I was charged with possession of marijuana at the age of 16 but I was never convicted. Will this hold me back from becoming a police officer?
I was charged with possession of marijuana at the age of 16 but I was never convicted. Will this hold me back from becoming a police officer?
you say never convicted, do you mean that as in the charges were dismissed? you were found not guilty? or you went into a diversion program?
I ask this not because a dope arrest as a minor will necessarily prevent you from working for a police department, but rather because how you word it vs what actually happened could be seen by the employer as an honesty problem.
Well my probation officer said because I completed all my tasks without question, my charges were dropped however it is still on my record. I believe I was never convicted because I never went to court so I think I was never actually 'found guilty'.
What state are you in?
If there was never any conviction, then it should not be a legal bar to employment as a peace officer. However, it WILL be an issue in your background and will have to be considered. If this occurred at age 16 and that was 5 or more years ago and you have done great and wonderful things since then, it should be no big issue. However, if this was a felony in your unnamed state, then it may very well make your opportunities more limited.
This sounds as if it was diversion. If so, and the matter was never pursued in court, it should not be a legal bar. But, as I mentioned, it may cause some concerns with an individual agency. Time and good works should put this behind you.