Could I be disqualified from Law Enforcement?

[BLawerence1990]

I just recently graduated from highschool. I'm currently 18, and my ambition has always been to have a career in Law Enforcement.

My intent is to attend college in an effort to obtain my college degree in Criminal Justice.

Before I spend 4 years, and a considerable sum of money preparing for this career, I have a concern about my eligibility to work for Law Enforcement Agencies at local, state, and federal levels.

When I was 17 years old, there was an occurance where I led my father to believe that I was considering suicide. He panicked, called the local sheriff's office, and I was subsequently hospitalized under the Florida Baker Act (Mental Illness Act) for 3 days.

After leaving the facility, I was placed on anti-anxiety medication and a mood-stabilizer. I currently see a counselor, and am making steady progress. It is unknown if these medications will be temporary or permanent.

My question is: Will having been Baker Acted under those circumstances and/or the current medications disqualify me from a career in Law Enforcement after graduating from college?

Since this has always been my dream, you can understand why I continue to want a career in this field, however, spending 4 years of my life preparing for a career I may never be able to obtain would not be sensible. With this in mind, I need someone who has great knowledge in this area to advise me in this matter, or provide me with information as to where I can obtain accurate information on the subject.

Also, during my time at college, and during summers, I was hoping to make some money by working as an unarmed security guard, however, I am not sure how my history would impact my chances of obtaining a D License (Unarmed Security License) as well as my chances of being hired for those types of positions.

Thank you for any insight you can provide on the matter.

[bikemancs]

While I am not a FL LEO, and not quoting a specific source, I am going to say it's going to be awfully hard to get an LEO job.

Depending on some the actual meds, I would say you would have a difficult time even getting into the military. It would require a psych eval by a military doc, and a sign off by your counselor. And then, probably a waiver.

I wish you the best of luck, but you might want to look into other career options.

[cu29]

BLawercence1990:

Rephrasing your title question: could you possibly get a job as a Police Officer, or perhaps another LE job?

Sorry, but I think heck no regarding Police Officer, and pretty much certainly not, at least in Chicago. You couldn't even lawfully get a FOID (firearms owner's ID) for 5 years in Illinois after such an episode, let alone ever be a PO.

You could maybe still get a clerical LE job, say, in data entry or something.

Persons, even nice, courteous, earnest persons such as you seem to be, fail the Police psych exam for much less than having previously presented a threat to harm themselves. If you have to use the words "wanted to kill" in the interview, it's much more than pretty likely it will be over right after that and that you won't get the job.

I doubt there's a jurisdiction in the country that would hire you as a PO after something like that. Can you imagine the liability possibilites if you were ever to screw up on the job?

Andy Taylor would've had to refuse to deputize Barney Fife if Barn would've had such a history, and Andy keeps Barney on the job even though Barn is so incompetent (yeah, it's just comedy) that he usually lifts his revolver from the holster at least partly by the trigger, and usually makes sure to pull the gun fast enough to ensure that there are enough pounds of force to actuate it, so he accidentally fires (it's TV -- he fires into the ground harmlessly, but nevertheless dangerously) the one bullet he's allowed that he's supposed to have been keeping in his shirt pocket. Andy, of course, doesn't carry a gun; he just keeps a rack of rifles and shotguns just in case. God rest and bless Don Knotts (Barney), and God bless Andy Griffith and Ron Howard (Opie) and God bless all the Mayberry actors and other contributors. That was a great show.

Again, sorry, but I think your chances are pretty much nil. Please don't kill yourself over that, or over anything else, for that matter. Life has lots to offer besides the largely thankless, although in many ways gratifying, work of being the police, and killing yourself is not a decision you can take back later.

If you're angry or depressed, watch the Andy Griffith show and cheer up. There's no place quite like Mayberry to boost a decent person's spirits.

Please be good to yourself and others, and best wishes,

Cu29

[Breacher]

BLawerence, unfortunately you would be DQ here as well. There are plenty of other positions that you could do besides a cop on the street. Talk to your local agencies and explain the situation, they can best tell you where you should be concentrating your efforts.

Cu29, why are you answering questions in the 'Ask a Cop' section? You are not a cop, never have been a cop and never will be a cop.

[cu29]

Breacher:

I said I was a sworn LEO, and I am.

Do you think my answer was wrong or counterproductive, or rather was informative and helpful?

I didn't violate the stated guidelines for posting in the" Ask a Cop" forum.

Regards,

Cu29

[Breacher]

Breacher:

I said I was a sworn LEO, and I am.

Do you think my answer was wrong or counterproductive, or rather was informative and helpful?

I didn't violate the stated guidelines for posting in the" Ask a Cop" forum.

Regards,

Cu29

It was rather insensitive to the OP.

Do you work in a law enforcement capacity?

[cu29]

Breacher:

OK. I accept your criticism regarding insensitivity to the OP. I'll think it over, and try to do better in future, or try to stand down, if I decide after review that I was out of line, and, if I think it will do any good, apologize if I decide I was. Perhaps I was clumsy or inept. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I didn't mean anything other than good wishes. I said "sorry" when I emplaced the harsh reality parts. I didn't like bursting a bubble, and I don't want the person to be harmed, by himself, me, or anyone else. I think the person needed an honest appraisal of his chances, which perhaps others provided more sensitively than I did.

Your question to me asks for more information than is requested on the PWN registration form. As I've said in other posts, unless I have to, I'll say only that I answered the "sworn LEO" question on the form "yes" truthfully. I don't want anyone other than me to be possibly accountable for anything I might say. That gives me more liberty to say whatever I want to without impacting others by it being in any way attributable to them. I don't want to say anything hurtful and will diligently try to not say anything that is unjust to say or is untrue, and will not willfully say any of those categories of things.

I also don't want anyone to have pay off a suit or spend time in Court on account of my fingers having mouthed off on the net.

Regards,

Cu29

[Breacher]

Your question to me asks for more information than is requested on the PWN registration form. As I've said in other posts, unless I have to, I'll say only that I answered the "sworn LEO" question on the form "yes" truthfully. I don't want anyone other than me to be possibly accountable for anything I might say. That gives me more liberty to say whatever I want to without impacting others by it being in any way attributable to them. I don't want to say anything hurtful and will diligently try to not say anything that is unjust to say or is untrue, and will not willfully say any of those categories of things.

I also don't want anyone to have pay off a suit or spend time in Court on account of my fingers having mouthed off on the net.

Regards,

Cu29

I was refering to the following:

http://www.policeworld.net/vb/showthread.php?t=3621

Posting Replies In The Ask a Cop Forum

The Administrator and Moderators of PoliceWorld.net have observed and identified that the “Ask a Cop” forum has begun to somewhat veer off course from its intended purpose. Forum rules do not prohibit civilian members from posting on there provided that they are up-front about the fact that they are not employed in a law enforcement capacity. However, to keep things on track, we are providing the following guidelines to help us ensure that questions posed on “Ask a Cop” are addressed within the proper spirit of the forum’s intended objective: Provide a law enforcement perspective from the law enforcement community.

1. Answers should be addressed by a person who has been, or is currently employed, in a law enforcement capacity.
2. Civilians should focus on asking questions and not necessarily answering them on "Ask a Cop".
3. Address the questions directly according to an issue of law, policy, procedure, or experiences that speak to the issues of the topic posted.
4. Refrain from merely moralizing or judging the character of another poster.

We believe these guidelines will serve to maintain the objective of “Ask a Cop”. Specifically, to provide answers from the law enforcement community, to those who are asking for its perspectives.

[Breacher]

Persons, even nice, courteous, earnest persons such as you seem to be, fail the Police psych exam for much less than having previously presented a threat to harm themselves. If you have to use the words "wanted to kill" in the interview, it's much more than pretty likely it will be over right after that and that you won't get the job.

I doubt there's a jurisdiction in the country that would hire you as a PO after something like that. Can you imagine the liability possibilites if you were ever to screw up on the job?

Andy Taylor would've had to refuse to deputize Barney Fife if Barn would've had such a history, and Andy keeps Barney on the job even though Barn is so incompetent (yeah, it's just comedy) that he usually lifts his revolver from the holster at least partly by the trigger, and usually makes sure to pull the gun fast enough to ensure that there are enough pounds of force to actuate it, so he accidentally fires (it's TV -- he fires into the ground harmlessly, but nevertheless dangerously) the one bullet he's allowed that he's supposed to have been keeping in his shirt pocket. Andy, of course, doesn't carry a gun; he just keeps a rack of rifles and shotguns just in case. God rest and bless Don Knotts (Barney), and God bless Andy Griffith and Ron Howard (Opie) and God bless all the Mayberry actors and other contributors. That was a great show.

Again, sorry, but I think your chances are pretty much nil. Please don't kill yourself over that, or over anything else, for that matter. Life has lots to offer besides the largely thankless, although in many ways gratifying, work of being the police, and killing yourself is not a decision you can take back later.

If you're angry or depressed, watch the Andy Griffith show and cheer up. There's no place quite like Mayberry to boost a decent person's spirits.

Please be good to yourself and others, and best wishes,

Cu29

Extremely insensitive and condescending.

[arson571]

Depression, anxiety, stress, and moodiness are all things that cops experience as part of the social milieu of law enforcement. Hence the elevated divorce rate, suicides, and alcohol abuse. Plenty of officers get through their careers without the proverbial wheels coming off. However, I am pointing out that the environmental factors of police work negatively impact people who already score favorably for being low on depressiveness, high on self-confidence and extroversion, and other personality dimensions.

I am an LEO that worked 7 years as a patrol officer but later became an arson investigator and fire officer. I would suggest you consider pursuing a degree outside of law enforcement but minor in criminal justice. There are careers in forensics sciences, forensic psychology, criminology, victimology, and other police related disciplines.

I am no expert nor am I a licensed clinician. But I have learned that depression and anxiety are not stable personality traits that cannot be changed. With LEO jobs and the liabilities involved, past issues are often more of an issue of hiring a "risk" than it is an "attribute" determined by genetics. Studies on depression and anxiety indicate that some personality types are more or less resilient. But they also show that resilience or hardiness can be increased. People who tend to look at the world as "happening to them" and "beyond their control" are less hardy and resilient personalities than those with a flexible, can-do, and "I'll do better next time" type outlook.

Four points to success:
1. Show up to do the work.
2. Fully engage in the work.
3. Be honest with yourself and everyone else.
4. Don't get emotionally attached to the outcome.

Don't get yourself so fixated on the goal of being a police officer that you fail to see your other possibilities to be involved. But don't be so fixated on your issues that you fail to see the possibilities that might be your in.

[cu29]

Breacher:

My regrets and apologies to you, to other readers, and to the original poster, if I was insensitive and condescending. I didn't mean to be. I was trying trying to impart a little bit of perspective regarding the fact that the problems we encounter in life aren't something we should threaten to end our lives over, and horribly worse yet, actually do so over. I also wanted to present a reality check regarding the possibilities about being the police after an episode such as that described. Thank you for your reiteration of posting guidelines and for your added emphasis.

arson571:

I think that was a great post and was probably much more helpful and on point than mine was.

Regards,

Cu29

[Breacher]

Breacher:

My regrets and apologies to you, to other readers, and to the original poster, if I was insensitive and condescending. I didn't mean to be. I was trying trying to impart a little bit of perspective regarding the fact that the problems we encounter in life aren't something we should threaten to end our lives over, and horribly worse yet, actually do so over. I also wanted to present a reality check regarding the possibilities about being the police after an episode such as that described. Thank you for your reiteration of posting guidelines and for your added emphasis.

arson571:

I think that was a great post, probably much more helpful than mine.

Regards,

Cu29

And again, you didn't answer the question.

[cu29]

And I still, for reasons already stated, don't intend to, if I don't have to.

[Breacher]

And I still, for reasons already stated, don't intend to, if I don't have to.

Then don't answer questions in the 'Ask a Cop' thread.

[cu29]

Being willing to specificy my exact LEO status on the board isn't one of the specified requirements; being of the requisite status is.

[Breacher]

Being willing to specificy my exact LEO status on the board isn't one of the specified requirements; being of the requisite status is.

And you have proved you don't have the requisite status with your actions and words. You have no business answering questions in the 'Ask a Cop' thread.

[cu29]

disagree

[Sipowicz]

Boys, don't start this. Cu, keep an eye on your PM - one will be forthcoming.

[Breacher]

Boys, don't start this. Cu, keep an eye on your PM - one will be forthcoming.

Don't start what, Sip? That I have an issue with someone answering questions in the 'Ask a Cop' thread without specifying his role in law enforcement?

[Sipowicz]

Don't start what, Sip? That I have an issue with someone answering questions in the 'Ask a Cop' thread without specifying his role in law enforcement?

PM forthcoming.

[zap]

When I was 17 years old, there was an occurance where I led my father to believe that I was considering suicide. He panicked, called the local sheriff's office, and I was subsequently hospitalized under the Florida Baker Act (Mental Illness Act) for 3 days.

After leaving the facility, I was placed on anti-anxiety medication and a mood-stabilizer. I currently see a counselor, and am making steady progress. It is unknown if these medications will be temporary or permanent.

My question is: Will having been Baker Acted under those circumstances and/or the current medications disqualify me from a career in Law Enforcement after graduating from college?

Since this has always been my dream, you can understand why I continue to want a career in this field, however, spending 4 years of my life preparing for a career I may never be able to obtain would not be sensible. With this in mind, I need someone who has great knowledge in this area to advise me in this matter, or provide me with information as to where I can obtain accurate information on the subject.

Also, during my time at college, and during summers, I was hoping to make some money by working as an unarmed security guard, however, I am not sure how my history would impact my chances of obtaining a D License (Unarmed Security License) as well as my chances of being hired for those types of positions.

Thank you for any insight you can provide on the matter.


You may even be under a firearms disability.

I think you would most likely be DQ'd here. But, people change, and if that is the ONLY spot on your record and you are in fact not under any disability, you might still have a shot later. It all depends on the agency