How can I find out what a previous employer would say about me to a potential future employer?

I'm sorry but I don't see that you have any real recourse unless you have the agreement negotiated through the union - because your former employer is actually telling the objective facts. You might consider having an attorney draw up essentially a cease and desist letter to your former employer to direct them to stop advising future potential employers that you resigned in lieu of termination. But unless the union specifically negotiated that you WERE eligible for rehire, you are likely going to be stuck with this.

And I'm really sorry, but they could and would have fired you had you not agreed to resign (unless, perhaps the department was large enough to move you into a purely administrative position). Employees are only entitled to reasonable accommodations for a disability. If your Crohn's disease was periodically preventing you from being able to report to work on time - it seems likely that your Crohn's disease would also flare up during shifts?

And during a flare up, you would then be unable to respond or react to emergent situations? Law enforcement (like fire fighters) are held to a higher physical and mental standard than the general population. They are allowed to discriminate against individuals with physical disabilities.

(I have personal experience with this - and frankly, it's why I went to law school.) But, as you probably already know, when you apply for a law enforcement position each one will specificially ask you to list other departments you have applied to. So even if you are able to get your original department to stop releasing information - it is likely the reason will still be uncovered by future potential employers.

I don't know how it works in the US but here in Canada its actually illeagal for an employer to give bad feedback of an employee, unless they have a proven reason of termination such as if the employee was caught stealing, its certainly not fair, I would look into where the law stands in your area and consider hiring a lawyer.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.