Looking for job as police officer, criminal record?

Will an expunged record affect my ability to get a job as a police officer?

• I am graduating from college with a bachelor's degree soon and will start going through a police academy but am worried that my record (disorderly conduct at age 18) five years ago will not allow me to attain the job that I want. I had the record expunged, I have not had any other police contacts and did not have a juvenile record. My question is will this prevent me from getting a job in law enforcement even with it being expunged and no other police contacts including being pulled over. I want to know because I do not want to waste a couple grand on a police academy if I won't get hired because of the incident. If someone with a law enforcement background can answer this it would help me out greatly. I will mainly be applying to jobs in my home state of Ohio but will apply to other police agencies in other states as well.

• Answer:

  In my community it would not be a problem. Even though the police department would see the expunged record, disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor (at least in this state) and a misdemeanor conviction would not keep a person off the police department.