ADD and Peace Officers

[brog0000]

I am currently a Reserve Deputy with my local Sheriff's Office. I pretty much do the same exact work as the full time Dep's. When hired full time you generally start in the jail, which is way easier than working on the road. I was talking to my reserve coordinator today and he said I wasn't hired yet due to the ADD. I don't understand it?? I would be doing the same work full time, that i'm doing as a reserve. Do any other Police Officers have ADD? A question to Sergeant's and Lieutenant's, Major's: Why wouldn't you hire someone with ADD? Is there no chance of ever working anywhere? Thanks for any insight.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Attention Deficit Disorder?

Uhhh, kinda need to be attentive in this job. ALL the time.

[retdetsgt]

Depends on how bad it is and how it affects you.

I have it, but wasn't diagnosed until about the time I retired when I was being checked for other things.

I have a terrible time proofreading anything I wrote. I always had to have someone else go over a search warrant affidavit after it was typed to make sure I didn't make simple mistakes. I couldn't concentrate on details enough to catch it. That also made college a b!tch for me. I used to ask professors if I could tape the lectures so I could listen to them again. It was too easy for me to let my mind wander and miss something. However, I never had that problem interviewing suspects. I made up for it a lot by having an excellent short term memory.

The good news is I was pretty good at multitasking, I guess you could call it when in a difficult situation. My mind was going all over the place and often noticed things others didn't.

In a nutshell, if you have learned on your own to compensate for it like I did, you should be okay. However, if it's bad enough that other people notice, you probably aren't going to be able to do the job.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Granted ADD is a relatively new term, did you know you had trouble prior to entering police work? Also, if someone had your level of ADD and wanted to be a cop, do you think it would prohibit their entry into police work?

AZ says this is a disqualifier:

"Any other medical, physical, or mental circumstance that the examining physician determines may interfere with the person's ability to function as a peace officer effectively or may create a reasonable probability of substantial harm to the person or others."

[brog0000]

Yes I was diagnosed in 8th grade. But it never has affected me while working as an officer. When I was taking college classes I was taking meds, and I listed that on the application. I don't take the meds while working, there is no need to. It's a mild case, so I think an officer in my position shouldn't be denied entry full time. My view is, if I can do the reserve work, why not hire me full time? IDK, maybe its because I have only been a Deputy for 6 mos?

[Sgt. Slaughter]

You do realize those are rhetorical questions, right?

Only the Sheriff can answer those.

[retdetsgt]

Yes I was diagnosed in 8th grade. But it never has affected me while working as an officer. When I was taking college classes I was taking meds, and I listed that on the application. I don't take the meds while working, there is no need to. It's a mild case, so I think an officer in my position shouldn't be denied entry full time. My view is, if I can do the reserve work, why not hire me full time? IDK, maybe its because I have only been a Deputy for 6 mos?

None of us can speak to your dept's policy so if you're looking for an advocate here, it won't happen.

Apply, list the meds and let their doctors determine your suitability for the job.

[Kimble]

I am currently a Reserve Deputy with my local Sheriff's Office. I pretty much do the same exact work as the full time Dep's.

Check your PM inbox, I've sent you a message about LEO verification, which is required for anyone claiming to be a LEO on this site.

[corporal716]

Yes I was diagnosed in 8th grade. But it never has affected me while working as an officer. When I was taking college classes I was taking meds, and I listed that on the application. I don't take the meds while working, there is no need to. It's a mild case, so I think an officer in my position shouldn't be denied entry full time. My view is, if I can do the reserve work, why not hire me full time? IDK, maybe its because I have only been a Deputy for 6 mos?

If I were to guess, I’d say it’s because you’ve only been there six months and possibly the past medication. But there could be 100’s of reasons. Without knowing you or the department, I think it would be impossible to give a real answer.

I used to work with a guy who has ADD. He hasn’t had any problems because of it, but he was hire long before there was even a name for it. Just keep doing good work and prove that it isn’t a problem for you.

[brog0000]

ROS pm sent.
I know, I'm not looking for advocation, just feeling a lil disappointed thats all. thanks for all the replies.