This topic was first posted on FireCritic.com here: http://firecritic.com/2010/11/should-sex-offenders-be-firefighters-...

Can Sex Offenders be firefighters? Should sex offenders be firefighters? What about pardoned ones?

I am currently working on a story and one of the intriguing details is that a current firefighter WAS a convicted sex offender. The person was pardoned and is not a registered sex offender. The offense was bad (they all are). The offense
happened 30 years ago prior to the current laws that protect us from
these criminals. Should he be allowed to be a firefighter?


Here are my thoughts. Sex offenders should not be firefighters. I do not know of a National standard or regulation on this issue. However, if this man was pardoned and the infraction occurred prior to current
regulations should he/she still be punished for a crime they was
pardoned for? After all, they were pardoned and basically the crime is
no longer part of their wrap sheet (hopefully there is nothing else).
This is basically a loophole due to previously lackadaisical laws.


I just wonder if fire departments can legally disqualify someone from being a firefighter for something that might not show up on their background check. I am not sure it would in this case, but what if
someone brought it to the FD’s attention.


The questions are:

  • Should sex offenders be allowed to be firefighters? What about EMT’s?
  • Should previously pardoned sex offenders be allowed to be firefighters?
  • What about EMT’s?
  • Does your department look for this information in their background checks?

Here are some articles I found on the topic of sex offender/firefighters:

NSOPR – National Sex Offender Public Registry

FBI Sex Offender Registry

You might remember a while back that I posted a question on Firefighter Nation about Felons being firefighters. That discussion continues to spark interest from time to time and the conversation is rehashed. My answer remains to be NO. Several people
said that it depended on the crime. My reply….Name a GOOD Felony! I
didn’t think so. Felonies are felonies for a reason. They are crimes.


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The issue of hiring a felon is a state/department issue. Many have no objection to hiring someone convicted of a misdemeanor, other than patti. There is where I have an issue.

As for traffic offenses, it's still considered to be 'breaking the law.' patti may still have an objection. Apparently so long as she hasn't done it then no one else should.

My reply on misdemeanors was to prove a point, that sometimes the line between misdemeanor and felony is nothing more than a (minuscule) dollar amount. In Connecticut the difference between a Class A misdemeanor (1 yr or less in city jail) and a Class D felony can be as little as $0.01. One can get hired, the other can't. Over a penny. Is the one more trustworthy than the other?
I do need to chill. Her self righteousness just caught a nerve and pissed me off. No one is perfect, not even the self righteous. It is so out there to think a person cannot be trusted because they had a speeding ticket or shoplifted when they were 18. The difference between that and a "convicted sex offender" is gigantic. Black and white people, I have no time for them, the world is gray, not black and white.
There is a street downtown named after you, "One Way", it is nothing to be proud of.
Not exactly the kind of response one would expect from a burgeoning mother theresa.
Holy crap Patti....misdemeanors don't get in....? A traffic ticket/parking ticket is a misdemeanor......You must be in Heavens Department....Because I don't know many that would meet your qualifications......and what's more none that could meet the qualifications AND do the job.....
I have received three speeding tickets in my entire driving career. I have paid all of the fines in full, done traffic classes, and have worked to be more aware of my surroundings.....
Jack opinions are like a**holes. We all have one, but does that mean you really have to act like one?
Darn and I was so hoping that it was named red light district.
It is just an opinion. Just because it is an opinion does not mean I am self righteous or perfect. Sheesh even I am not perfect. I wish, I strive to be, but I am not. Yes I do get pissed at myself when I don't do things right. This is who I am, this is the person that my hubs fell in love with and married. So to you.... Bite me.
As long as we are on the topic of felonies. Not just the sexual predators, what about a case where a man goes to defend a woman and gets into a fight with that person and in the fight, ends up killing him by accident. He gets charged with manslaughter. What would you think of him? Is he a hero or a felon. The prosecuter said he was a felon because he could have walked away.
So Patti, by your own admission, you've had 3 traffic offenses (misdemeanors), to which you paid the fine (admission of guilt), and/or went to traffic school for (also an admission of guilt). Therefore, under your own standards, you should resign from your Fire Dept. Should we expect to see a copy of your Letter of Resignation here on FFN sometime in the near future?
I checked my washing machine (Kenmore), and there's NO noraml setting. What model is yours? :)~

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