Colorblindness

[Syndola]

I recently found out that I was colorblind. It is not severe but I do mix up some colors. I am thinking about being in Law Enforcement but am I able to be a Police Officer if I am colorblind?

[Niteshift]

I'm sure there are exceptions, but most departments consider colorblindness as a disqualifier.

It's not unreasonable. Red-green color blindness is the most common form. While you may be able to function perfectly fine in day to day life, you ability to recognize the difference between the 2 colors can be critical as a cop. Was the car fleeing the murder scene red or green? You're told to look for a red pick-up truck, will you be able to decide which ones to stop? Was the suspect wearing a red shirt or a green one?

Telling colors on some cars now is a hard enough task. There are so many colors that defy simple identification now, I can't imagine how one would do it without being able to seperate the colors.

There are, however, a lot of other jobs in the CJ field that don't require the same vision specs. You might consider one of those until you find one of those depts that does allow color blind officers.

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Niteshift-
Perseverate In Pugna

[Guard Dog]

On our agency it is a qualification for the reasons stated by niteshift. It affects many aspects of LE such as our dispatchers must see the different colors on the CAD screen. If an officer is down to long, his call pops up red. If your not seeing red then the officer could be endangered. On the street or in booking you must be able to distinguish eye color.

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"We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." General George S. Patton