Terminated from a Canadian police academy — can I realistically pursue policing with another service
Looking for honest advice from current/former police officers, recruiters, background investigators, or applicants who have been through the hiring process.
My situation is a bit unusual.
I was previously employed in Ontario Corrections and was accepted into a Canadian police service. I attended the police academy and completed approximately 22 weeks of a 26-week training program. I was doing well academically and had no other known performance or conduct issues during training.
While I was attending the academy, an issue came up regarding my leave from my previous employer. I had not disclosed to my previous employer that I had started police training.
I made the decision not to disclose the police training because I wasn’t sure how things would work out and wanted to keep my previous job as a fallback.
The police service investigated the circumstances and ultimately terminated me. The findings related to reliability, integrity, accountability and communication with my previous employer.
I accept responsibility for my decision and recognize that I exercised poor judgment. I’m not trying to blame anyone else.
I have since returned to my Corrections position and intend to maintain a strong employment record going forward.
My long-term goal is still to become a police officer. I’m considering applying to other police services in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada
My questions are:
- How seriously would a police background investigator view this type of previous termination?
- Could something like this permanently prevent someone from becoming a police officer with another service?
- Would it be better to build 1–2 years of excellent employment and community/volunteer experience before applying?