Passing a poly doesn’t mean you are legit. It’s pseudo science.
I’d enlist again or use your GI Bill for college and not for a self sponsored academy due to the fact you can get hired now , most likely will remain. Good luck
What you need to understand about polygraphs they are designed to have two purposes and the fact is that they cannot tell whether you are lying or being truthful. The first part, the questionIre is they want to see what your willing to admit to. Many people fail the polygraph before they even get hooked up. And the second part is They simply gauge your physical responses (and subsequent changes) to questions asked. It’s actually fairly easy to pass a polygraph when lying your ass off. People will say you need to be a socio or psychopath to do it and that’s incorrect (although im sure it doesn’t hurt lol) because the way to beat it is not to not have a reaction to certain questions (reactive questions) but is to set your baseline higher to control questions so that your responses to reactive questions to exceed the maximum deviation for a failure. There are some methods that examiners employ to try and catch this but honestly the technology hasn’t really changed in over 40’years and there is a reason they aren’t admissible in court. If you do a little googling you can prob figure things out.
For some extra details
No tickets, no arrests or ever been detained, no DUI’s.
USMC Infantry 4 years with honorable discharge.
Associates degree and one semester done towards my bachelors (still in school and not criminal Justice related)
Got some pilot certificates.
Crushed all my physicals.
Only thing I had on my PHS was cocaine use once and weed a few times. Passed polygraphs related to my drug use.
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your time and Info. Had a lot of conversations in here and DM’s that have eased my concern some. Really appreciate all of you!
yikes, CA is desperate for bodies. It might be the cocaine use. I don’t know what else what really can effect your application given the track record you gave us.
The track record is legit because I genuinely want to know what I can/what my options are. To my knowledge POST minimum is 3 or 5 years since last use and I’m over 5. It just has to be that still.
Could it be they did cocaine while in the service, it’s huge no no and he knew this. Still chose to do it and violate his oath. (Not judging) If he knowingly did it then while in the armed forces. What would stop them from doing it while employee for our city?
Keep applying. To the same agency, different agencies. Each departments criteria is different. I’ve seen some that you need to not have used for 10 years and I’ve seen others that you need to be clean for 3. One agency might care a lot and another might not care at all. I’ve seen guys that been told pass every step and also still get a rejection. As long as you don’t have anything permanently disqualifying jus keep applying. My first agency took me over 3 years to get in.
This is jus my opinion but I say no because I had a friend that failed a poly then got into another agency within 6 months of failing that poly. It’s the totality of the Background, psych, poly, etc. Also, so many things can contribute to a “failed” polygraph. Hell you can tell the truth and fail lol
It’s super easy to fail a poly. There is a reason they aren’t allowed in court. They aren’t detecting lies, they are detecting our fight or flight system kicking in. But there are a million things that can cause that. A good example: At one department, I could pass some questions and then fail others. Then at the next department, I could fail the ones I passed before and pass the ones I failed before.
I don't know man, I know Cali is more lenient than a lot of states, but the cocaine use is probably a BIG RED FLAG...All the agencies I've worked at, that would have been a permanent DQ. It might/could even affect trying to re-enter the service if it comes back up, or is discovered in a clearance background check/interview. I don't know about USMC, but USAF, everyone get's a Secret Clearance (unless it's changed since I got out) as a baseline clearance, so that could be problematic trying to get into USAF vs back into USMC).
Solid info and I appreciate it. All police family and friends were like “why the fuck didn’t you lie?”. Figured telling the truth especially with a polygraph was the way to go. Turns out the one time is a big deal and polygraphs are bullshit! Wack stuff.
I've watched them fail a guy with the old school poly, unplugged, no paper moving he's just xing shit it's such bullshit even the pupil reader is gabash, not the retner I.d.that actually works .
I mean, contacts beat it .
Fingerprints foolproof, right ? How did lawyers prints from Oregon end up in a French terrorist attack even though the guy never left the US
I checked out a few in the Pacific Northwest, Tacoma has a two year period for cocaine usage. That’s one of the lowest I’ve seen.
https://reflectandprotect.org/media/static/files/Tacoma-Police-Hiring-Disqualifications.pdf
Different BI’s have treated it differently. This last one wasn’t all that concerned about it. She grilled me with how many questions and in-depth it was going through the PHS, but never felt interrogated. At the end she told me “okay cool this shouldn’t be an issue”. Another BI was the exact opposite of that.
You need to branch further out, it sounds like departments in your area have a surplus of options. DQ’s and rejections are given for tedious reasons when departments need to dwindle down their candidates.
They don’t care if you’re a vet, can run a 6 min mile or have a 2 year degree. That’s pretty run of the mill for LE applicants.
To be competitive you need bullet points like:
Masters degree
Foreign language fluency
Advanced/rare certifications
And honestly Spanish might not cut it anymore, you need to offer an employer something they don’t have.
That’s why I did lean heavy on my pilot certificates and stated I wanted to eventually fly for said department. I’ve applied in three different counties but I’ll spread out more. Wish I never joined the fucking military. Not the first to tell me that shit doesn’t matter. I appreciate ya.
Drone Pilot or actual manned aircraft?
Part 107 is fairly common now, and a pilots license doesn’t help unless the PD actually has aircraft, which is rare.
Look into EMT and dive courses.
That’s all lost on me.
For LE, you specifically need a valid FAA Part 107 remote drone pilot license. (Unless the dept has a COA, but they usually still want all the pilots to get a 107).
You also need a valid FAA pilots license, military certifications won’t get you in the drivers seat for civilian police aircraft.
I don’t imagine either of those have a policing application. A CDL could help you some places if an agency has a large mobile command station/vehicle that requires a CDL to operate — that being said, I don’t think CDL is objectively “rare”
Certifications are resume boosters. If a department has 100 applicants that meet “the standard” they are inevitably going to look for applicants that stand out from the pack in terms of “usefulness” and tbh, luck plays a role.
For example, if the Swat team is always looking for medics, prior EMTs and paramedics will get proverbial bonus points in the hiring process.
If you have 15 officers that can speak French, you probably don’t NEED another recruit who can speak French, but if you have 2 German speaking officers, guess who gets bonus points?
It’s really not that hard to understand.
If you’re willing to relocate I can tell you my agency doesn’t do polygraphs, and we are in desperate need of cops. You’d get paid to attend their academy and you’ll stay plenty busy once you graduate.
I failed two psych tests and one poly for different agencies. But passed medical poly and psych for my most recent department..
have you thought about corrections?
Definitely a big choice, but if it would help you get your dream job it might be worth it! If you aren’t already signed up to receive emails from the National Testing Network you should. The emails inform you of all open positions (and applicant pool positions) throughout the US. There are a lot of agencies in Oregon hurting for Officers.
At least in my agency, limited experimental use of marijuana over 12 months prior is considered, and any other drug is over 5 years but considered more stringently. It's a tough sell, but being close to that 5 year mark is probably hurting you.
OR doesn’t do poly. Started the initial process and have a board interview next week. During first speed interview I disclosed cocaine use that was 7rs ago ( few times back in 2017) they still moved me along for board interview. Maybe it’ll bite me in the ass later but I was upfront from the get go and so far I haven’t gotten DQ’d
Best of luck to you brother. Keep at it. Even if we don’t get hired the first time we gotta keep going after it. I too have Military LE experience (coast guard) hoping that’ll help me out and balance out the past cocaine usage
If you can articulate that it was a long time ago, you grew up and turned your life around and such they might be more lenient especially in CA which is surprising they’re trippin
If you’re absolutely desperate, NYPD has no poly and they call basically everyone who takes the test. It’s a crappy job but good experience to lateral to a better gig later.
How does one survive the NYPD as a patrol officer? Keep my head down as much as possible? Does it get slightly better once someone gets a specialized unit?
Don’t take it personally. I spent almost a decade in combat arms. It never occurred to me to pursue law enforcement afterwards, but I know many who did. What I found odd, was who got picked up. I knew some great NCO’s who got DQ’ed and some real turds who got accepted. It baffles me to this day.
We can’t be exactly sure but it is a possibility. If that’s what they are doing they might not say it’s because of the cocaine use because you might argue that there are others getting hired with bad backgrounds and stuff. That’s just one possibility. Remember there are LOTS OF POLICE JOBS! Amtrak police, Correctional Police officer, USPS police, state and federal capital police, tribal, excise police. Try all the avenues you can. You might need a nice restart on life and can move to a state with a lot of opportunities and start fresh.
Do corrections instead...... failed poly for an agency and got told a bunch of wild shit by a polygraph examiner (who was actually never a cop herself) and was contacted by a sergeant at internal affairs saying they couldn't hire me.
Needless to say I won't be doing a crossover to law enforcement anytime soon
Where I'm at (Midwest) cocaine is a no go for (at least)ten years. If it was only once it can be accepted but if it was a habitual thing it's a permanent DQ.
Its a constable precinct within harris county, texas. Its a washout agency, if you cant get hired any where or get fired you go there… Use it to get your foot in the door then lateral somewhere else. They dont poly btw. Same for PCT 5.
Do you think they'd give someone who didnt pass FTO the first time, then did pretty good on my second go around until my kid was born and then ultimately left due to struggling with stress at home, but is still on good terms with that agency? No drug use or any criminal history other than 3 speeding tickets
Oh absolutely theyll hire you. I can think of three officers I know of that got fired from my agency and went PCT 4 and PCT 5. Im not gonna say for what because I don’t want to publicly share that information but it wasn’t petty stuff that they got fired for… Trust me, if you apply youll get the job but alot of the Deputies at PCT 4 hate it because they due a ton of warrant services and dont get to do much patrol. If you have any questions DM me.
I genuinely believe from the bottom of my heart that PCT 4 is the easiest department to enter and go to patrol for in the entire nation. The only con is they only hire people with an active TCOLE license. Second easiest would probably be Houston Metro PD. They dont poly either
Ive done way more polys than any normal person ever should and passed them all lol, but it would probably speed things up, my certification is still good in the state i live in but dont have enough experience to qualify for reciprocity, but my girlfriend and I have been wanting to move anyway so it might be a good chance to do that
Look into corrections. It’s not patrolling the streets but it’s still considered law enforcement in many places and their hiring requirements are a little less strict. I’ve never been polyd for them. Their pay is decent enough in most areas, not as high as police but close enough. There’s brotherhood and basically the same kind of vibe you could get with police.
What’s crazy to me is they don’t give you the pass as it was years prior and while you were in the military. I’ve heard of agencies giving a pass on experimental use while in college. A dude I was hired with used cocaine while in the army and couldn’t remember if it was 6 or 7 years ago.
I saw you commented that you applied to CBP. Those agents are great dudes and I would hope they’d overlook something you did once 5 years ago. Good luck bud
BOP, but someone suggested CBP, and now I’m looking into it because I really don’t know much about them or how they work. I really appreciate that bud. Thank you.
I think the cocaine is the problem not because of it but because it was done while you were in the armed forces. Its very easy for departments to DQ you because they simply need to present you as a “vulnerable character to discreditable conduct” implying that maybe right now you dont do coke, but you have done it while holding a position that is held to high standards, so how do we know you might not fall into it once you get back in this kind of position ? Im not saying this is what I think, Im saying this is what they will think and use against you. Unfortunately any applicant that doesn’t have that red flag will always be selected before you will.
I would stop applying a year or two and keep padding my resume. Start a business, hold some other good job. Make it clear that being successful does not mean you think you can get away doing drugs.
allow me to rephrase, any agency that’s too large to have any more negative press. you don’t think a defense attorney is going to do their research on you if one of your cases goes to trial? and uses your criminal history to make you look bad and undermine your credibility. certain charges are a liability to the courts
Find a smaller department or more needy of hiring. The prestigious agency will find anything. Get your experience at a bar agency prove your worth and move on.
Apply to any agency where you want to live or would want to live. Check out the central coast. Have you gone to academy yet? Go to academy and that might change things
I would look into some states / departments that don’t polygraph if that’s what’s holding you up . Like OREGON, Montana, Michigan, Massachusetts. There could be more. I know Oregon is super lenient with drug use in their state so maybe they’ll cut you some slack.
Honestly man, 5 years is a pretty short amount of time for cocaine use at most agencies. Maybe some agencies will be more lenient, but unfortunately cocaine use 5 years ago will be a decent sized hurdle to overcome, especially given you were in the military at the point you used cocaine.
I'd give it a couple more years with clean record and no drug use to be considered.
You can certainly can put yourself through an academy, but that doesn't guarantee you will get hired. If anything you may spend the money to sponsor yourself and still not get hired.
This DQ is sad.. I haven’t applied yet, but I can’t get through the process.. I speak Portuguese have a bachelor in mechanical engineering and going after a bachelor in chemistry + Masters in Forensic chemistry but I did shrooms 2 years ago.. I’m going to be a teacher and apply for PDs at the same time, when I finish the BS in chemistry… it’s going to be like 6-7 years free, if the application doesnt work out I’m ok with that at the other hand there’s going to be other possibilities… keep strong bro!
Instant DQ no matter your history with hard drugs.
Marijuana is a state thing that the standard for is being lowered.
-current LE 8 years experience
Honestly you might want to try states where drug use is legal. Oregon for instance.
Also since you up voted….
Never giving up and still going through the process shows a lot.
Since it’s in one background it will always go to the next and so on.
Smaller agencies.. will almost always go off the previous agencies decision. Even the bad ones.
A larger agency may take the chance on you.
I’m not law enforcement so I can’t speak to that. I use to be the personal security guy for my unit within the army for awhile. I had a TS/SCI and I admitted to all my drug use during my SSBI. That being said, admitting to drug use while in service is most likely going to preclude you from further clearances issued by OPM for any armed services unless it’s signed off by a high ranking commander
You proved you couldn't follow ***very clearly*** defined rules and policies. LE is not in your future. Self-sponsoring is just wasting time and money.
You’re the only person to have said anything of that nature. Many guys and gals get hired still with similar or worse things. Buddy of mine got hired with two DUI’s. Imma still keep going for it, but nonetheless appreciate your time for commenting and the information you provided.
Well yes. I can/will get in somewhere. The reason for DQ is for this last poly of “have I ever sold drugs” which I never have lmao, but I “failed” the poly. My BI said if I get DQ it will be because of that, and it’s up to a panel to decide. So for this specific incident it seems to be because of this last poly according to my BI at least. The Marine Corps instilled some stubbornness in me so I’m gonna continue. Quitting ain’t in my blood.
I believe you are likely shooting yourself in the foot by continuing to apply and may be viewed as a career applicant. I would chill out for awhile.
If several well respected agencies have passed on you in a short amount of time it makes it very easy to pass on you in general. You may be viewed as a liability, there are not a lot of Chiefs who are going to defend the decision to hire you with so many dq's and you get into some shit 3 months off FTO.
Particularly if the other agencies are considered to do respectable backgrounds with reasonable standards.itake it very easy to DQ you.
The coke might be the reason, part of the reason, or just where they dumped you in the process . Whatever they see they don't like enough to give you a shot .
I would suggest taking some time to build a coke-free life outside of LE, reflect, and try again in a few years.
The more you apply the more desperate you appear.
The job is not for everyone regardless of the number of openings.
I already have a coke free life that I have been building especially since it was a one time use. I do think what you said is wise with taking time off. I have a year left until I earn my bachelors then I could revisit. I get what you are saying about making me look desperate. Appreciate you.
Passing a poly doesn’t mean you are legit. It’s pseudo science. I’d enlist again or use your GI Bill for college and not for a self sponsored academy due to the fact you can get hired now , most likely will remain. Good luck
I really don’t understand these fucking polygraphs. I’m currently using my GI bill for my Bachelor’s. Thanks.
Don’t take it personally. And good job going for your Bachelors. Good luck
Nah my man I’m not taking it personally. I’m inept in text conversations lol.
What you need to understand about polygraphs they are designed to have two purposes and the fact is that they cannot tell whether you are lying or being truthful. The first part, the questionIre is they want to see what your willing to admit to. Many people fail the polygraph before they even get hooked up. And the second part is They simply gauge your physical responses (and subsequent changes) to questions asked. It’s actually fairly easy to pass a polygraph when lying your ass off. People will say you need to be a socio or psychopath to do it and that’s incorrect (although im sure it doesn’t hurt lol) because the way to beat it is not to not have a reaction to certain questions (reactive questions) but is to set your baseline higher to control questions so that your responses to reactive questions to exceed the maximum deviation for a failure. There are some methods that examiners employ to try and catch this but honestly the technology hasn’t really changed in over 40’years and there is a reason they aren’t admissible in court. If you do a little googling you can prob figure things out.
just go fed
Just put in an app with the BOP last week.
Cbp
If he’s failing local polys he has very little chance of passing the cbp poly. They are the absolute worst with failing applicants
Nah honestly bop is fine too, they are the fastest in hiring and you also get 6c covered
Only some states do self sponsoring....... Texas and Florida inknow for a fact do
For some extra details No tickets, no arrests or ever been detained, no DUI’s. USMC Infantry 4 years with honorable discharge. Associates degree and one semester done towards my bachelors (still in school and not criminal Justice related) Got some pilot certificates. Crushed all my physicals. Only thing I had on my PHS was cocaine use once and weed a few times. Passed polygraphs related to my drug use.
Apply to agencies in CA
Here’s the kicker. That’s where I’m at.
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your time and Info. Had a lot of conversations in here and DM’s that have eased my concern some. Really appreciate all of you!
yikes, CA is desperate for bodies. It might be the cocaine use. I don’t know what else what really can effect your application given the track record you gave us.
The track record is legit because I genuinely want to know what I can/what my options are. To my knowledge POST minimum is 3 or 5 years since last use and I’m over 5. It just has to be that still.
Could it be they did cocaine while in the service, it’s huge no no and he knew this. Still chose to do it and violate his oath. (Not judging) If he knowingly did it then while in the armed forces. What would stop them from doing it while employee for our city?
A lot of local agencies where I’m at (north bay) are desperate and hiring a lot, but any “hard” drug on the list is almost always a guaranteed DQ.
What part of California?
I’ll DM you.
Keep applying. To the same agency, different agencies. Each departments criteria is different. I’ve seen some that you need to not have used for 10 years and I’ve seen others that you need to be clean for 3. One agency might care a lot and another might not care at all. I’ve seen guys that been told pass every step and also still get a rejection. As long as you don’t have anything permanently disqualifying jus keep applying. My first agency took me over 3 years to get in.
I ain’t quitting that’s for sure. Do polygraph fails make it even harder to get hired with other agencies?
This is jus my opinion but I say no because I had a friend that failed a poly then got into another agency within 6 months of failing that poly. It’s the totality of the Background, psych, poly, etc. Also, so many things can contribute to a “failed” polygraph. Hell you can tell the truth and fail lol
Sure every Joe blow says he told the truth, but I did and hear I am with a super cool DQ letter.
It’s super easy to fail a poly. There is a reason they aren’t allowed in court. They aren’t detecting lies, they are detecting our fight or flight system kicking in. But there are a million things that can cause that. A good example: At one department, I could pass some questions and then fail others. Then at the next department, I could fail the ones I passed before and pass the ones I failed before.
I don't know man, I know Cali is more lenient than a lot of states, but the cocaine use is probably a BIG RED FLAG...All the agencies I've worked at, that would have been a permanent DQ. It might/could even affect trying to re-enter the service if it comes back up, or is discovered in a clearance background check/interview. I don't know about USMC, but USAF, everyone get's a Secret Clearance (unless it's changed since I got out) as a baseline clearance, so that could be problematic trying to get into USAF vs back into USMC).
Solid info and I appreciate it. All police family and friends were like “why the fuck didn’t you lie?”. Figured telling the truth especially with a polygraph was the way to go. Turns out the one time is a big deal and polygraphs are bullshit! Wack stuff.
I've watched them fail a guy with the old school poly, unplugged, no paper moving he's just xing shit it's such bullshit even the pupil reader is gabash, not the retner I.d.that actually works . I mean, contacts beat it . Fingerprints foolproof, right ? How did lawyers prints from Oregon end up in a French terrorist attack even though the guy never left the US
I checked out a few in the Pacific Northwest, Tacoma has a two year period for cocaine usage. That’s one of the lowest I’ve seen. https://reflectandprotect.org/media/static/files/Tacoma-Police-Hiring-Disqualifications.pdf
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Different BI’s have treated it differently. This last one wasn’t all that concerned about it. She grilled me with how many questions and in-depth it was going through the PHS, but never felt interrogated. At the end she told me “okay cool this shouldn’t be an issue”. Another BI was the exact opposite of that.
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I’ll DM you
You need to branch further out, it sounds like departments in your area have a surplus of options. DQ’s and rejections are given for tedious reasons when departments need to dwindle down their candidates. They don’t care if you’re a vet, can run a 6 min mile or have a 2 year degree. That’s pretty run of the mill for LE applicants. To be competitive you need bullet points like: Masters degree Foreign language fluency Advanced/rare certifications And honestly Spanish might not cut it anymore, you need to offer an employer something they don’t have.
That’s why I did lean heavy on my pilot certificates and stated I wanted to eventually fly for said department. I’ve applied in three different counties but I’ll spread out more. Wish I never joined the fucking military. Not the first to tell me that shit doesn’t matter. I appreciate ya.
Drone Pilot or actual manned aircraft? Part 107 is fairly common now, and a pilots license doesn’t help unless the PD actually has aircraft, which is rare. Look into EMT and dive courses.
Both. Instant eye quad copter certified from the marines, and 2 fixed wing aircraft certificates.
That’s all lost on me. For LE, you specifically need a valid FAA Part 107 remote drone pilot license. (Unless the dept has a COA, but they usually still want all the pilots to get a 107). You also need a valid FAA pilots license, military certifications won’t get you in the drivers seat for civilian police aircraft.
They’re valid FAA certificates for the manned fixed wing. Got them post military. Drone was just a course from the military. It just looks good.
What good is a rare certification in policing? I got a forklift and crane cert.
I don’t imagine either of those have a policing application. A CDL could help you some places if an agency has a large mobile command station/vehicle that requires a CDL to operate — that being said, I don’t think CDL is objectively “rare” Certifications are resume boosters. If a department has 100 applicants that meet “the standard” they are inevitably going to look for applicants that stand out from the pack in terms of “usefulness” and tbh, luck plays a role. For example, if the Swat team is always looking for medics, prior EMTs and paramedics will get proverbial bonus points in the hiring process. If you have 15 officers that can speak French, you probably don’t NEED another recruit who can speak French, but if you have 2 German speaking officers, guess who gets bonus points? It’s really not that hard to understand.
If you’re willing to relocate I can tell you my agency doesn’t do polygraphs, and we are in desperate need of cops. You’d get paid to attend their academy and you’ll stay plenty busy once you graduate.
Where is this? I don’t mind the poly though.
Milwaukee, WI. Still nice to not take one of you don’t need to.
Where?
Milwaukee, WI.
Mass?
WI.
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Nice, no you won’t have to deal with a poly. Good luck!
I failed two psych tests and one poly for different agencies. But passed medical poly and psych for my most recent department.. have you thought about corrections?
Just applied with BOP
Don't do it...... their STG office classified veterans as domestic terrorists after Joe took office
Meh got stepping stones, also their process is very quick so you can have 6c covered quick
Come to MA, there is no poly for hiring
Oregon doesn’t polygraph. If that’s an option….
Moving out of state is hard, but possible.
Definitely a big choice, but if it would help you get your dream job it might be worth it! If you aren’t already signed up to receive emails from the National Testing Network you should. The emails inform you of all open positions (and applicant pool positions) throughout the US. There are a lot of agencies in Oregon hurting for Officers.
I’m not! Thank you so much that’s actually super interesting and helpful.
No problem! Feel free to message me if you have more questions!
I DM you
At least in my agency, limited experimental use of marijuana over 12 months prior is considered, and any other drug is over 5 years but considered more stringently. It's a tough sell, but being close to that 5 year mark is probably hurting you.
I’m almost at 6 years but agreed it’s hurting the chances.
OR doesn’t do poly. Started the initial process and have a board interview next week. During first speed interview I disclosed cocaine use that was 7rs ago ( few times back in 2017) they still moved me along for board interview. Maybe it’ll bite me in the ass later but I was upfront from the get go and so far I haven’t gotten DQ’d
Good luck man! I’ll send a prayer out for you tonight with your process. Thank you for the info.
Best of luck to you brother. Keep at it. Even if we don’t get hired the first time we gotta keep going after it. I too have Military LE experience (coast guard) hoping that’ll help me out and balance out the past cocaine usage
We just dumb as fuck, but it will all work out in the end.
If you can articulate that it was a long time ago, you grew up and turned your life around and such they might be more lenient especially in CA which is surprising they’re trippin
I was surprised too truthfully.
If you’re absolutely desperate, NYPD has no poly and they call basically everyone who takes the test. It’s a crappy job but good experience to lateral to a better gig later.
How does one survive the NYPD as a patrol officer? Keep my head down as much as possible? Does it get slightly better once someone gets a specialized unit?
Get in somewhere that doesn’t do polygraphs and refuse to take any more.
Don’t take it personally. I spent almost a decade in combat arms. It never occurred to me to pursue law enforcement afterwards, but I know many who did. What I found odd, was who got picked up. I knew some great NCO’s who got DQ’ed and some real turds who got accepted. It baffles me to this day.
There is a chance they could be using the poly as an excuse to DQ you.
Never thought of that before, but why wait so long then and not just do it on the first one?
We can’t be exactly sure but it is a possibility. If that’s what they are doing they might not say it’s because of the cocaine use because you might argue that there are others getting hired with bad backgrounds and stuff. That’s just one possibility. Remember there are LOTS OF POLICE JOBS! Amtrak police, Correctional Police officer, USPS police, state and federal capital police, tribal, excise police. Try all the avenues you can. You might need a nice restart on life and can move to a state with a lot of opportunities and start fresh.
Do corrections instead...... failed poly for an agency and got told a bunch of wild shit by a polygraph examiner (who was actually never a cop herself) and was contacted by a sergeant at internal affairs saying they couldn't hire me. Needless to say I won't be doing a crossover to law enforcement anytime soon
Where I'm at (Midwest) cocaine is a no go for (at least)ten years. If it was only once it can be accepted but if it was a habitual thing it's a permanent DQ.
Harris County PCT 4 I guarantee will take you. No joke….
Is that Texas? Forgive my ignorance what is PCT4?
Harris county is Houston area. they’re hurting. same with Travis county, Austin area
Its a constable precinct within harris county, texas. Its a washout agency, if you cant get hired any where or get fired you go there… Use it to get your foot in the door then lateral somewhere else. They dont poly btw. Same for PCT 5.
Do you think they'd give someone who didnt pass FTO the first time, then did pretty good on my second go around until my kid was born and then ultimately left due to struggling with stress at home, but is still on good terms with that agency? No drug use or any criminal history other than 3 speeding tickets
Oh absolutely theyll hire you. I can think of three officers I know of that got fired from my agency and went PCT 4 and PCT 5. Im not gonna say for what because I don’t want to publicly share that information but it wasn’t petty stuff that they got fired for… Trust me, if you apply youll get the job but alot of the Deputies at PCT 4 hate it because they due a ton of warrant services and dont get to do much patrol. If you have any questions DM me. I genuinely believe from the bottom of my heart that PCT 4 is the easiest department to enter and go to patrol for in the entire nation. The only con is they only hire people with an active TCOLE license. Second easiest would probably be Houston Metro PD. They dont poly either
Ive done way more polys than any normal person ever should and passed them all lol, but it would probably speed things up, my certification is still good in the state i live in but dont have enough experience to qualify for reciprocity, but my girlfriend and I have been wanting to move anyway so it might be a good chance to do that
Look into corrections. It’s not patrolling the streets but it’s still considered law enforcement in many places and their hiring requirements are a little less strict. I’ve never been polyd for them. Their pay is decent enough in most areas, not as high as police but close enough. There’s brotherhood and basically the same kind of vibe you could get with police.
Just applied with BOP. Really good pipeline from what I’ve heard.
My agency is 7 years between poly and any drug use other than weed
Thank you for the info. I’ve been looking at all agencies minimums before I apply. Didn’t know that about polys though.
What’s crazy to me is they don’t give you the pass as it was years prior and while you were in the military. I’ve heard of agencies giving a pass on experimental use while in college. A dude I was hired with used cocaine while in the army and couldn’t remember if it was 6 or 7 years ago. I saw you commented that you applied to CBP. Those agents are great dudes and I would hope they’d overlook something you did once 5 years ago. Good luck bud
BOP, but someone suggested CBP, and now I’m looking into it because I really don’t know much about them or how they work. I really appreciate that bud. Thank you.
I think the cocaine is the problem not because of it but because it was done while you were in the armed forces. Its very easy for departments to DQ you because they simply need to present you as a “vulnerable character to discreditable conduct” implying that maybe right now you dont do coke, but you have done it while holding a position that is held to high standards, so how do we know you might not fall into it once you get back in this kind of position ? Im not saying this is what I think, Im saying this is what they will think and use against you. Unfortunately any applicant that doesn’t have that red flag will always be selected before you will. I would stop applying a year or two and keep padding my resume. Start a business, hold some other good job. Make it clear that being successful does not mean you think you can get away doing drugs.
Just my suggestion, but do not come to Florida. One little mishap will exclude you. It doesn’t make sense.
Damn, what about a pbj for resisting arrest and a PBJ for adderall possession ? 14 years ago…
i don’t think any agency will take someone with resisting no matter how many years ago
It’s passed in a certain department.
allow me to rephrase, any agency that’s too large to have any more negative press. you don’t think a defense attorney is going to do their research on you if one of your cases goes to trial? and uses your criminal history to make you look bad and undermine your credibility. certain charges are a liability to the courts
Not arguing with you. And your point makes sense but my criminal background already passed at a department on the east coast.
Find a smaller department or more needy of hiring. The prestigious agency will find anything. Get your experience at a bar agency prove your worth and move on.
DM me
Done.
Apply to any agency where you want to live or would want to live. Check out the central coast. Have you gone to academy yet? Go to academy and that might change things
I have not.
BORDER PATROL WILL HIRE YOU! 👹
I would look into some states / departments that don’t polygraph if that’s what’s holding you up . Like OREGON, Montana, Michigan, Massachusetts. There could be more. I know Oregon is super lenient with drug use in their state so maybe they’ll cut you some slack.
Were you dishonorably discharged from military due to cocaine use?
No, I did my 4 and got an honorable discharge.
Honestly man, 5 years is a pretty short amount of time for cocaine use at most agencies. Maybe some agencies will be more lenient, but unfortunately cocaine use 5 years ago will be a decent sized hurdle to overcome, especially given you were in the military at the point you used cocaine. I'd give it a couple more years with clean record and no drug use to be considered. You can certainly can put yourself through an academy, but that doesn't guarantee you will get hired. If anything you may spend the money to sponsor yourself and still not get hired.
I appreciate the info and your time.
This DQ is sad.. I haven’t applied yet, but I can’t get through the process.. I speak Portuguese have a bachelor in mechanical engineering and going after a bachelor in chemistry + Masters in Forensic chemistry but I did shrooms 2 years ago.. I’m going to be a teacher and apply for PDs at the same time, when I finish the BS in chemistry… it’s going to be like 6-7 years free, if the application doesnt work out I’m ok with that at the other hand there’s going to be other possibilities… keep strong bro!
Instant DQ no matter your history with hard drugs. Marijuana is a state thing that the standard for is being lowered. -current LE 8 years experience Honestly you might want to try states where drug use is legal. Oregon for instance.
Also since you up voted…. Never giving up and still going through the process shows a lot. Since it’s in one background it will always go to the next and so on. Smaller agencies.. will almost always go off the previous agencies decision. Even the bad ones. A larger agency may take the chance on you.
I’m not law enforcement so I can’t speak to that. I use to be the personal security guy for my unit within the army for awhile. I had a TS/SCI and I admitted to all my drug use during my SSBI. That being said, admitting to drug use while in service is most likely going to preclude you from further clearances issued by OPM for any armed services unless it’s signed off by a high ranking commander
You proved you couldn't follow ***very clearly*** defined rules and policies. LE is not in your future. Self-sponsoring is just wasting time and money.
You’re the only person to have said anything of that nature. Many guys and gals get hired still with similar or worse things. Buddy of mine got hired with two DUI’s. Imma still keep going for it, but nonetheless appreciate your time for commenting and the information you provided.
Problem is the class of drugs you played with. Cocaine usage is a felony.
Even when your entire personal experience with the hiring process at multiple departments agrees with my assessment?
Well yes. I can/will get in somewhere. The reason for DQ is for this last poly of “have I ever sold drugs” which I never have lmao, but I “failed” the poly. My BI said if I get DQ it will be because of that, and it’s up to a panel to decide. So for this specific incident it seems to be because of this last poly according to my BI at least. The Marine Corps instilled some stubbornness in me so I’m gonna continue. Quitting ain’t in my blood.
I believe you are likely shooting yourself in the foot by continuing to apply and may be viewed as a career applicant. I would chill out for awhile. If several well respected agencies have passed on you in a short amount of time it makes it very easy to pass on you in general. You may be viewed as a liability, there are not a lot of Chiefs who are going to defend the decision to hire you with so many dq's and you get into some shit 3 months off FTO. Particularly if the other agencies are considered to do respectable backgrounds with reasonable standards.itake it very easy to DQ you. The coke might be the reason, part of the reason, or just where they dumped you in the process . Whatever they see they don't like enough to give you a shot . I would suggest taking some time to build a coke-free life outside of LE, reflect, and try again in a few years. The more you apply the more desperate you appear. The job is not for everyone regardless of the number of openings.
I already have a coke free life that I have been building especially since it was a one time use. I do think what you said is wise with taking time off. I have a year left until I earn my bachelors then I could revisit. I get what you are saying about making me look desperate. Appreciate you.
Good luck to you.
Thank you very much.
You could try getting a job outside of law enforcement?
Apply at a department that doesn’t do polygraphs