Dear Applicant...

[dskell]

I've been trying to get my foot in the door with a career in law enforcement for the past year.

I've been primarily interested in working with Riverside County Sheriff's Department and things were going pretty well.

I passed the written test, did well on my physical, had what I thought was a good background interview but, bombed on my poly despite answering each question %100 truthfully. I showed deception on a question regarding marijuana use that I had been completely honest about (One time use).

I spoke with my BI and he told me that it is possible to retake the polygraph exam and that he'd have to take a look at the report from the polygrapher and then request that I retake the exam if he thought I was worth it.

Well, today I got a letter DQ'ing me from the hiring process "as a result of the background investigation conducted". The letter states that I may re-apply with the department a year from now. But, I have some questions:

Is this the same disqualification letter that everyone receives or, just the people that they (RSO) actually think have a chance later on down the road?

The reason I ask is because of the saying "You lie, you die." I fully understand what this statement means and my BI reminded me of it frequently.

Based on my polygraph results it clearly looks like I lied even though I did not. Am I dead?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[yzErnie]

But, I have some questions:

Is this the same disqualification letter that everyone receives or, just the people that they (RSO) actually think have a chance later on down the road?

That sounds like a simple form letter that departments slightly modify to fit their needs.

The reason I ask is because of the saying "You lie, you die." I full understand what this statement means and my BI reminded me of it frequently.

Based on my polygraph results it clearly looks like I lied even though I did not. Am I dead?

I cannot speak for Riverside SD but with my department if they deem you have "departed from the truth" that is a serious issue.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would suggest you contact your background investigator and see if they may be able to shed some light on the disqualification. Most of the time they are forbidden from giving the intimate details but they may be able to "hint" to you where the problem is.

[dskell]

But, I have some questions:

Is this the same disqualification letter that everyone receives or, just the people that they (RSO) actually think have a chance later on down the road?

That sounds like a simple form letter that departments slightly modify to fit their needs.

The reason I ask is because of the saying "You lie, you die." I full understand what this statement means and my BI reminded me of it frequently.

Based on my polygraph results it clearly looks like I lied even though I did not. Am I dead?

I cannot speak for Riverside SD but with my department if they deem you have "departed from the truth" that is a serious issue.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would suggest you contact your background investigator and see if they may be able to shed some light on the disqualification. Most of the time they are forbidden from giving the intimate details but they may be able to "hint" to you where the problem is.

Thank you yzernie, I definitely value your opinion.

[gunace89]

I apologize if im thread-jacking because that is not my intent, I merely am curious. If lets say hypthetically the OP's background test had come back positive in his favor, is it possible that he could still be disqualified for the act? Or is it more that le-way is given as long as your honest and proven to not be a chronic user?

To OP: Im sorry to hear that happened.

[Helpful_Cub]

Polys aren't always correct, that's the main reason they don't get used in court as evidence. The Interigator should know this so it's more likely they didn't like some of your answers or this was the last chance they had to turn you down.

[alex00]

I've been trying to get my foot in the door with a career in law enforcement for the past year.
Based on my polygraph results it clearly looks like I lied even though I did not. Am I dead?
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Based on the current tepid hiring climate, agencies are able to pick the best of the best of the best. In years past a dishonest flag on the polygraph may have resulted in further questions, or explaination. When I was in backgrounds many years ago the CVSA detected a couple dishonest answers for questions I was truthful about. The examiner pressed me harder, and didn't detect any deception the second time around. I'm not sure they would go the extra mile today. I'm sorry to hear about your trouble. If the background investigator is willing to talk to you, you should do your best to convince him you are worht a second shot.

I apologize if im thread-jacking because that is not my intent, I merely am curious. If lets say hypthetically the OP's background test had come back positive in his favor, is it possible that he could still be disqualified for the act? Or is it more that le-way is given as long as your honest and proven to not be a chronic user?

To OP: Im sorry to hear that happened.

I don't know about Riverside's MJ use policy, but my agency allowed for occasional use, as long as it wasn't an addiction. I think at the time I did my background they wanted to see at least a year without any use. Some agencies don't allow any MJ history. The agency website usually lists the requirements and disqualifications. I think it's pretty universal that any felony drug use (anything but MJ), even once, is an automatic DQ.

[Ron-Solo]

The competition for LE jobs is tough right now, so if you show any possibility of being less than truthful, they will pass on you and go to the next applicant.

It sounds like you got the typical form letter. Call your background investigator and ask, he may or may not be able to tell you.

My son in law was in a similar situation with Riverside SO, and was also in backgrounds with CDC and a couple of other agencies. About two weeks after the RSO rejection, the other agencies informed him he was no longer in contention for their agency. It was strange because he's the most "goody two shoes" kind of guy you would ever meet.

He kept trying and is now a police officer in Arizona and doing well.

Don't give up!

[yzErnie]

About two weeks after the RSO rejection, the other agencies informed him he was no longer in contention for their agency. It was strange because he's the most "goody two shoes" kind of guy you would ever meet.

When my wife worked backgrounds the allied agencies networked all the time. What you are describing does not sound out of the ordinary.

[Ron-Solo]

When my wife worked backgrounds the allied agencies networked all the time. What you are describing does not sound out of the ordinary.

Yeah, I know, my department does the same. It's just frustrating when you know they made a mistake and there's nothing you can do about it. He is a shining star with his department in Arizona, but my grandkids are 4 hours away instead of 15 minutes away.

[Notorious]

Poly's are nothing more than fancy modern witchcraft. It's at best 75% accurate and everybody knows it, including the courts, who will not allow it to be admitted as evidence because of the accuracy rate. I mean, 1 out of 4 false positive is definitely out of the realm of beyond a reasonable doubt, no?

I hate poly's because some polygraphers get such a power trip over it. I had mine give me a super hard time, and kept pressing the issue, he basically called me a POS, but I still got hired. Now I am in hiring and he answers to me because I get to pick which polygrapher gets the business. Karma, ain't it funny?

Anyway, that is a form letter. We all have it and we all use it. Every applicant probably has a few in his collection unless you are that superstar that got hired with the very first agency you applied with.

As for the DQ, call your BI, ask earnestly. See what he says. Not everyone follows up. If you are sincere, and you can convince him, he'll go to bat for you. That is important.

[dskell]

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys, I sincerely appreciate it.

I'm going to contact my BI first thing Monday morning.

-Dave

[SedaDog1]

Apply with the CDCR. No Poly

[tyrist]

The competition for LE jobs is tough right now, so if you show any possibility of being less than truthful, they will pass on you and go to the next applicant.

It sounds like you got the typical form letter. Call your background investigator and ask, he may or may not be able to tell you.

My son in law was in a similar situation with Riverside SO, and was also in backgrounds with CDC and a couple of other agencies. About two weeks after the RSO rejection, the other agencies informed him he was no longer in contention for their agency. It was strange because he's the most "goody two shoes" kind of guy you would ever meet.

He kept trying and is now a police officer in Arizona and doing well.

Don't give up!

If they think he isn't a good candidate they should send him a "thank you for your interest" card. Saying he failed the background pretty much stains him for every other agency. It's especially bad since the polygraph isn't always accurate. I had to do the poly twice as my first one was inconclusive.

[fal_762x51]

Apply with the CDCR. No Poly

I'm not saying you are false, but I find that hard to believe. The polygraph for me was easy, the psychological evaluation was weird.

[center_x]

I've heard of guys passing pollys and failing them when applying to different agencies. Keep your head up and keep trying.