Criminal Records and Cops

I know that everyone makes mistakes, and I am a big believer in 2nd chances!! However, I am not sure on this one. Part of me wants to say No they should not be able to have a criminal background, and the other part is thinking of those who may have made mistakes early on in life, and have changed! I dont know :(

i think that if the cop has any kind of violent offense or DUI or DWI they should not be allowed on the force. I know in my parish (county) they can not be hired if they have a criminal background even if it is something as simple as failure to pay child support. I like that because it shows that even in the smallest of circumstances, that they are not honest. Our Sheriff's office even goes as far as to terminate officers who have been 'caught' cheating on their spouses or with other deputies. now whether or not that is a sound practice is not up to me to decide, i do however, think that it is a little two faces since the sheriff ran around on his own wife for years....back to the original question though, NO i do not think that applicants should be hired into a law enforcement position if they have a violent offense or if they have been convicted of a DUI or DWI.

I do not think it is okay for a police officer to have a criminal record. In the area that I live it automatically disqualifies a person from the force if they have a record. In my opinion, if they commit a crime while on the force they should immediately be dismissed.