I'm already a cop... Want to get out of my current agency so I tested in an agency in a neighboring county that would have been perfect. Was #1 on the list after written and oral... Went to fill out the poly packet and was truthful... Maybe driven after drinking 5-10 times in my life(explained to them it was prior to working LE and so long ago I couldn't give them an exact date) and that when in the military there was a time basically the whole platoon was still partially intoxicated during muster. Again... YEARS ago... Meaning 15 years ago... And was DQ'd by them. Answered the same questions the same way at my current agency for the poly... No issues. oh well... On to the next.

What are some reasons you were rejected from an agency?

Most likely they had way more applications then open positions.  In such cases they have the "leisure" to select the "perfect" candidate... one with no problems in their past.

Psych

Polygraph.

How many drinks of alcohol...

Per day? Zero
Per week? Zero
Per month? Zero

Are you a recovering alcoholic? No.

Did you have anyone in your life that was an alcoholic and you had a bad experience with them? No

Then why don't you drink alcohol? I just don't want to be out of control. Plus the taste and expense.

I don't believe you. I don't think you're being truthful.

Why would I admit to experimental use of Marijuana in my youth, which is illegal, but lie about alcohol, which is legal?

Verbatim:
"I don't know. Why ARE you lying? "


You know a polygraph is going well when the examiner has that dialogue with you.

Yeah... That would be an indicator it may not be going well.

Basically when they DQ'd me they told me that becaus I put that it seems I have problems with my judgement and there may be an alcohol issue... They also said they were going to let it go and go on to the poly but didn't want to waste my time or the money "if something might come out in the poly". I kept my thoughts to myself and thanked them for their time and consideration...I found it funny that I've been in LE for 15 years now... Have NEVER had my judgement questioned... Never been the target of discipline or an investigation... Have honestly never even had a single complaint filed against me. Never in an accident(knock on wood)... The background investigator talked to my supervisors(current and former) and was told I'm a great cop... Work great with everyone... Know my job... And they've never had a single issue with me. So, like I said... It is what it is... And on to the next.

The agency I am with now didn't hire me the first time around. They did hire me a couple years later. I was later told that they should have hired me instead of several that they passed me up for.

Mistakes happen. Sometimes agencies pick the wrong person to hire and pass up the better one.

Hiring staff are only human.

Or they needed excuses to weed their way down to BLM candidate #15

Once upon a time I wanted to be a cop, even had my two year degree in CJ (with honors from an accredited University) and tried with a few departments:

1) Big City Department:  Said I scored too high on the written and they did not hire outside of the acceptable score range as people that scored too high tended to get bored with the job and leave in a few years and they would loose the investment in the person.

2) Big County Sheriff Office:  Said they had 50 openings, due to impending retirements, however, all of those retiring cops were white and due to affirmative action laws their racial ratios were under par and they needed to hire all minorities to fill those roles.

3) Big County Sheriffs Office:  Said I failed the poly because I was not truthful by failing to mention a part time, valet parking job I worked when I was 17 years old.  The polygraphist asked if I had ever been accused of stealing, I said yea told a story about how a lady accused me of stealing her purse when I parked her car...however, she got so wasted and forgot that she had left her purse in her husbands car when she sucked his dick in it half way through their bender.....polygraphist said, you NEVER INDICATED that position on your work history.....lol a 7hr cash job I had worked 7 years prior did not seem like something worthy of being on my resume, when I had more relevant recent work history like Armed Security guard, local and international bodyguard work, etc, etc, etc

4) Small time police department:  My parents lived next to the mayor of a small city, they got me a meeting with the Chief.....I liked him he liked me, they only got one position in the academy every round and I would have to pay my own way, which was fine....however two weeks before I was set to begin the academy the chief called me and said they unfortunately had to bump my position to somebody's relative who was a cop in NYC and was moving down.....this happened several times until I said FUCK IT I'm out.

Changed my major to Finance and never looked back.

If I were your background investigator I would have DQ'ed you as well for failure to follow simple instructions. Reading the background packet is fundamental. It's not a "resume" where you can omit things, it's a listing of your previous employers(yes, all of them) so they can be contacted to determine whether or not you are a reliable employee and an honest person.



And "armed security" and bodyguard work has zero to do with policing except maybe they both carry guns.



It's probably for the best you weren't hired.



 

This.
I listed my paper route job when I was 14 on my job history when I was hired because they asked for ALL previous employment.

Spent 8 years as a patrolman and detective sergeant averaging 50+ felony arrests per year (except for my rookie year), was one of only two designated snipers, was a SWAT Team Leader, was involved in several police shooting situations that were 100% good, was presented a Police Officer of the Year award in person by the Governor, and never got into any trouble.  Resigned due to burn-out from working 10-12 hours a day with no overtime pay.(As a detective sgt my case load was 5 felony cases per day = an impossible 8 hour a day work load).

Owned and operated a successful PI agency for the next 5 years, selling it for a profit.

Was DQ when I applied to another agency after selling my PI business allegedly due to:  Too many shooting incidents and an ex-wife who's next lover (a medical doctor) murdered his wife when caught with my ex and the cops thought my ex might have been involved in it with him.  This, even though my background was spotless, and I had divorced the bad wife only a few months after our marriage and there were at least 5 other officers on my old department that had been involved in more shootings with way less arrests than I had.  (We were the #1 highest crime rate city in the USA in our FBI population category at the time.)

I said to hell with police work, married a beautiful perfect wife with a high paying government job, moved to the Northern Rockies and became a wedding photographer working 1-2 days per week from May to October and making more money with zero headaches.  The other 6 months I spent deer & elk hunting, snowmobiling, fishing, camping, etc. Looking back, I'm glad I was DQ'd for no valid reason.  I went on to live a far less stressful life.

By the way, the doctor was convicted of murder, appealed and got off at a 2nd trial.  My ex was never charged. When all this happened I had not had anything whatever to do with either of them for  over a year and the agency I applied to knew I had zero involvement with them but I got screwed anyway.

This ought to be good.

When I was trying years ago they always hired precerts.   Now some dive team guys want me to become a reserve so i can dive with them,  but the reserve school doesn't work with my schedule,  and I don't have the money laying around for everything you have to buy.

I had 2 agencies DQ me in 2014 for a DUI in 1994 that was dismissed.

Had 1 DQ me because the Lt. conveniently "lost" some of my paperwork so when I went to the polligrapher, it turned into "you are lying".


And my personal favorite "we've gone through your divorce paperwork with your ex wife and she seems like a problem we dont want attached to you".

I couldn't reach 8 inches past my toes. They made me come back to try that part of the PT test again. There was no notice about it being part of the test and I need to stretch to get that flexible. For the whole hiring process, that was the test I was most worried about.

Something else I just found out... My old LT is furious and had some choice words regarding the Det that did my background... Apparently, when my old supervision told the investigator about some of the things I did at my old job and my accomplishments... He contacted another one of my personal references(a good friend that works at the same agency) basically, calling my old LT a liar and tried to verify his story because he didn't believe him... Basically "questioning his integrity", as he put it. My old LT has 25 blemish free years with the state police and 10 years with my old agency... Basically, when I talked to him the other day... His words were "Fuck that guy!" Again... The more I hear... The more it seems they tried to find something to move on to the next "more qualified" person.

This.  I can only pass them 50% of the time.  Applied for a certain agency three times in the 90s and passed psych on the second time. Answered truthfully all three times.  Failed first and third testing?  Perhaps it is my cynical attitude or I'm just an a-hole.

It's okay. Everyone looks at their poop. If they say they don't they're lying.

Haha!  Yeah.

Too many traffic tickets one year.  And a passive aggressive boss a few years before that.

So many of the guys I talked to said that sometimes it's just a roll of the dice until you get the right interviewer.  

I'm glad you changed your major........

I've never been DQ'd. Just never was ranked high enough...   Missed the cut by 1 spot several times...

You can't be serious.  

As a heart attack.



Failure to disclose all of your prior employment means you are either too stupid to read the background packet instructions or intentionally concealing a job because you fear a bad reference.



Either one should result in you not advancing further in the hiring process.



 

Routinely see applicants get DQ for omitting items in thier security background packet. For some it's an attention to detail thing while for others it's nothing more than lying by omission. If you truly want a job as a LEO, then you would carefully read all the paperwork and answer everything truthfully AND accurately.

CORN....When did I eat corn?  

you should send that agency's chief a thank you note.

Its just a job we are talking about here.



This is not national security.



If you think leaving out that you were a valet when you were 17 is a problem, you are silly.



On the whole polygraph thing, I used to think examiners were being rude by make accusatory statements and using certain tones of voice (when I was young and dumb(er)). However at the time I didn't know this is part of their SOP and training.  Since the polygraph is not based on science, but is a type of art form, you almost need training on how to take the test, since even if you are 100% truthful, you can still fail the "test".



 

Or because you were working off the books.

It's a job that requires truthfulness and thoroughness. Some.departments wouldn't care. Some hold their people to a higher standard than others.

I failed a polygraph because the examiner didn't believe I'd never smoked weed and thought I was being untruthful with him about a few incidences of stealing from Walmart that friends of mine partook in and I didn't have anything to do with, although I was present at the time. After being told I was lying several different ways and him being a prick about it, my attitude kinda came out for a minute when I told him that I was being honest and if he didn't believe me then I didn't know what else to tell him and he should move on to the next question...  and I'm pretty sure that's why they sent me the "thanks, but no thanks" letter in the mail a few weeks later.

Worked out anyways, I could've never afforded the rent in that county and didn't know a soul down there so I would not have been happy. I'll have been with my current agency for three years on August 7th and love the guys I work with.

I hand you a job application that says "List ALL jobs you have held in the past 10 years."



You omit one.



You either a)Can't read or b)Are a liar.



Why exactly do you think that means you should still be hired? Is it the fucking thought that counts? That's some millenial bullshit right there. You failed to follow simple written instructions at BEST, are a liar at worst.



McDonald's is always hiring people who have trouble reading English.



 

Okay, Im a 25 yo applying:





2006 - Mowed Ms. Joans yard 6 times - washed neighbors car


2007 - Mowed Ms. Joans yard 8 times


etc, etc




 
 

Good luck with your application. You will probably need it. After all, it's just a job.

Failed the POST test. But getting tutoring.