Will tickets keep you from getting hired?

**MxPro** · 11-24-06, 05:00 PM

Hey everyone, I have gone through the oral interview 3 times for CHP, and each time, I'm 5 points short making it through to the next step of the process, I have alot of tickets on my record, from the time I was 18, I'm 27 now, and more focused than ever on what direction I want my future go. I also scheduled a written exam for LAPD, and the sheriff's department. Can tickets keep you from being a peace/police officer? and will these other agencies look at my driving record the same as CHP

here are a few of the tickets I have
1997 speeding
1997 right on red
1998 speeding
1998 suspended license.... that was the courts mistake, easily explained
2000 speeding
2000 speeding
2001 speeding
2001 right on red
2001 speeding
2001 tinted windows, fix it
2002 speeding
2003 speeding
2005 registration expired, fix it
1/2/06 speeding, traffic school
and 2 at fault accidents, slow fender benders, and 3 not at fault slow fender benders, last one in 2004.
so there it is, this is pretty much what a panel would see. yeah I know!!....
these are all of them!

**Growler** · 11-24-06, 06:04 PM

Most jurisdictions do consider those a hazard. Police agencies consider the fact that you're speeding or doing some other behavior in your personal car, they are imagining how reckless you could be behind the wheel of a police car.

**armygrnt502** · 11-24-06, 06:41 PM

Just what Growler said. Most PD's dont want you thinking that you are now an officer with a fast car and a badge. Your tickets are not a good point, but if you can show that you have attended a defensive driving school or something of that nature, it might help.

Or, give it some time between your last ticket and now. In other words...slow down.

**Jks9199** · 11-24-06, 07:51 PM

The bottom line is that most cops spend a lot... Make that a WHOLE LOT of time driving. On top of that -- we do everything we tell people not to do while we're driving. We're looking around for driving violations, suspicious behavior, dangerous stuff and more. We're listening to at least a police radio, often a music/fun radio, many of us have MDTs in the car and we're reading/typing on that as we run tags or get calls, and we're as guilty as anyone else of yakking away on a cell phone while we're driving. (I once saw an officer simultaneously typing on a MDT, talking on a cell phone and driving...

)

So, take someone who's already got a crappy driving record, and put 'em behind the wheel for most of their workday (8 to 12 hours). Add a lot of distractions and the expectation that they'll show sound decision making while driving, especially in a situation like a pursuit, and I think you can see why an agency might be a little leery of hiring someone with a history of bad driving.

If it's been a couple of years since your last ticket, a driving school might help. If you can point to other indications of increased maturity (solid work history, and increasingly responsible job positions, for example), you'll improve your chances. Be upfront about it with recruiters. Some may shoot you down right away (for example, I know at least one agency won't even look at you if you have a reckless driving charge within the last year), but at least you'll know. And they might tell you how to improve your chances.

(Oh... And don't just move to another state to start with a "clean" record. They'll get your original state's records, too. And, yes, I know of someone who tried that.)

**Retmilleo909** · 11-24-06, 10:43 PM

Originally Posted by MxPro

Hey everyone, I have gone through the oral interview 3 times for CHP, and each time, I'm 5 points short making it through to the next step of the process, I have alot of tickets on my record, from the time I was 18, I'm 27 now, and more focused than ever on what direction I want my future go. I also scheduled a written exam for LAPD, and the sheriff's department. Can tickets keep you from being a peace/police officer? and will these other agencies look at my driving record the same as CHP?

Be more specific. How many is a lot of tickets, what were the citations for and when was the last time you received a citation?
I'm not saying that you're unqualified to be a law enforcement officer, but personally I wouldn't hire someone who had a history of bad driving, as driving habits, like most habits are usually developed at an early age and they're hard to break.
The biggest part of a LEO's time is spent behind the wheel of a city, county or state patrol car. Therefore, IMO, most LE agencies wouldn't risk having an officer with a bad driving record, chasing and citing bad drivers.

**deputysykes** · 11-25-06, 12:29 AM

WWWOWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

14 tickets and those are ONLY "a few?!" Holy crap!

**Deputy2400** · 11-25-06, 12:34 AM

Lets compare you to me... here are my moving violations.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Oh wait...I dont have any!

**THE LAW** · 11-25-06, 01:17 AM

You will have issues with your driving record no matter where you apply.

**MxPro** · 11-25-06, 01:24 AM

I know its bad everyone, Im not an unsafe driver, my friends and I would fix up cars, not to mention my car was a bit of a magnet, now that Im over that, and truely follow the rules of the road, and changed my car, I feel like a criminal

**Iron Man** · 11-25-06, 01:28 AM

Yeah your driving recond sucks ass. Keep applying but I don't think you will be hired any time soon.

Cheech · 11-25-06, 02:33 AM

Damn bro ...
Thats a bunch of cites!
I dunno you may have to wait a while before you apply... What kind of car did or do you have and whats on it>

**THE LAW** · 11-25-06, 03:07 AM

With those tickets did you lose your license for any amount of time for points violation ?

**MxPro** · 11-25-06, 04:18 AM

I never had my license suspended for any amount of time, I did get it restricted for a month, for too many points, at the time I was driving a mercedes C36 with sway bars H&R coilovers, camber adjustment on all four wheels, and bermbo brakes, everything els was stock. I loved that car, but I hated that car, cuz the faster you drove the smoother and more stable it felt, but I'm paying the price now

**Terminator** · 11-25-06, 05:22 AM

Your driving record sucks. For you, the tickets will prevent you from getting hired more than likely, for a LONG time.

**jcsdscott** · 11-25-06, 05:53 AM

I'm new here but I'll tell you the truth. If you want it bad enough keep trying and testing, but don't be surprised if you come up short. Driving is an important part of our line of work and you can't expect the powers that be to put you out there if part of your background makes you look like a lawbreaker. Impress with persistence, it pays off.

**nitestokker** · 11-25-06, 06:04 AM

Honestly, it depends on where you apply. CHP, Vegas Metro and the FBI will most probably tell you to pound sand. However, if you apply to a small agency like Haystack, Arkansas then they will probably take you as long as you have no DV, DUI's or felonies. That sounds like a good place for you to start until you get that driving record WAY in the past. All of us have skeletons, some of us never got caught, and those who did just had to let time heal those wounds. I live and work in a small town because this is the environment I want my kids raised in. If you want the guns, guts and glory of high-speed, low-drag metro stuff then go for it while you're still too young to be scared. But like I said, you might want to start off small with that record. CountryBoy is right, that is a lot of tickets!

**Jks9199** · 11-25-06, 02:03 PM

here are a few of the tickets I have
1997 speeding
1997 right on red
1998 speeding
1998 suspended license.... that was the courts mistake, easily explained
2000 speeding
2000 speeding
2001 speeding
2001 right on red
2001 speeding
2001 tinted windows, fix it
2002 speeding
2003 speeding
2005 registration expired, fix it
1/2/06 speeding, traffic school
and 2 at fault accidents, slow fender benders, and 3 not at fault slow fender benders, last one in 2004

That driving record sucks. And that's putting a good face on it! Lots of moving violations, plus you've been involved in 5 wrecks. Sure, only two were identified as being your fault... but I'd suspect, looking at the total package, that you contributed to the others at least a little bit...

I think, realistically, you probably need to consider other lines of work for a while. But ask recruiters; they know their agencies policies and requirements and what they can work with.

**jmur5074** · 11-26-06, 09:33 PM

"Good Luck"

**Dudleydoright** · 11-29-06, 03:08 PM

MxPro,
For my department here in Mo. you can't have more that 5 pts on your driver's license. Why? If you get another ticket you could lose your license. Guess what new police officer's have to do? If you can't function as a P.O. then they've waisted big bucks on training you. Also, I'm guessing this is pretty universal, police departments don't like officers tearing up their police cars. They're pretty strict about that and one can lose days off or be terminated if you have too many accidents. You may have to give it a while and improve your record.

**Coloradocop** · 11-30-06, 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by MxPro

Hey everyone, I have gone through the oral interview 3 times for CHP, and each time, I'm 5 points short making it through to the next step of the process, I have alot of tickets on my record, from the time I was 18, I'm 27 now, and more focused than ever on what direction I want my future go. I also scheduled a written exam for LAPD, and the sheriff's department. Can tickets keep you from being a peace/police officer? and will these other agencies look at my driving record the same as CHP

here are a few of the tickets I have
1997 speeding
1997 right on red
1998 speeding
1998 suspended license.... that was the courts mistake, easily explained
2000 speeding
2000 speeding
2001 speeding
2001 right on red
2001 speeding
2001 tinted windows, fix it
2002 speeding
2003 speeding
2005 registration expired, fix it
1/2/06 speeding, traffic school
and 2 at fault accidents, slow fender benders, and 3 not at fault slow fender benders, last one in 2004.
so there it is, this is pretty much what a panel would see. yeah I know!!....
these are all of them!

Wow. That is a pretty piss poor driving record. I'm surprised you still have a license. This won't forever bar you from law enforcement, but it will be a LONG time before a department like mine would consider you... There is just too much liability for the department to stick someone behind the wheel who might be a loose canon. Accidents cost the department lots of $$

My driving record wasn't perfectly clean when I joined up myself. I had only ever been ticketed for speeding (4 or 5 times within the 8 years leading up to my application), but I was concerned about this myself. Still, I had never had a traffic accident, and none of my violations assessed more than 2 points to my license for any one infraction. One of my classmates at the Academy (who is a damn good cop these days) had his own license suspended about 3 years prior to his application. So, traffic violations aren't necessarily the end of the road... But, you REALLY need to work on that, and I suspect it will take about 5 years of clean driving before they'll really want to look at you.

Good luck, and drive a bit slower in the mean time.