TexasCHLforum.com

Hey guys I made it back from California, ended up staying out there six months. It was really nice missing that summer heat here in Texas, but I missed having my chunk of metal at my 4 o'clock position. Im living with my parents for the time being, and it seems like the perfect time to get back to school. Im interested in going to alvin community college and attending there police acadamy starting in january. My only problem is i have a class A and B misdemeanor from when i was 16. Keyword 16, all my records are sealed as juvenile records. No one can give me a strait answer as to if im eligable, I heard yes and no answers from the school. Im going to galveston county courthouse today to release my records so i can bring the disposition to them so they can give me a ligitimate answer. Has anyone else ever ran into this problem? On the TCLEOSE website it says big as dallas no class A misdemeanors and specifies as an adult. I have wanted to be a LEO for years and now seems like the perfect time to go through the 19 week course and make it happen. Also has anyone atttended acc's acadamy and have any feed back about it. Thank you, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Proper nouns; e.g., cities, states, months and person's names, etc. should be capitalized when writing your reports.

Good luck.

Check the TCLEOSE website. Contact them directly if that doesn't answer your question.

Out of curiosity, what were the charges?

How old are you now?

Charges were copenhagen and marijuana. I'm 22 now with no hiccups in my adult life

If you're eligible for the license, there's most likely an agency out there that will hire you. Have you looked at the websites for agencies in your area? Most have their eligibility requirements posted. For any competitive agency, I don't think your chances of being hired right now are very good even if you do put yourself through the academy.

You said you're living with your parents which means you most likely don't have responsibilities you can point to. You said you moved to CA for 6 months and are now back in TX which means you most likely don't have stability you can point to. Your spelling and grammar indicate that you don't have a strong educational background. You have drug charges in the last 10 years. Many 22-year-olds would probably fair about the same so this isn't anything remarkable, but it does mean you'd probably have to polish yourself up a bit before you would be hired by a moderate caliber agency.

I'm sure others would have other suggestions, but some I can think of are:
1) Have a formal rent agreement with your parents and be able to show how you pay them money each month to establish a record of responsibility.
2) Have a plan on how you can keep stability for the long term, making minimal changes which are clearly upward focused.
3) Make sure that you're debt-free and not living on credit.
4) Consider training in a related field so that you can work for a few years in close proximity with a police agency. Dispatching, firefighting, EMS, and similar professions will allow you to make money and polish yourself while working toward this goal.
5) Consider how you will explain your past life choices. The fact that they're there will not be nearly as concerning the more time goes between then and the present and the more you can take responsibility and enumerate how you've made intentional and mature choices in a long and visible pattern which indicate that you are not the same person any longer.

Police work is a noble profession and there are many police officers who were once on the wrong side of the law--far worse than a kid with tobacco and a personal stash of marijuana. I encourage you to make a plan and shoot for your goals!

TCLEOSE rules say convictions impact eligibility. Texas Penal Code 8.07 specifies the conditions where someone under 17 can/can't be convicted. That suggests someone with a juvenile record may be eligible to be a peace officer in Texas but not eligible to get a Texas CHL, which boggles my mind, but IANAL.

Honestly I went to Cali to see if the grass on the other side was greener. Come to find out it was the same grass just 1500 dollars a month for rent. I appriciate most of your advise and thank you to all for who replied with uplifting advise. I do pay the parents 100 dollars a week for rent, thank you for telling me how my grammar and spelling will keep me from becoming a LEO. I did get a chl with my charges with no questions asked. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you guys for advice. I'll just ask someone who can give me a yes or no answer rather than a moral lesson or life advise about what I did when I was a punk kid.

Travis wrote:Honestly I went to Cali to see if the grass on the other side was greener. Come to find out it was the same grass just 1500 dollars a month for rent. I appriciate most of your advise and thank you to all for who replied with uplifting advise. I do pay the parents 100 dollars a week for rent, thank you for telling me how my grammar and spelling will keep me from becoming a LEO. I did get a chl with my charges with no questions asked. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you guys for advice. I'll just ask someone who can give me a yes or no answer rather than a moral lesson or life advise about what I did when I was a punk kid.

Thank you, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Look familiar?

Oldgringo wrote:

Travis wrote:Honestly I went to Cali to see if the grass on the other side was greener. Come to find out it was the same grass just 1500 dollars a month for rent. I appriciate most of your advise and thank you to all for who replied with uplifting advise. I do pay the parents 100 dollars a week for rent, thank you for telling me how my grammar and spelling will keep me from becoming a LEO. I did get a chl with my charges with no questions asked. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you guys for advice. I'll just ask someone who can give me a yes or no answer rather than a moral lesson or life advise about what I did when I was a punk kid.

Thank you, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Look familiar?

Beat me to it.

Travis wrote:I appriciate most of your advise and thank you to all for who replied with uplifting advise. I do pay the parents 100 dollars a week for rent, thank you for telling me how my grammar and spelling will keep me from becoming a LEO. I did get a chl with my charges with no questions asked. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you guys for advice. I'll just ask someone who can give me a yes or no answer rather than a moral lesson or life advise about what I did when I was a punk kid.

I can give you a yes or no answer.

You will not make it in LE, at any level...but it has little to do with your juvenile record. I suggest pursuing another career because this one doesn't want people with attitudes like this.

If the thugs in your town found out you lived with your parents...

Please take in some perspective. The people getting hired in LE in today's job market will posses many of these common characteristics:
-a good number of college hours under their belt, many will have a 4 year degree.
-stable work history
-decent credit
-physically fit
-promoted quickly at previous jobs
-little to no drug use (MJ experimentally a long time ago seems to be the standard)
-no criminal record outside of a few minor traffic infractions spaced over a long time period.

I'm curious as to what it is that draws you to LE?

Hoi Polloi wrote:If you're eligible for the license, there's most likely an agency out there that will hire you.

With the exception of the statement quoted above, I agree that Hoi Polloi's advice is basically sound for young people considering any career choice. Being "eligible" is only the first of many steps required to become a peace officer. My comments apply to any profession, not just those which require a TCLEOSE certificate.

Just because someone meets the minimum eligibility requirements to apply to a program doesn't guarantee that he or she will be able to successfully complete the program or obtain employment in their chosen field. A prime example is the thousands of people across the country who have taken the LSAT [law school admission test], were accepted and graduated from law school but never passed their state bar exam. They may have a law degree, but they are not lawyers. A person with a TCLEOSE certificate who is not employeed at a qualifying agency is not an LEO.

Every person needs to examine their own desire, motivation, ability, strengths and weaknesses when deciding their career options.

Travis wrote:Im interested in going to alvin community college and attending there police acadamy starting in january.

I just started teaching there this year, and it's very nice, with a decently-sized student population. I've heard a number of compliments toward the police academy (the Justice classes are in a building right next to the Science building, so we see a lot of their activities as well).

Good luck, and work on the grammar!

WildBill wrote:

Hoi Polloi wrote:If you're eligible for the license, there's most likely an agency out there that will hire you.

With the exception of the statement quoted above, I agree that Hoi Polloi's advice is basically sound for young people considering any career choice. Being "eligible" is only the first of many steps required to become a peace officer. My comments apply to any profession, not just those which require a TCLEOSE certificate.

Just because someone meets the minimum eligibility requirements to apply to a program doesn't guarantee that he or she will be able to successfully complete the program or obtain employment in their chosen field. A prime example is the thousands of people across the country who have taken the LSAT [law school admission test], were accepted and graduated from law school but never passed their state bar exam. They may have a law degree, but they are not lawyers. A person with a TCLEOSE certificate who is not employeed at a qualifying agency is not an LEO.

Every person needs to examine their own desire, motivation, ability, strengths and weaknesses when deciding their career options.

I agree completely.

OldSchool wrote:

Travis wrote:Im interested in going to alvin community college and attending there police acadamy starting in january.

I just started teaching there this year, and it's very nice, with a decently-sized student population. I've heard a number of compliments toward the police academy (the Justice classes are in a building right next to the Science building, so we see a lot of their activities as well).

Good luck, and work on the grammar!

I am all for continuing one's education. I am not familiar with Alvin Community College, but I would encourage Travis to enroll and take some classes.

This topic has been discussed in previous threads, but I would like to comment on OldSchool's comment about grammar. This may be considered "old school", but in my opinion proper English and grammar are an indication of a person's social class, intelligence and level of education. I still believe that the lack of proper spelling and grammar are the result of poor education, laziness, sloth and the lack of discipline. None of these traits are compatible with a career as an LEO or other any other profession. I realize that with the advent of the internet, emails and texting, certain rules have changed, but as I said "I am old school".

[Rant Off]

P.S. I am very grateful for "spellcheck".

WildBill wrote:None of these traits are compatible with a career as an LEO or other any other profession. I realize that with the advent of the internet, emails and texting, certain rules have changed, but as I said "I am old school".

Unfortunately you can't text your probable cause statement and case report to the CA/DAs office :) . As many of you already know, and others could guess, one's reports will be read by his/her sgt, the judge, the intake office for the prosecutor, the prosecutor, the paralegals, the defense attorney, and parts will be read out loud for the jury (in an open court). Parts of it, if not all of it will become part of the public record and subject to open records requests.