Hello, everyone. I am a 23 year old male, who lives in Michigan. I have my heart set on becoming a police officer, so that I can give back some of the support I have received in my life. However, I have made some mistakes along the way. I have three charges as a juvenille that include: Assault-For a middle school fight (in which I was not the aggressor), Malicious Destruction of Property-For shaving bark off from a tree when i was 11, and Receiving and Conceiling Stolen Property. The receiving charge was from 9th grade. My friends stole a cell phone and used it to make calls with. Then they asked me to throw it in a trash can on my way home. I did so, and I ended up being charged later on down the road. Since then, I have gotten a couple tickets, and been charged with two other offenses. The first one I got was Failure To Stop And Identify At The Scene Of An Accident w/ Personal Property Damage. I was struck by a driver who went from a sudden stand still, to excessively accelerating, in a matter of seconds. He hit me, and I knew in my heart that it wasn't my fault, so I left because I didn't have insurance on my car, or registration, since I had just gotten the vehicle. I know I was wrong for driving it in the first place, but I needed to get across town to work. And I didn't want to receive fines and charges for someone hitting my car, when it wasn't my fault. So I made a terrible mistake in leaving. I regret it to this day! The other charge came from Ohio. I was out at a bar with some friends after a concert, and a bouncer came up and told me to finish my beer when I had been nothing but courteous to everyone around. I told him that I had just bought it, and that I wasn't going to chug it, and he started choking me. His coworkers jumped on top and they all pretty much assaulted me. Then I lost my cool and caused some damage to the bar. I went to jail for two days, and received a Disorderly Conduct. That was a year and a half ago. I have never touched drugs, and I don't even smoke cigarettes. Currently, I am looking at enlisting in either the Air Force or the Marines. My question is the same one that many others have asked; given my poor decisions in the past, is it still possible for me to become a police officer? I am well aware that if I do stand a chance, I may have to wait ten years from my Disorderly Conduct charge, but I am okay with that.

In your case, I think the accident and the disorderly conduct will cause you the most problems, but it is possible for you to become a police officer at some point. The military would be a good idea. Be sure to build an excellent reputation while in.

You have a lot of red flags, but given time, you could become an officer. I agree, the military might be a great step for you.

Thank you for your responses! Both of them are inspirational and have kept my hope alive that I might still be able to become an officer! I am currently still researching my best options as far as enlisting goes. Are there any opinions that you would like to share as to which branch and/or classfication would be my best choice if I want to become a police officer?

One branch is not really any better than the other. I would consider the Navy.