In the 10 years she’s been teaching criminal justice courses to college students, Linda Fleischer has noticed a disturbing trend. In conversations with her students, she has found that many have squandered (often unknowingly) their chances at a career in the field, all thanks to decisions they made as teens — sometimes dating back to middle school.
She cached these students’ stories away, but now, a decade into the job, the instances have reached critical mass and she feels compelled to try to change the tide.
“Here they are at 18, just coming into college, and they’ve already blown their chances,” said Fleischer, coordinator of criminal justice studies at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC).
It’s not just the outright illegal behavior that grates Fleischer. She’s come to classify her students’ experiences under three categories: illegal, irresponsible and immoral. All reflect poorly on one’s character and jeopardize the job search.
In the past several months, Fleischer, a former parole and probation officer, has crafted a presentation aimed at teens and their parents called “Just Choices: What you need to know about planning a career in criminal justice before it is too late.” She’s made presentations to students at Pikesville and Patapsco high schools, and is hoping to reach out to more schools and PTAs.
Jennifer Meltzer, who teaches a criminal justice class at Pikesville High School, said her students were so engaged with Fleischer’s presentation last fall that she plans to invite her back to speak to this semester’s students.
“She was explaining to them that it’s such a conservative field,” Meltzer said of Fleischer. “It’s important to get them to think early on about what kind of person they want to be. It’s not always effective; it’s not always something they want to hear; but it’s something they need to hear. I feel we wouldn’t be doing our job, as teachers, if we didn’t talk about it.”
Growing up in Baltimore, David Amey watched some of his peers make bad decisions. There were the kids who drank alcohol at parties, those who smoked marijuana on teen ski trips and others who got involved in drug transactions. Amey managed to stay above it all — maybe that had something to do with the two Baltimore City police officers Amey reported home to each day.
Amey, now 24 and a Baltimore County police officer, has followed his parents’ path. It was during the long application process that the importance of those teenage decisions became fully apparent. If a red flag didn’t disqualify him from the job during the written and physical tests, background check or psychological exam, then the polygraph would surely catch it.
The intensity of the process can be nerve-wracking — even for someone with a pristine record.
“It’s definitely still intimidating,” Amey said. “You’re hooked up to a machine and you’re watching the needle move up and down. Then you start thinking ‘Am I breathing too hard?’”
Amey’s application experience is similar to those for other law enforcement agencies.
Lt. John Superson of the Howard County Police Department said the application process includes roughly 30 to 40 hours investigating each applicant’s background. Additionally, they’ll check out candidates’ pages on MySpace and Facebook, and often run a simple Google search on the person’s name to see what turns up.
Naturally, the department is looking for a candidate who upholds the law in his or her personal life.
“Honesty and integrity is a big part of the job,” he said. “We’re looking for behavioral patterns. If you desire a law enforcement career — and it’s not for everyone — you’re going to have to walk that straight path.”
In recent years, Superson said he’s seen a spike in the number of candidates admitting to use of steroids, designer drugs like ecstasy and stimulants like adderall, as well as an increase in the number of applicants who have committed computer crimes like pirating music.
Superson suggests parents become more involved and offer their child an upfront explanation of the ramifications of poor choices.
“It all starts at home. Parental involvement is big,” he said. “You’re going to get the kids rolling their eyes, but you know what? It’s the truth. You’ve got to let them know.”
Howard police and several other state agencies follow standards set by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions. While the guidelines are somewhat forgiving about limited instances of experimentation with particular drugs, there are others such as hallucinogenics that result in automatic disqualification after just one use.
Alexander, a 27-year-old Columbia resident, said he is looking into jobs with the Capitol Police or a federal law enforcement agency following his December graduation from the University of Maryland-College Park. Although he earned a 4.0 in his criminal justice major, he said he knows the two times he experimented with LSD as a 17-year-old could prevent him from getting some jobs, despite the time that’s passed.
Back when he was 17, Alexander, like many other teens, hadn’t made up his mind on his career path. When he asked around about the requirements of law enforcement jobs a few years ago, he was devastated to find out that many agencies are unforgiving in regards to particular hallucinogenic drugs.
“I was extremely disappointed, very surprised,” he said. “There was regret, obviously. … It’s my burden to carry.”
In the meantime, he said he’s done as much as possible to make himself a strong candidate with good grades and involvement in honors organizations to make up for those teenage indiscretions. He added that he’s not foolish enough to think he can lie on a polygraph test.
His advice to teens: “Be cautious about experimentation in general. For some reason, people expect that to be part of your youth, but it follows you. … It’s really not worth it. It’s a fleeting thrill and so short-lived.”
Likewise, 26-year-old Edgemere resident Jamie had hoped to pursue a career in forensics before she learned that her past drug use would be a deal-breaker.
Thinking back, Jamie said she can trace the mistakes that led her down the wrong path back to middle school. It was halfway through sixth grade when she began to hang out with the wrong crowd in an effort to fit it and be cool, she said. By eighth grade she was expelled for taking a joint to school She became a partier in high school and later developed (and overcame) an addiction to pain pills.
“I can look back and see the little signs that led to where I am now,” she said. “I can’t get the job I want to have because of stupid decisions I made starting when I was a 12-year-old.”
Jamie said she urges parents not to hesitate to switch schools or environments if they fear their child is floundering. “I really believe if my mom had done some of the things she threatened to do, I wouldn’t be in the place I am now,” she said.
In this digital age, the ability to spread and share information has skyrocketed through the Web and cell phones.
“Ten years ago, as a parent, I didn’t have to worry about this,” Fleischer said. “Kids get bombarded now with so many opportunities and places in their life when they need to make choices. … It goes into perpetuity. You can’t hide things now like you could before.”
Fleischer’s message to parents is to take an active and assertive role in parenting.
“I hear parents say, ‘I don’t want to infringe on their privacy. I want to let them be an individual,’” she said. “Well, you’re not doing your kids any favors. I told my kids your job is to get away with what you can, and my job is to protect you from that. …It’s one thing to trust your kid, but it’s another to understand that there are so many opportunities out there for them to get into trouble.”
Reflections on Character
In her “Just Choices” presentation designed for teenagers and their parents, CCBC criminal justice professor Linda Fleischer outlines the types of mistakes young people can make that come back to haunt them when they’re looking for jobs later in life. She categorizes these mistakes as illegal, irresponsible and immoral and offers parents the following considerations.
Illegal
> Even if the party wasn’t busted, are there photos of underage drinking or other illegal behaviors floating around on Facebook and MySpace or being shared via camera phones?
> What does your child’s driving record say about their regard for the speed limit?
Irresponsible
> Is your child responsible for paying his or her cell phone bill? Are they developing bad credit?
> Ever checked how easy it is to apply for a credit card? Does your child have one?
> What does your teen’s cell phone message say? Is it immature and sophomoric? What impression would a potential employer get while listening to it?
Immoral
> What’s your child’s e-mail address or screen name? Names like “hotsexymama” and “sweetyoungprincess” are sending messages all their own.
> What’s on your child’s Facebook and MySpace pages? Are there photos of them scantily clad? What about other photos posted on their friends’ pages?