record when there's a question about credibility (while assault doesn't make you more likely to commit perjury, a jury might act like it does).

So yeah, you're absolutely correct that a police hire for a convicted felon, especially for a violent felony (or a felony involving misrepresentation; don't try to become a cop if you're a convicted perjurer). Just the reason is a bit different :P

The advice and information they give you seems like genuine, honest options for you (even though they are really limited in your hopes of becoming an LEO).  Also, your final solution is to leave the country to pursue LE elsewhere???  It's not just about being sorry, I think you need to SHOW you can be better and not have such a negative attitude towards the outcome of things.  Don't lose faith and maybe try what DisharmoniousUnmutual said and maybe pursue a different career choice and making steps toward a pardon?

Edited January 15, 201511 yr by HOLLISTUPID

I so want to be a cop It was my destiny and they threw it all away for a bb gun. it was an accident. I mean come on. West Virginia won't expunge felonies unless I was a juvenile when it happened. My life is over I can't work, and can be anything. I mine as well just go back to jail.

I so want to be a cop It was my destiny and they threw it all away for a bb gun. it was an accident. 

I'm sorry if this stings, but they didn't throw anything away. You did. 

 

As suggested above, a different line of work is probably the best route to take. 

I'm sorry if this stings, but they didn't throw anything away. You did. 

 

As suggested above, a different line of work is probably the best route to take. 

So are you saying its all over for me? I swear it was an accident. Are you a police officer Ineseri? is there anything you could do to help me?

Not everything, no. But in the line of work you are hoping for (law enforcement), then yes. I see no department that would seriously consider hiring someone who hurt someone bad, when their motto is "Protect and Serve". And, no, sorry, I'm a forum moderator. 

I didn't hurt him bad He was a 13 year old boy He was outside playing around 10 mins after. I wasn't fairly convicted either I took a plea bargain out of fear of going to jail. 

 

Ineseri would you kindly sign a petition to grant me "relief from the disability of not being able to possess a gun? I could at least do armed security with this.