Hey guys,


I've been looking forward to sworn police officer for years but in the end, its not going to work.  I asked my psycharist what she would say if a police department wanted a letter regarding my condition and she said that "you have it under control, but the techiques you use to keep it under control are consuming alot of your time.  I think you should just accept that there is something wrong with you and take the medication".  Medication is something that I refuse due to sexual sides and the fact that I dont agree with her that it is a genetic imbalance.  My mother has OCD and all my life i've had ocd tendencies, but my ocd is also due to certain childhood experiences and it can definetly be manageable if I keep working on it. 

Now im starting to worry.  I tried out for dispatcher trainee and got turned down because you obviously have to be mentally stable.  But what about things like crime analyst, crime scene technican, foresnics etc.  In the end, anyone can say that any job even remotely related to LE is safety sensitive and that since im not on medication, I have something wrong with me. 

So my questions, Do non-sworn positions do a psych test and/or look for psych history in BG??? 

DoubleT213 says ...

First, how about an introduction. Second, your doctor, a medical doctor, told you it was genetic, and your mother has OCD as well,  but you don't agree? The fact you and your mother have it is the very defenition of genetic. I recommend, unless you are a medical doctor, to take the advice of your psychiatrist and take your meds. Not all produce sexual side effects and those that do don't always affect everyone.

Jurisdictions vary...here our crime scene investigators are sworn officers so this wouldn't work. And even non-sworn positions still require background checks to include criminal, financial, and medical. It will come out. You must follow you own way but I would first listen to your doctor.

Intro posted and thank you for your response.

I dont agree with her in the sense that my ocd is where it is at because of an imbalance.  I've had bad childhood experiences that started it all and eventually made things uncontrollable.  I never told her about these things because they're fairly sensitive.

 I can manage it if i keep working on it since its not 100% genetic...I can't manage it enough to deal with a safety sensitive position.  I can certainly handle a desk job, even if it is stressful. 

Another reason I got off was because meds are a big red flag.  If I get back on, would this decrease my chances ?  are sworn / non sworn applicants allowed to be on meds?  I understand that everything must and will come out but just dont know if they care about mental history, but like you said I guess it'll be up to the dept and specific non sworn position

ninovb says ...

I don't understand when you say "I can't manage it enough to deal with a safety sensitive position. "  Please explain. Thanks

OCD hits hardest during stressful situations and even with meds, it can never be 100%.   In a position where anything can happen any second, I dnot want that one second to be the one where my mind is somewhere else.

In the civilian world, lets say im doing admin/office work.   I might have an obsession, I tell myself to leave it alone and that it is just a BS thought, and then I move on my work.  It is/can be manageable enough that I can live a successful civilian life but not in a position that your mind must be straight 100% all the time.

I'm just worried about the guy next to me with my same qualifications that dont have these problems and wasnt sure how much "weight" depts put on this kinda stuff.  I'm currently seeking therapy, just not meds.

Charles914 says ...

Being diagnosed with OCD will bar you from most LE positions as they require you to be able to react quickly under high pressure situations. Some of the alternate positions you mentioned are taken by sworn officers in our department. Is there any particular reason that you have focused on working for a police department or have you condsidered working for another business or agency? You should probably consider expanding your job search to take into consideration your abilities.

Was always interested in LE.  I have a degree in Sociology with a concentration in CJ. To sum it up, I studied what makes people commit crime. 

If I were to expand my search, it would be in the non-profit section, helping society's ills but im still looking into things like crime analyst or Forensic Tech beause LE is still my primary interest.