Injury, could I still be a cop?

[.Ryan]

A few years ago I was in a pretty serious car accident, my arm got pinned between a car and a brick wall. Since then I have had 4 surgeries, worked hard to get movement back and strength back but it will never be at 100 percent. Luckily it was my left arm and I am right handed.

I am looking into joining the Victorian Police Force, currently I live in America but plan to go home to Australia next year to start all the training and everything. The thing is, my left arm I struggle to do push ups, it doesn't have enough movement to bend back, closed fist push up is fine but a proper push up I can hardly do, my arm just doesn't bend back enough anymore.

What I wanted to know is if it would effect my chances of becoming an officer? Do you think I will still be able to get on the force, or should I just go back to looking for a new career? Thanks for all the help, just don't want to move home be rejected and pretty much be screwed.

[Whitebear]

:cool: I dont wanna screw your ambition but it doesnt look good. for sure nothing is impossible maybe your body will continue to heal up!

But in the police, you need to be in good shape, flexible and able to use all your members at the plain capacity in a fight with a scum bag.... If your left side is not in god shape it could be a personnal security issue for your partner and yourself. its not like if you were wearing glasses ... its more important than it... ask your doctor what he can do to upgrade your physical abilities and if he think that you still can be a LEO

I wish you good luck about it....

[.Ryan]

I haven't been to the doctor in a while, he said it had healed a lot more then even he expected, so don't know why my next appointment is, does anyone know if there's places I could go to, like the army has the recruiting officers, kinda like that?

It isn't my left side, rather just my left hand, well actually I just checked, I can do push ups properly now, so it has kept improving over the last month :D The main problem I see is my pinky, it is permanently clawed because the tendons were ripped up, it's not so bad anymore, it just doesn't completely go out straight.

I hope it's fine, when I get home in Australia first thing I will do is go see a doctor about it. I am guessing it will be, just going home is a bit of a risk, when I could do extra school here and get a good job by that.

[Merlin]

Apply. The worst that can happen is you're shot down. Then apply somewhere else, if being in law enforcement is truly your goal.

I don't know the first bit about Australian LE, but I'm willing to bet that in the US, a person such as yourself, who if he had a broad interest in working in LE, would indeed be offered a position somewhere...doing something LE related, if he kept on trying to get hired on with local, state and federal agencies.

[mcsap]

#1 Will a doctor sign off saying you are fully capable of performing the duties of a police officer ?

#2 Can you pass the physical agility test ?

[.Ryan]

I am not sure if the doctor will say yes, I haven't been there in a while, and I even thought it was worse then it is now, I have gotten it a lot better. The main problem is like coordination with the pinky and ring finger I guess, for example even if I knew how to play the guitar, i couldn't, little fidgety things like that which use all fingers i couldn't do, but then if it was a piano I could do it.

I am pretty sure I will be able to, I play football (australian) so I am in good shape, and will be even better by the time I go apply.

[flcpd110]

Yall Can't say if he can or can't become law enforcement...I seen LEO with fake legs and Missing Digits. If you can pass the Physical Abilities Test and get a Docotr to sign off on you, the sky is the limit.

[.Ryan]

Thanks, first thing I will do when I get home is go see a doctor about it, I would go here but seen as I am not going to school full time anymore I don't have the insurance.

[Whitebear]

try to know forst what are the steps for the physical test and after you can adapt your exercises to improve your agility with the part who is cuasing problem.

It's true what he said about the officer with the fake leg... I saw it too... for sure if you don't try you will not know.... And as I said we dont know how bad it is,, we didnt see it and we are not doctors:p I am not sure how you say it in english but in french its call Physiotherapy. Kind of readaptation It can help you too...


Its like me actually I might need a chirurgical intervention in my left hand because of my cubital nerve I am actually loosing strenght in my left hand and I am pretty worried about it. but for sure I'll do all I can to fix it because its was my dream to be a cop and I am right now doing what I ever wanted to be and i don't want to loose it. If I can't fix it and need to change my career it will be like if I was loosing my wife....

good luck to you and keep up informed!:D

[.Ryan]

Well I went to physio for over a year after the surgeries, well I went and then had a 4th surgery and then had to go back... it's like I started again, was rediculous, but seems to have helped a lot in the end.

Mine was my ulnar nerve that got ripped up I believe, but they did take a nerve out of my leg to take it's place, and that still continues to improve, at one stage I had no feeling in my pinky and ring, but now nearly all is back.

I guess my first step when I get home is going to see the doctor.

Thanks guys.

[Whitebear]

But if I can give you an other advice, don't go too fast, don' go more fast than hour healing process.. if you are forcing with the hand too fast you can compromise the healing process.... take your time.... its better later than too fast

[.Ryan]

Well it has been three years since the accident, so the nerve will have done all the growing it will, so no harm in pushing it now to build up strength and hopefully improve the movement.

Also hows the life with being an officer? is it hard on the girlfriend? and long hours/bad hours?

Just want to be sure this is what I would like to do for the rest of my life