To Join or not to JOIN???

[FutureCHP08]

Hello, I was wondering if i can get a few good HONEST answers from all the current chp officers or recent cadets. I'm 20 years old and i've been looking into becoming a chp officer for as long as i can remember( basically its my dream job) . Here is the problem i heard some many discouraging things about the job and about me joining i dunno if i should. Here is the case... i have about 18 citations. only about 8 or so show up on record for some reason, my license is not suspended and most of the citations were over 2 years ago. You know young and stupid... anyways i used to have a "rice rocket" it was fast and you know when its fast and flashy its hard to resist....... anyways enough about that... with a record like mine would they let me get in?????? i mean in a way i feel like all the experiences i had with the CHP is what makes me want to join so bad. Also i recently married( 5 months ago) how bad is the academy on marriage( say i get in)

PLease respond and much thanks!:!::smile:

[WinnieI05]

How about when it's "fast", it's hard to resist. My radar/lidar doesn't detect if a car is flashy or not.

First of all, I love this job and look forward to going to work every day. If it's your dream then go for it.

I can't speak with any authority on your citations, but allowing time to go by will help. Once you have decided to take the plunge and join, don't get any more citations. Whatever you have to do to curb your driving behaviors, do it. I think my background investigator at division said it best when I took the written test. He was telling us about honesty....

"If I ask you when was the last time you used cocaine and you look at your watch, we may have a problem"

The same holds true for those citations. If I were looking into a prospective cadet and he had 18 citations at 20 years old, I would think that this is a person that has little or no regard for the law. It has nothing to do with being young and stupid or having a flashy car. If your really serious about joining, stop getting citations TODAY! You may have to allow some time to lapse before you are considered for the position. Now if you were posting this at 25 years old with 18 citations, I would say go for it. Having that many at 20 may be a problem. That is a great question for a background investigator. He can give you a more accurate answer.

WinnieI05

[23112]

18 citations, 20 years old. Assuming you started driving at age 16 and immediately started getting tickets, and most of those tickets are over two years old, that's an average of one cite every 40 days for your first two years of driving!

Try applying and see if they tell you to wait a while to put more distance between you and your past. Like Winnie said, stop getting cites today to show that you respect the law and believe that it should be obeyed.

I had a rather large collection of tickets when I went through the process, but they were about a decade old. It's probably not a deal-breaker for you, but it might be a deal-delayer. You've got plenty of time--keep your nose clean and grow a little. Good luck!

[JackFlash]

There is some good advice in this thread.

http://www.chpforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4041

Specifically posts by Jeff Rhea.

[Eagl5]

I would say you need to go another year or two with a clean driving record,. You need to show that you are aware of the mistakes you made and have taken the steps to fix those past mistakes. So finish scholl or hold asteady job, drive safely and within the law and you'll be fine. Anyone can say they have learned from their past mistakes, however those that have truely learned show that in their actions. My opinion.

[Chippysgt]

One other thing and that is about marriage. Police work in general has a high divorce rate. Your spouse has to be prepared to live with the idea that every day you go to work you put your life on the line and you might not come home. He/She has to be prepared for you to work odd and unusual hours. You could end up working nights for a long time. You may have to move to an area far away from where you want to be and not be able to get where you want for many years. You will be working weekends and holidays when other people are off having recreational fun. He/She has to be prepared for you living away from home for six months if and when you go to the academy.
It takes a very strong commitment and a thorough understanding from the on-set. If he/she is not totally supportive it will be a one way ticket to disaster.

Sorry I can't sugar coat it. There are lots of happy marriages on the CHP but it takes a special person to be a CHP spouse.

[FutureCHP08]

ok thanks for all the replies. I love the honesty, i guess being honest is always best. Well also here is the thing all those tickets were approx 30 days apart, i loved to drive fast( you know fast car) anyways... they were 2 years ago, now i got a few tickets like seatbelt, and windowtint. but nothing serious... anyways... what would make my chances to get in better... I currently work for a construction company, break my back everyday, i had a business( tile) that i just closed because of the long hours, headaches.. and screw ups( on behalf of my guys) you know how it is... you look for work everyday to stay busy, then you do the work then you hire guys, then they screw up, then you re-do things after them, then you keep looking for work.... anyways i got offered a steady job to work for a remodeling company and have 2 guys working under me, i graduated high school when i was 17(home schooled) been in construction since i was about 16 and been looking into the CHP since i stopped getting citations and sold my (rice rocket) ... Do i sound like a decent candidate or do i need some law classes or anything to help... ONCE again ANY HELP AND REPLIES appreciated....

[JackFlash]

ok thanks for all the replies. I love the honesty, i guess being honest is always best. Well also here is the thing all those tickets were approx 30 days apart, i loved to drive fast( you know fast car) anyways... they were 2 years ago, now i got a few tickets like seatbelt, and windowtint. but nothing serious... anyways... what would make my chances to get in better... I currently work for a construction company, break my back everyday, i had a business( tile) that i just closed because of the long hours, headaches.. and screw ups( on behalf of my guys) you know how it is... you look for work everyday to stay busy, then you do the work then you hire guys, then they screw up, then you re-do things after them, then you keep looking for work.... anyways i got offered a steady job to work for a remodeling company and have 2 guys working under me, i graduated high school when i was 17(home schooled) been in construction since i was about 16 and been looking into the CHP since i stopped getting citations and sold my (rice rocket) ... Do i sound like a decent candidate or do i need some law classes or anything to help... ONCE again ANY HELP AND REPLIES appreciated....

There is nothing lost by taking a shot and finding out what they say. I don't believe the written test expires if you pass it.

[PH3N@M]

If you were home schooled you need a GED or High school equivalency certificate to meet minimum hiring requirements. I would wait one more year until you have a little better driving record before expecting to make it through backgrounds. But it never hurts to take the written test now. Once you pass it you don't have to take it again. It would be interesting to know how many tickets and at-fault accidents you've had in the last three years.

[Mom]

Not an officer, just a Mom. You said you had a failed business. Are all business debts handled? Is your credit clean?

Suggestions, take the written and see how you do. I would suggest a college class in writing to help out.

BTW - AT 20, you are still young.

[FutureCHP08]

MY business never failed...... i had 4 guys working for me, i worked 6am to 10pm mon through saturday and about 1 to 6 sundays... i recently got married, and decided you can never make enough money and my new marriage and health was just not worth working that much... here is just a little preview of my work.... http://www.picasaweb.google.com/tolydel ... anyways i still do tile, and got offered a job for a company so i got all my guys jobs in different companies and took two with me to the one that hired me.... it feels so good to just get up in the morning, go to work, and go home without trying to schedule tomorrow or to wonder if the other crews did anything that i would have to go back and fix....you know.... anways, it would be even nicer if i got into the highway patrol so now i can not only not worry about work or retirement, but i can make a difference and come home clean.... plus i know a lot about vehicle code,(now) also speak Ukranian and russian which i think would make a great asset to the CHP.... i don't think there is many Ukranians or Russians in the CHP...
is it true you get paid more if you know more than just English????

[cal911gal]

is it true you get paid more if you know more than just English????

Yes, but there are some limitations:
1. You need to be certified by the State in that language
2. You need to be in an area that has a dedicated position listed as bilingual in that particular language.

There is small monthly pay incentive if you are certified in a given language and filling said bilingual spot in your area office. Regardless of the pay, I am sure that your language abilities would be handy to have around, especially in some of the larger metro areas with a large Russian population.

[snowdog]

I was wondering if i can get a few good HONEST answers from all the current chp officers or recent cadets.

I'm 20 years old and i've been looking into becoming a chp officer for as long as i can remember.

i dunno if i should.

You asked for it so here it is.

As long as you can remember? At 20 years old that is obviously not the case if you have all the tickets you talk about. Someone who has been considering this as long as they can remember would have started pursuing this a long time ago. That includes maintaining a clean, or at least decent, driving record. You obviously have not. At 20 years old "as long as I can remember" is yesterday.

The last sentence tells it all. If you don't know then you shouldn't.

In my limited experience I will tell you straight up that your odds of getting hired right now are very likely nonexistent. You say most of your tickets were two years ago. That tells me that there are some that are still less than two years ago.
You are young and obviously ambitious. Take this time to further your education, make sure all of your life's business is in order and take the test when you know that you are ready and your driving record has at least two years of no violations.
Then, make certain your new bride understands this testing process, the likelihood of relocating both her home and job and all this job entails as well as you understand it.
Good Luck

[G-Man]

Yes, but there are some limitations:
1. You need to be certified by the State in that language
2. You need to be in an area that has a dedicated position listed as bilingual in that particular language.

There is small monthly pay incentive if you are certified in a given language and filling said bilingual spot in your area office. Regardless of the pay, I am sure that your language abilities would be handy to have around, especially in some of the larger metro areas with a large Russian population.

The problem with bi-lingual Russian is that the CHP only certifies in Spanish currently.:noidea: Well, you cannot certify at the Academy that is... I am not sure about once you are at the area office.