1st DQ

[westsideBB]

i just went for my written test with baltimore city PD and was DQ'd bc of past druge use(marijuana more than 20 times). i know every department has their set of rules and standards but is that about what most police departments let you do. i have not touched marijuana in well over 3 yrs. i have my heart set on becoming an LEO. i am putting in applications with 4 other counties in my area. anyone have any similiar stories. any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.

[FutureLE]

The few depts list of DQ's that I have seen, list MJ as a DQ if in the past 12 months or more than 15 times...

[Bodie]

I would not hesitate to guess that you're DONE. With that much admitted use no agency is going to touch you.

[JinXeD]

you say that about everyone and you are probably wrong most of the time.....never once have i seen you say somethin encouraging to someone who asks questions about getting hired

[JinXeD]

keep trying west.....if not now, maybe in a few more years without touching it, some agencies will think otherwise. :)

[Blatant]

20 times for experimental use is the cutoff for many agencies that I'm aware of. Certainly possible there are some different ones, but I think Bodie is probably right; the poster has got an uphill battle. At minimum, you need to wait another year or two to apply so you get some time behind your last use.
d

[Bodie]

Jinxed . You're just a student you have not been inside and viewed the process of hiring police officers. Drug use and repaeted admitted drug use will dq anybody anywhere from a police officer position.

It's not going to go away or change in time and if a person would lie and get a position and two departments would happen to ever compare notes. Say because the guy was seen working as a cop by somebody from the agency that dq'ld him for the drug use admission he would be rightfully terminated for lying.

[BayCityBrawler]

I don't know about your area, but when I was looking in Florida after the academy about 5 years ago some of the agencies listed their drug DQ lists. I saw one which had no MJ use over 75 times. That was the most, I know Tampa PD used to be no more than 2 times. So it can differ widely. If you keep trying you may find a place. From what I've seen its the hard drugs that really stop people in their tracks.

[westsideBB]

i am still applying to some other agencies out there. hopefully there will be one that is a little more lenient with their policy concerning marijuana. will being dq'd from one agency give you a bad wrap sheet for the next? thanks for all the advice.

[SCREWED]

will being dq'd from one agency give you a bad wrap sheet for the next? thanks for all the advice.
I don't know about where you are but where I live as part of the application or when they interview you they will ask where else you have applied. Obviously they'll want to compare notes and your app with other agencies to make sure there are no discrepencies between them.

Whether or not they will share the dq information is another thing but if you continue to be forthright about the marijuana use that won't really matter.

I don't know of an agency around here that would touch someone with that much marijuana use. Maybe a co position but I doubt even that as the process is almost the same for those guys. Time may be the only healer for you and I don't know if even that will work. Some time in the military and a college degree might be a good idea if you don't have that.

[westsideBB]

i would think that agancies would be more concerned with someone who has done it more recent than with someone who has done it 20 times 3 yrs ago and has no intention of ever doing it again. but i am not a recruiter, what is the thought process that goes into that?

[AzFlag]

what is the thought process that goes into that?


If you live in a state where POST certifies all leo's that would be a big part of it. Typically POST has a set limit on drug usage. All departments have either what POST has stated as their policy or they allow even less. If POST will not allow you in then you cannot work in le.

[westsideBB]

what does POST mean?

[FutureLE]

what does POST mean?


Peace Officer Standards Training

[Bluntforcetraum]

I screwed around a little bit when I was in high school and I am taking a 4 year degree to put some time in between high school and applying. I think Alaska will hire you but you have to check.

[JohnnyV]

You might look into South Carolina but some depts state no drug use(including marijuana) in the last 5 years.

[VAsteve20]

i would think that agancies would be more concerned with someone who has done it more recent than with someone who has done it 20 times 3 yrs ago and has no intention of ever doing it again. but i am not a recruiter, what is the thought process that goes into that?
how old are you???
and also, just to give you an idea... 3 years is not that long ago...
and 20 times?? wow...
im going to have to go with bodie on this one, especially if you plan to get a job in MD or VA. It pays to stay drug free all your life i guess(i have been).

also some more food for thought...
even if a department lets the 20 times slide and you are able to test, think about all of the other applicants that are testing with you that have 0 drug use or a very very limited drug use history... if you put a ton of effort into the application process only to be denied because there are 30 other applicants with out a drug use history, you might get pretty ****ed.
come on down to chesapeake, va and apply... even if you get in(probably wont), you have a 50/50 chance of dropping out after week 1. ;)

[PittsburghKid]

It pays to stay drug free all your life i guess(i have been).

That's why I never touched the stuff, any of it. I don't even go near it. Because I didn't want this to ever hurt my chances of getting into LE.

PittsburghKid

[Sputin]

Don't listen to the naysayers. I have no idea if they are saying what they are out of ignorance or other reasons, but it's really not true.

Recent drug use is obviously an automatic DQ. If you've done something recently, time is the only thing to help you.

Marijuana use over 20 times is certainly not something to be proud about. And for certain departments that will DQ you right out. However, there are definitely exceptions. Some departments will only DQ you if any of those 20 times were after you were 21. Still other departments will not care about the number of marijuana uses if there's been a long time since the last use (like 10+ years).

So to really answer your question, it varies from department to department. So keep trying.

[WantItBad!]

I'm wondering: how would a department know if you've used more than a certain number of times? Especially if a hair sample comes up clean....Would it come up in the BI portion of the appl. process?

[mattph4716]

I'm wondering: how would a department know if you've used more than a certain number of times? Especially if a hair sample comes up clean....Would it come up in the BI portion of the appl. process?


Polygraph

As far as MD departments go, MPTC sets minumum standards regarding drugs for the state but each department can have standards that are more strict. Check with MPTC to see what the standards are.

[FutureLE]

I'm wondering: how would a department know if you've used more than a certain number of times? Especially if a hair sample comes up clean....Would it come up in the BI portion of the appl. process?


They would not know for sure.. They have to believe what you put down in your background packet.. Honesty is important in this career

Sorry mattph, The polygraph will not let them know if you liet-- havent we all learned the poly is a waste of time and only used to get confessions...NO MACHINE CAN DETECT LIES

[ParkLE]

Vermont is a good place to look for departments with more "forgiving" polices on usage

[Teddy29]

In refrence to Marijuana drug use, i have a friend who is ex Marine and left on Honorable discharge and is currently working as a security officer for Wackenhut Security Corp, he applied for Broward Sherriffs Office in Florida and when he put down he had used Marijuana once in the past after he graduated H.S ,he told me they discualified him from the hirering process, (guess what he said,) damn i guess for being honest you get Screwed and since he knew i was intrested he told me not to even think of saying i ever did Marijuana for example, though i told him i never done drugs)in conclusion he was just trying to inform me no to make the same mistake as he did ,oh well

[mattph4716]

Sorry mattph, The polygraph will not let them know if you liet-- havent we all learned the poly is a waste of time and only used to get confessions...NO MACHINE CAN DETECT LIES


I agree to a point but the poly is the tool they use to persuade people to tell the truth throughout the process.

[FutureLE]

I agree to a point but the poly is the tool they use to persuade people to tell the truth throughout the process.

I agree with that statement