Question about something in my past.

[Q45]

Thanks for any replies.

[pkagel]

well, you are being very vague, give some more details and people can give you a better informed opinion

[Q45]

I wanted to see for myself what was so bad about child pornography when I was a teenager so I downloaded a few pictures. It was very disturbing and sick. I also happened to get caught doing it and the police came out and said don't let your curiosity get the best of you. They didn't take anything, never went to court or anything. I never heard from or saw them again. Besides the one stupid mistake I have made, I have never done anything else wrong.

[BadgerFan]

I'm very surprised that you weren't arrested and your computer taken as evidence. It's a very serious crime, and is a felony charge for every picture that you possessed (downloaded)

This will be looked at as an important piece of your background, but no one here can predict what will their decision will be. There's so many other factors surrounding your background (and the incident) that they'll be considering also

[Q45]

The rest of my backgorund is spotless. Just this one incident.

[TrollEater]

I think this little phrase sums it up pretty well:

"Curiosity killed the cat."

I have a hard time believing that your name isn't on some list in a computer file/program someplace. I think you'd have a hard time getting hired in any profession where public safety/welfare is the key issue(teaching, LE, healthcare). I have a friend who had a hard time getting a security clearance after he joined the Army because he had been at a Frat party where an ABC unit responded too. He wasn't arrested, cited or anything, however when it came time for his single-scope background investigation they found out about it because of some report one of the officers wrote, and they frowned down upon him for not being forthcoming with his investigator. In the end, he was able to obtain a clearance though, so you never know. The difference that I can see however, is the level of degredarity in the offenses. Contributing to the delinquency of a minor vs. Multiple Possession of Child Pornography offenses...

...sorry, no one's ever said I was a nice person

[SaNdMaN]

I would have to say that it probably will be a DQ.

Anything involving something of that nature is going to make huge red flags fly up. I think it would be pretty difficult to overcome it.

You best bet is to go to the agency that initially investigated it, obtain a copy of any report that was written (if any), take it to the recruiters at the PD you want to apply to and ask them about it.

[SaNdMaN]

The difference that I can see however, is the level of degredarity in the offenses. Contributing to the delinquency of a minor vs. Multiple Possession of Child Pornography offenses...

Here contributing is a felony as well...

[TrollEater]

Originally posted by SaNdMaN
Here contributing is a felony as well...

I'm not le, so I don't know if it would be considered a felony here. By contributing to the deliquency of a minor it was in reference to giving a minor alchohol. Maybe I used the wrong statute?

EDIT: I have a good friend who just got hired with the Tacoma PD. During his polygraph, they asked him a multitude of q's about his sexual past; sex w/ minor, etc. I'm not 100% certain, but I would guess the question of child pornography came up as well..

[SaNdMaN]

Any encouragement of a minor to break state law or municipal code is Contributing here, and it's a felony.

I.E. giving a minor alcohol, hell even having a minor stay out past curfew...Some people are more strict on it than others...

[Zork]

Less conservative departments might cut you some slack because you were a minor at the time.

Elaine

[Q45]

"You best bet is to go to the agency that initially investigated it, obtain a copy of any report that was written (if any), take it to the recruiters at the PD you want to apply to and ask them about it."

I have been unable to find any report by the agency.

[JSMehlin]

I wanted to see for myself what was so bad about child pornography when I was a teenager so I downloaded a few pictures. It was very disturbing and sick. I also happened to get caught doing it and the police came out and said don't let your curiosity get the best of you. They didn't take anything, never went to court or anything. I never heard from or saw them again. Besides the one stupid mistake I have made, I have never done anything else wrong.

You were caught the VERY FIRST TIME you ever did it...? Something doesn't fit here...

I'm not implying anything, but that thought may cross the hiring boards mind. I would DQ you without a doubt, but - it depends on the positive things you've done since then, and how exactly the contact report is written.

[Narco]

I'm guessing that since your initial post was back in 2004 and you're still posting now that your job hunt hasn't gone so well huh? What did you expect? You have NO place in law enforcement.

[rix031]

narco is absolutely right and jsmehlin has a good point. drinking under age is treatable and forgiveable. downloading child porn is not only a felony, its a moral turptitude issue. as already noted, its very difficult to believe you were caught the very first time you downloaded it. however, stranger things have happened, but the REAL issue is this: just the curiousity in child porn makes you a liability. i dont think any department is going to even consider you, nor should they. you may or may not show empathy for child molestors while on the job, in management's mind. in my mind, i dont want to even think of my partner looking at my 2 yr old in a sexual manner. i would lose my job in a second after i smacked him upside the head w/ my asp!

on a brighter note, you can still lead a productive life, but you probably need some counseling. you need to be honest with yourself about your "curiousity" and get some help immediately.

[ftgolfer]

Brutal responses!, but I agree, your done. It's going to be real tough to convince a BI it was the first and only time you've ever checked it out. Child porn "curiousity" is a tough sell. I haven't met anyone who decided, not just to look at, but download child porn on their computer out of curiousty. I've never met a criminal that didn't swear it was his first and only time committing his crime. Watch Dateline NBC "to catch a predator" everyone of them spewed that same line, "I've never done it before", right!!!
****Maybe you could be a priest.....alright, un-cool, sorry.

[toughjerseyguy]

deleted.....

[jpoe20]

i don't know how one could even be curious about that stuff. let alone curious enough to look it up.

[JSMehlin]

I was wondering when replies were going to get honest... disregard most of my original reply to this, I wasn't sure about the SOP in replies to such posts on here yet. Here is what I wanted to say:

Curious about kiddy porn? Are you out of your f*#@k'n mind!!! As a father, you'd be lucky to make it out of the interview without serious bodily harm. Child porn, and other sexual crimes against children should be punished by death in my opinion. You're sick... 'curious'... right, and I'm the King of Mexico.

[tua]

I was wondering when replies were going to get honest... disregard most of my original reply to this, I wasn't sure about the SOP in replies to such posts on here yet. Here is what I wanted to say:

Curious about kiddy porn? Are you out of your f*#@k'n mind!!! As a father, you'd be lucky to make it out of the interview without serious bodily harm. Child porn, and other sexual crimes against children should be punished by death in my opinion. You're sick... 'curious'... right, and I'm the King of Mexico.

Ditto

[rix031]

did everyone notice he edited his post? probably was a good idea on his part.

[ElDiabloJoe]

I wanted to see for myself what was so bad about child pornography when I was a teenager so I downloaded a few pictures. It was very disturbing and sick. I also happened to get caught doing it and the police came out and said don't let your curiosity get the best of you. They didn't take anything, never went to court or anything. I never heard from or saw them again. Besides the one stupid mistake I have made, I have never done anything else wrong.Of course, he forgot to edit his Post # 3 (memorialized above thanks to "[quote]"...)

EDJ