The final "feel good" story of the year comes to us via the New York Daily News. Osvaldo Hernandez made a mistake. Poor judgement earned him a felony conviction back in 2002. He didn't allow it to cripple him. He served in the Army, fought in Iraq and then tried to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a policeman with the NYPD. Despite performing extremely well on the entrance exam, he couldn't join the department due to the felony conviction on his record. He decided to fight and he won! Even a Queens District Attorney had this to say about Hernandez, "Hernandez is richly deserving of a chance with the NYPD. Frankly, I have not seen an application for clemency more compelling." Wow! We congratulate Hernandez on his victory and wish him the very best. See, your past can be overcome...felony or not. It depends on you and how you have tried to rise from your past. Fight. Reach out for help. And should you be a person in a position to help someone trying to rise from the ashes of their past, pay it forward and extend your help. Read the full article below:
A decorated Army veteran whose lifelong dream of joining the NYPD was blocked by a 2002 felony conviction was pardoned Tuesday by Gov. Paterson.
"Osvaldo Hernandez has demonstrated that individuals can turn their lives around and that we need not let our mistakes define us," Paterson said in announcing the pardon.
"I commend Mr. Hernandez for his exemplary military career and am proud to assist him in attempting to further his career in law enforcement."
The pardon could clear the legal impediment to Hernandez joining the department. But NYPD spokesman Paul Browne had no immediate comment on Hernandez's chaged status.
Hernandez pleaded guilty after a Nov. 22, 2002, arrest for weapons possession - a decision that prompted him to reevaluate his life.
After doing eight months, he got a waiver to enlist in the Army and served three years with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was deployed to Afghanistan in February 2007, and served there for 15 months.
He received a number of decorations and an honorable discharge. Upon his return, the Queens man decided to pursue a career with the NYPD.
But police officials said his felony conviction - for keeping a .380-caliber handgun under the seat of his car - prohibited him from becoming a cop.
The soldier, now 27, launched a court fight last year to land a legal exemption that would allow him to join the NYPD.
Hernandez convinced both the judge and the prosecutor from his earlier conviction that he was worthy of service with the police force.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Barry Kron issued a "relief of civil disability" certificate that allows him to carry a gun - a right Hernandez had forfeited with his 2002 guilty plea.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Hernandez was richly deserving of a chance with the NYPD.
"Frankly, I have not seen an application for clemency more compelling," he said Tuesday.
Last March, Hernandez ranked 25th on the list of NYPD applicants after scoring a near-perfect grade on the entrance exam, his lawyer said.
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