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Barred vet seeks way to join NYPD
By Rocco Parascandola
Newsday
NEW YORK — Spc. Osvaldo Hernandez - the U.S. Army paratrooper trying to join the New York Police Department despite a felony record - moved one step closer yesterday to his goal when a Queens judge granted him relief from civil disabilities, a step that helps ex-convicts work their way back into society.
“I love public service,” Hernandez, 26, said outside court after getting the good news. “To me the best feeling in the world is helping people in need. I served my country. Now I want to serve the community. I just want to give back.”
The NYPD had no comment yesterday. Ultimately, the decision to hire Hernandez would rest with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Hernandez, a Corona native, was 20 when he served eight months in jail in 2002 for gun possession. He said then he felt he needed a weapon for protection.
Since then, he has straightened his life out - by his own account and the words of others, including his lawyer, a retired detective working on his behalf and his Army superiors.
He served a 15-month combat tour in Afghanistan and upon his honorable discharge in June, he applied to the NYPD. But convicted felons can’t carry weapons in New York State, an obvious job requirement for a police officer.
Hernandez, though, obtained a certificate from the state Board of Parole allowing him to be armed, and Justice Barry Kron yesterday granted him a relief from civil disabilities - allowing him to vote, obtain certain licenses and, at least in theory, get hired by companies hesitant to employ someone with a criminal record.
“We all make stupid mistakes when we’re young,” Kron said in court. “Mr. Hernandez made one. He paid his price.”
Earlier, Hernandez’s lawyer, James Harmon, retired Det. Randy Jurgensen, and Assistant District Attorney Robert Masters vouched for Hernandez’s good character.
Hernandez, dressed in his military uniform, himself read aloud from a prepared statement in which he asked for his rights back “so that I can continue to advance in life, and accomplish my goals.”
“I do not want to be deprived of the opportunity to further serve my community,” he said.
Copyright 2008 Newsday