Disclosure of Mental Health History When Seeking Police Employment
My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: CA
Hello all.
In October of 2014 I had a 5150 when I was suicidal and was committed for 3 days, after which I returned to work. I since have been in therapy and under the care of a psychiatrist and am doing much better. I am applying for a position as a 911 dispatcher (so the gun ban is not an issue.) I do not want to be dishonest and lie, so should I address the 5150 head on, knowing it will likely come up in a background check? And how do I do that the best way?
Secondly, they ask about various drug use and I've been sober all my life (drink very rarely and in moderation, no smoking or drug use.) So I marked never on all. But now I'm thinking back... I honestly can't remember if I ever tried marijuana in college. Again, I don't want to lie. Since I already marked "never" and am 99.9% sure that's accurate, should I just go with that?
You do undergo psychological testing and a polygraph from what I understand.
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
Yes, the 5150 committal can be a problem. However, even if you bring it up early, they cannot really ask you about it until after a conditional job offer has been made to you and you are sent to the medical phase (which may also include a psych exam). So, don't be surprised if they play it down if you bring it up, initially.
As for the drug use, it's not a lie if you don't think you did. Though, it seems peculiar that you can't recall if you ever tried marijuana or not. That might seem disingenuous to them.
And, yes, a psych exam and a polygraph or VSA will likely be used but these are not required by law for Dispatchers.
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
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Quoting
cdwjava
Yes, the 5150 committal can be a problem. However, even if you bring it up early, they cannot really ask you about it until after a conditional job offer has been made to you and you are sent to the medical phase (which may also include a psych exam). So, don't be surprised if they play it down if you bring it up, initially.
As for the drug use, it's not a lie if you don't think you did. Though, it seems peculiar that you can't recall if you ever tried marijuana or not. That might seem disingenuous to them.
And, yes, a psych exam and a polygraph or VSA will likely be used but these are not required by law for Dispatchers.
It is more that I no longer trust my memory of those years. I went through a really traumatic experience during college and as a result have considerable memory loss, and took psychiatric medication after that caused even more memory problems - for example I don't remember many professor's names and faces, even though my classes were very small and we were close. :( I just don't want to say "no, I never" then turn out to be wrong by accident. That would be so awful.
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
I'd say you may have some serious issues in the medical portion of the background process.
Do you know what the job of Dispatcher entails? It's often stressful, requires serious multi-tasking, and a variety of motor and mental skills. The washout rate is high - probably higher than officers in training. If you still take psych meds that can effect these things, then you are not likely to be selected. There may be other law enforcement related jobs that you may be qualified for, but I am not sure dispatching may be one of them.
As for the honesty, if you are seen as being intentionally untruthful, you will be disqualified. But, if you try and explain that your memory cannot be trusted due to a mental breakdown or mental health meds, they can't ask much on that unless a conditional offer is made and you move on to the medical exam. Being in error is not a lie ... but, if your memory can't be trusted, that may cause issues with regards to your qualifications for the job.
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
Quote:
Quoting
cdwjava
I'd say you may have some serious issues in the medical portion of the background process.
Do you know what the job of Dispatcher entails? It's often stressful, requires serious multi-tasking, and a variety of motor and mental skills. The washout rate is high - probably higher than officers in training. If you still take psych meds that can effect these things, then you are not likely to be selected. There may be other law enforcement related jobs that you may be qualified for, but I am not sure dispatching may be one of them.
As for the honesty, if you are seen as being intentionally untruthful, you will be disqualified. But, if you try and explain that your memory cannot be trusted due to a mental breakdown or mental health meds, they can't ask much on that unless a conditional offer is made and you move on to the medical exam. Being in error is not a lie ... but, if your memory can't be trusted, that may cause issues with regards to your qualifications for the job.
Okay, thank you for your honesty! I'll contact the person that initially wanted to recruit me (they don't know my psych background) and ask about an admin position instead. :)
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
Well, only YOU know whether or not you can handle the rigors of a dispatching job. If you do not know a lot about it, maybe you can ask to do a "sit along" or three to get an idea of what might be needed to do the job. Not knowing your background, I am in no position to say with certainty that you would NOT be capable. But, it is a tough job. I know that *I* could not do it.
But, as I mentioned, there are other support positions, usually. Front office, evidence, cold reports, etc. What support positions might be available depends on the size and organization of the agency.
No matter what you might look at, honesty is a plus. That doesn't mean going in and announcing you have a psych history, but, it does mean that you should be honest with what is asked of you during the process. And, understand what you are getting into and whether you are personally capable of doing the job.
Good luck!
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
Some departments have separate call-taker (where you take the 911 calls) and dispatcher (where you speak to the first responders) positions, and some departments combine the two into one role.
It's a very stressful job, especially the call-taker role, because you are talking to people in crisis, and it's one crisis after another. You may find yourself talking to a suicidal person who has reached out in desperation. Do you think you can handle that and speak to the person in a calm, collected manner? 911 Dispatchers handle fire, EMS, police, all of it so they experience it all. The burnout rate is very high. I am told that many busy departments average 2 years. I like the idea of a "sit-along" as suggested above. It would be very helpful for you to experience what a typical shift is like.
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
In smaller departments, the volume of calls may be low with 95% being low stress, routine people on the phone (and the occasional idiot) followed by the 5% that are critical, require a level head, quick thinking, and multi-tasking from Hell! Sometimes by yourself! Consider answering a phone, while dispatching officers, listening to officers responding and arriving on scene and logging their actions in a computer, broadcasting info over the radio in a concise manner, and keeping it all together even as you start calling on the phone for additional resources and contacts as might be necessary (medical, air support, other agencies, detectives, commanders, etc.). It can go from Zero to a poopstorm in an instant.
As geek said, it has a high burnout rate. Much higher than sworn officers. Partially because the screening process is different and you cannot adequately pre-test for how you will react and be capable of handling the multi-tasking and stress of the job, and few other jobs truly prepare you for the nature of the work required.
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
Quote:
Quoting
cdwjava
In smaller departments, the volume of calls may be low with 95% being low stress, routine people on the phone (and the occasional idiot) followed by the 5% that are critical, require a level head, quick thinking, and multi-tasking from Hell! Sometimes by yourself! Consider answering a phone, while dispatching officers, listening to officers responding and arriving on scene and logging their actions in a computer, broadcasting info over the radio in a concise manner, and keeping it all together even as you start calling on the phone for additional resources and contacts as might be necessary (medical, air support, other agencies, detectives, commanders, etc.). It can go from Zero to a poopstorm in an instant.
As geek said, it has a high burnout rate. Much higher than sworn officers. Partially because the screening process is different and you cannot adequately pre-test for how you will react and be capable of handling the multi-tasking and stress of the job, and few other jobs truly prepare you for the nature of the work required.
I don't know if it matters, but the area where I live is very low crime and upper middle class. When you look at the crime reports for our area (which I did when we bought our place, the only reason I even know this :) ) the crimes are mainly people reporting break-ins (a huge portion of the city is vacation homes) to cars and houses. Every now and then would be a random domestic dispute. That was pretty much it. On the crime map it's all green. That's not to say I have an expectation that nothing bad will ever happen - couples fight, and there are medical emergencies that aren't crime that come with the aging population that we have. Could I be cool under pressure? I realize it's not the same level, but I've managed large retail stores during black friday, been spit on by customers and remained calm, been robbed, etc. I don't give it another thought at the end of the day.
That being said, if there was animal abuse calls that would definitely get to me. I would probably fall apart and go a-huntin' if I heard some guy beating his dog or killing a cat or something. For some reason that gets to me way more. I guess because you don't see that (displayed in public or in entertainment) like you do person vs person.
Re: 911 Dispatcher and 5150 in 2014 and a Question About Marijuana Use
Quote:
Quoting
poirotcat
I don't know if it matters, but the area where I live is very low crime and upper middle class. When you look at the crime reports for our area (which I did when we bought our place, the only reason I even know this :) ) the crimes are mainly people reporting break-ins (a huge portion of the city is vacation homes) to cars and houses. Every now and then would be a random domestic dispute. That was pretty much it. On the crime map it's all green. That's not to say I have an expectation that nothing bad will ever happen - couples fight, and there are medical emergencies that aren't crime that come with the aging population that we have. Could I be cool under pressure? I realize it's not the same level, but I've managed large retail stores during black friday, been spit on by customers and remained calm, been robbed, etc. I don't give it another thought at the end of the day.
That being said, if there was animal abuse calls that would definitely get to me. I would probably fall apart and go a-huntin' if I heard some guy beating his dog or killing a cat or something. For some reason that gets to me way more. I guess because you don't see that (displayed in public or in entertainment) like you do person vs person.
I think you really, really, REALLY need to shadow a dispatcher at your prospective agency for a shift or two. Especially on a weekend or evening. You cannot make assumptions about the type and number of calls to your 911 system based on crime reports, the news, or what you assume the health care needs of your local population will be. Contact the recruiter and see about making that happen and I think you'll better understand what you are getting involved with.