Becoming a Cop in San Jose California?

Question by ali_vegas_510: Becoming a cop in San Jose California?
I live in San Jose, California. I want to become a cop and I have a few questions. I do apologize if these questions are stupid and too long.

1. When I was younger I smoked weed about 2-3 times, I used ecstasy before, but that life is behind me now. I hung out with the wrong crowd and I only have myself to blame. I’ve cut ties with all my gang related friends and drug dealers and I have no interest of even talking to them. I know it’s own my own fault for even talking to them, but my question is will this affect me of getting a job?

2. People have been telling me a lot of cops in the Bay Area have been getting fired and it’s hard to get a job. Regardless of how hard the job is I want to go for it because it’s something I’m interested in and I’ll keep pushing myself until I reach my goals.

3. To whoever answers this question, have you or known anyone in been in the same situation as me in question 1 as me and was still able to get a job as an officer?

4. I heard about the polygraph test and how they ask you questions about illegal activity. To be honest I will NOT lie on the test regardless of what question they will ask me, but will being honest disqualify me from getting the job?

5. I’m 21 now and I’ve been in community college trying to be a civil engineer because my parents wanted me to be one. I took a lot of physics and math, but it turns out I’m no good at physics at all. I took engineering classes and it just wasn’t for me. I took a few criminal procedure and law classes and it’s something I am really into. I already wasted 3 years of my life trying to become something I don’t want to be, am I too old to be switching majors?

Best answer:

Answer by Gladiator
Hi, I live in San Jose too.

1. The drugs you have done are not a problem as long as 4 years or more have passed. I know officers who have done worse.

2. It’s not possible to become a police officer in California right now. Maybe in a few years, but not now. I was in the police academy. Even air force captains with masters degrees can’t get hired right now. Even former officers can’t get hired right now. It is simply not humanly possible to get hired right now. There are over 500 unemployed police officers floating around the state right now. If anyone is going to be hired, it’s them. But don’t give up. In 3-5 years, times will be good again!

3. Don’t worry about your drug issues. Just make sure you have a major accomplishment in your life to show that you are a different person (Bachelor’s degree, military experience, successful career…something to show that you are a completely different person). If you don’t have any of those, you need to focus on that first. No one will hire you if you don’t have one of these accomplishments.

4. Ah the polygraph lol. This is the most complicated question of all. Let me start by saying that there is no such machine on this planet that can detect if you’re lying or not. The polygraph exam is a game. It’s you vs the examiner. The examiner will want to see how confident you are in your answers. He will try to make you confused and hesitant. You must stay consistent and confident. The polygraph exam is also a wild-card way to kick someone out of the hiring process for a reason that they don’t want anyone to know about. Let’s say you’re too short, or you’re too ugly, or too smelly, or they already have enough whites or hispanics or blacks– the polygraph exam is a tool used to kick you out for those reasons. You could tell the hard truth in every question and they will call you a liar! I know a guy who raped a girl in highschool. He lied on the polygraph and he’s now a San Francisco officer. The polygraph is all about confidence and looking good and strong. Truth doesn’t matter in the slightest. Let me write that again. Truth doesn’t matter in the slightest.

5. DON’T MAJOR IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE!!!! They don’t care about that!!! They just want someone who is sharp and successful. Don’t waste your education on something they don’t even care about. But more importantly, you must consider the fact that you and I will most likely never be police officers. Only 1% of people who try to become police officers actually make it (and that’s when the economy is good!!). We could be Superman and Batman, but still not get hired. The hiring process is a mysterious game. Sometimes idiots with long crime lists get hired, but sharp successful people don’t. You will learn what a weird game it is. Prepare your life for success and don’t worry about becoming a police officer. Apply every year and if you are a successful man in your late twenties or early thirties, they may pick you up. By the way, I changed majors when I was 25 years old and now I have a great accounting career. I still want to be a police officer, but I understand the reality of the economy right now.

Like I said, I am a police academy graduate 3 years ago. None of my classmates have been hired. I know the hiring process very, very well.

What do you think? Answer below!

Monasterio de Tarlac : Lubigan, San Jose Tarlac Philippines – A Basilica of the Holy Cross will be erected in Lubigan, San Jose, Tarlac. Temporarily a chapel or the Church of the Risen Christ houses the silver reliquary where the authentic fragment of the Wooden Cross is kept. For more reading, click below: www.sunstar.com.ph How to get there, take the Luisita Exit at SCTEX then Proceed north to Tarlac City. Upon reaching Barangay San Sebastian, take a left turn after SM Tarlac City, you will see Mercury Drug Store to the bypass road (Tarlac-Pangasinan) towards the town of Camiling. Follow the 36-kilometer backcountry but well-paved road to Barangay Lubigan, Eco-Tourism Park, San Jose, Tarlac. You won’t get lost as you will be seeing marker indicating Eco Tourism park & to Tarlac Monastery.

San José Fights Back Against Spike in Violence

Filed under: San Jose Drug Use

San Jose has experienced a recent spike in violent crime, and now its mobilizing its police on a gang intervention mission to keep the violence from spiraling any further. Over the past week there have been seven homicides in San Jose, including …
Read more on PublicCEO.com

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire: Quakes Pull Out Draw in Closing …

Filed under: San Jose Drug Use

Bartolo Colon Fails Drug Test, Suspended 50 Games For Testosterone · NEW YORK – JUNE 05: … The San Jose Earthquakes nearly walked away from their match against the Chicago Fire at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday. The Quakes continue to sit atop …
Read more on SB Nation