Police Cadet I need advice

[thirdwatch4]

Hello, im trying to apply for a police cadet position at a police department, I have passed my oral interview and all im waiting for is my personal background investigation to be completed and an upcoming polygraph test.
I have a major dilemma on my hands and id like to have some advice on how to solve it. Im 19 years old and im truly interested in law enforcement. This is my first job ever. Im currently enrolled in college.

When i was interviewed by the background investigator, he asked me if ive done any marijuana before, I truthfully answered yes and I told him i was 16 and I was a different person i really didnt know what i was doing at that age. Ive changed completely and my life has turned around. The only problem is that I told him that ive done it once. I have done it around 2 or 3 times when i was around 16 and i failed to tell him during my interview. I remembered that ive done marijuana more than once after i got home and replayed what went on in the interview in my head...and now Im afraid to go up to him and tell him that ive done it more than once. I truly am an honest person...Ive never been arrested, or have commited any serious crime, or anything of that nature, i just experimented with marijuana a couple times when i was 16 and i really cant and dont want to remember much about my past since so many things was changing during that period of my lifetime.

im afraid the polygrapher will ask me if ive done marijuana more than once and if he does i wont get the cadet job. By the way this is a non-peace officer position. I truly feel that im capable of this position due to my background, honesty and integrity, but im afraid to tell him this mistake after this interview any advice is highly apperciated even if it is bad news thanks alot!!

What should i do? should I go ahead and tell him my mistake as soon as possible? or should I just give up and tell him i dont wanna go ahead with the Polce Cadet position? So far ive signed all the papers and everything for me to be hired as Police Cadet.

[thirdwatch4]

sorry i posted this in the wrong section can someone move it to the correct one thanks!

[mcsap]

Call the person and say to him what you just said to us. I don't necessarily see it as a deal buster but you should make sure you are 100% truthful.

My dept requires 5 years clean regrdless of your age.

[thirdwatch4]

thanks so much mcscap, i dont think this department has that regulation for non-peace officer positions such as cadets, since most of my work is taking the police cars to the car wash or doing some officework.

I really hope i get this position because im very passionate about law enforcement and how it brings out the good side of people (well most of the time) thanks for taking the time to answer my question...if anyone else has any more comments feel free to help me out thanks! This job is truly my dream no matter how unglorious it seems. Its not even a real cop!

[JR_23]

about law enforcement and how it brings out the good side of people (well most of the time)

lol that's funny :D

[Nole795]

Call the BI and tell him the truth. Personally, you may have damaged yourself for not being truthful in the beginning, but your better off having your BI know then the polygrapher getting conflicting statements.

Your very young, so if you don't get in this time, get your degree, work experience, and apply again.

[thirdwatch4]

update on my application for Police Cadet: I passed my oral interview with flying colors, and I just had my poly exam. I screwed up bigtime.

I didnt screw up for the reasons you might think I have. I connected with the polygrapher alot and we had alot of common, such as background history as a child (He is from Canada just like me) He stated that i was a "well rounded guy" and that im actually a really nice and honest guy. Which I whole heartedly agree with.

I admitted to EVERY SINGLE mistake I have done and tried to make my answers as clear as possible. I had no hesistation. But when I got hooked up to the "machine" I started getting nervous. But all of a sudden, when he began asking the question "is your name ____" I stopped being nervous.

Everytime he asked me stupid questions, I didnt feel nervous at all. But once he started asking me the big questions like "financial" or if ive hidden anything else from him my heart started beating like crazy.

I KNOW that i was completely honest with every single question he asked, but out of fear that he might intrepret my answer to the "big questions" as being lies, i started becoming nervous and breathing differently.

But once he went back to answering the stupid questions like "is your name ___" I once again went back to normal state.

I have no clue whats going on with me I admitted to every single mistake ive done to him before the poly.

At the end he told me that I wasnt consistent with my answers and he asked me if there was anything that I was hiding, I honestly told him what I was feeling when he asked the "big questions" and how i felt wen he asked me the "obvious questions". I told him im a very honest guy and i dont feel that great that i felt nervous during those questions even though I have nothing to hide. I just wished there was another way they can find out that im not lying.

its really starting to bug me right now. Being even associated with a police department flatters me no matter even if its like being the janitor or something. I really want my dream to come true. And it would hurt even more if im branded a liar, when i personally know that im maybe one of the nicest and most honest guys people can meet (sorry if i sound like i have a big ego).

By the way, the polygrapher told me at the end that he looks forward to seeing me here at the station working, and that I shouldnt worry and everything will be alright and that im "a well rounded guy". Does that have any kind of indication that I have passed or have I failed miserably and my dreams broken?

Please someone help with your honest opinion, I havent had an appetite at all today and I dont think I will until i get the results back :( :(

[thirdwatch4]

so..does anyone think i passed or failed?

[Valor55]

I wouldn't worry too much. Polygraphs are meant to be stressfull. If you were honest then you have nothing to worry about. The machine is reading stuff in your body besides your heart rate, you can't control it and it goes deeper than being nervous during certain questions.

As far as the inconsistency in your MJ use don't sweat it. If you said you did it once and later remembered you did it 50 times you'd be in trouble.

[Deputy Joe]

I wouldn't worry about it. From what he said, it sounds good. Let's just say that you don't get it. At least you will know what to expect for next time. That is a lot of stress for a young man like yourself. I hope you get it. Keep studying and trying your hardest.

[P01IC3M4N]

I connected with the polygrapher alot and we had alot of common, such as background history as a child (He is from Canada just like me) (

you fell for that huh? :D all of them do that. it's part of it. i look at everything like a game. a polygraph operator will try and get you relaxed as best they can. you're nervous going in and it's harder to discern the nervousness for a lie if you're already nervous to begin with. they'll BS you to get you to chill out.

psychologists play those games too. they'll ask you an open ended question and then just look at you. those uncomfortable silences coupled with the open ended questions compel you to talk...sometimes too much. in those instances, give them a good brief answer, stare right back and smile.

before we did polygraphs, we had a dispatcher who tested for another agency. he admitted to all sorts of things. they found out that he'd lied on his application and after already working a couple of years on the job, he got canned over that. we now do polygraphs. polygraphs are intimidating to those who have something to hide.

[thirdwatch4]

Thanks so much for all this positive support...i really needed it...so far ive asked my parents, friends, etc...they all have told me that ive most likely passed.

Man do I feel great tonight! especially since i just got my first College Calculus major math test back and i got a freaking 98 Percent on it!!!

I just want to thank everyone helping me through this terrifying ordeal!!!

I wont flood these forums anymore since i know there are way more important topics than this one at hand. thanks alot for everyones help and support. Take care!

BTW Im eating today lol!
5 hot dogs so far from wienershnitzel!

lol ok enough about being so off topic...sorry im just in a great mood...take care everyone this is gonna probably be my last post on these forums im realizing im wasting valuable space!

[samseed101]

It looks like you answered your own question:

"I told him that ive done it once."
"I remembered that ive done marijuana more than once after i got home"
"I truly am an honest person"
"What should i do?"

A "truly" honest person would know what he has to do in that situation

[thirdwatch4]

What I wanted to do was tell him right away, but I was afraid if i told him that he would disqualify me so i was thinking of just giving up thats y....I DID know what to do obviously, I was just so worried about how he would see it and how exactly i should have approached him so he would understand that im not trying to lie to him.

[thirdwatch4]

Update: looks like I got diaqualified from the position, they even sent my transcript back without even opening it. Didnt even tell me why, but most likely because of the polygraph test.

I would just like to say that I agree with [Don't link to those websites please - metallicat] because honest people like me get disqualified just because i got nervous, I want everyone to know the polygraph test is the biggest BULL ever. It doesnt prove anything and I KNOW i was not lying because I told everything truthfully.

I feel sorry for all those honest people who failed the polygraph and angry at the ones that passed and lied. The ones that passed the polygraph, and lied and got away with it are the ones who are the crooked cops.

Anyways I just wanted to say thanks for everyones support here...I guess passing my oral interview didnt cut it for them...I wish they knew that they passed up probably one of the best cadets they could have had at the station. If only they called my friends and aquiantances they would have found that im one of the most honest people they know. SCREW BHPD. I feel like I was raped because I literally told them EVERYTHING about my life that Ive never told anyone before and then they turn me down as if im some kind of a liar. That makes me very angry.