Am I in good shape or just so so shape? Newport Beach Police Department

[UCLA2008]

Hello everyone,

I understand that the best I can expect from anyone here is just a general opinion on where I stand. I will lay it out for you guys.

22 year old recent graduate from UCLA with a degree in psychology (graduated this June)
No criminal record of any kind.
I have two speeding tickets on record, and the last one was in 2004.
I smoked marijuana 2.5 years ago.
I have a good employment history, don't expect any negative reviews.
Good credit (Leasing car in my name without using credit) in the high 600s or low 700s.
I told them all of this in my oral interview.
The only thing they do not know is that I take Concerta for attention deficit disorder. It is a prescription in my name, I have been on medication for ADD since I was in elementary school. The only reason they don't know yet is nobody has asked and it hasn't come up in the paperwork.

Can you guys tell me if I have any reason to worry that my prescription will be a reason to worry? I have no history of behavioral problems whatsoever.

Okay on to the good stuff.

Passed my physical, written and oral examination already.

Got the results in the mail today, didn't do as well as I expected on the written (82%). Got a 90% on the oral. 86% overall. I am ranked #6 on the eligibility list.

My intuition tells me being ranked 6 is good. The only thing is I don't know how many spots they are trying to fill. This is Newport Beach in Orange County, California, just to clarify.

Sorry for the long and rambling post. This is my first here. I've read quite a few pages though! Also, this is the first department I have applied to.

So just to summarize what my main questions are:

Does my having ADD pose a problem, even though I have had it my whole life, yet went through college just fine and I have never so much as had a fight in my entire life?

Are my chances good for getting in to the Academy if I am ranked #6?

If you guys need any further information just ask, I'll be happy to give. Thanks for sticking it through to the end of this post!

Kyle

[mcsap]

To me the ADD is the #1 issue. Is there ANY WAY that you can ( under your doctors care) stop taking this drug ? Do you think that your body and mind have perhaps changed since you were a kid and that you cna get by without having to drug yourself to be attentive ?

I would not be interested in hiring someone who NEEDED a drug for ADD. What if you run out of the drug or forget to take it ?? What if you have to miss a dose because of a long shift ?

I think it is time you have a one on one with your MD and see if there is a way to give life a shot without requiring a drug.

Maybe the reason you got through college was that the drug carried you through ?

[UCLA2008]

Yeah I could absolutely get a doctor to tell me that. It really has no affect on me, I just kind of take it out of habit. The thing is though, will it really make a difference if I stop taking it now? Will they just think I am stopping it to avoid this problem? Or will it actually completely solve the problem if my doctor tells me I no longer need it?

[UCLA2008]

As a followup, I did some testing on myself while I was in UCLA. I went a month without taking it. Did the same on all my work and tests as I did when I was on it.

[mcsap]

OK , then why would you still take it if you no longer need it ?

Cops are always suspicous of drugs, legal or otherwise. Someone who needs to take a drug ( or has for a long time like you ) may have a dependancy issue but most of all it is a psychological drug and we are placed in a lot of " psychological situations". We don't want to find out the hard way what effects the drug or lack of it may have on you.

If there is a way to formally ( and that means under a doctors care) walk away from taking a drug ( which your body wasn't designed to take over long periods of time) , WHY wouldn't you?

[UCLA2008]

To be honest I kept taking the drug because it:

has no side-effects
made my mother happy.

To clarify, I do not depend on the drug physically or mentally for anything. It does sound ridiculous to take something beyond when you need it, but I was busy with school and my life, and seeing how it was just one pill in the morning, had no side effects whatsoever, and didn't really require anything of me other than taking it, I didn't bother to go see a doctor to get off it.

Can you let me know if my being on this prescription will actually be a problem if my doctor says I no longer have the symptoms of ADD and have no need for the drug? I guarantee that is what will happen when I see my doctor.

[mcsap]

If your doctor says it is OK to stop , and would be so kind as to state that you are fit to perform the duties of a police officer , that would help greatly.

If you are taking meds to please your mother and just because " it is just one pill in the morning" , then you are taking meds for the wrong reason. How do you know if it has no side effects if you have been taking it for 15 + years ?

I am not convinced that you are not dependant on this drug. ONLY time will tell that.

Police Dept's dont like to take risks with people they hire and your med situation sure looks like you either NEED to take it or you are dependant on it.

Thats my .02 c

[UCLA2008]

Also, on an even FURTHER note...

Do you think they will take into account that I was diagnosed in elementary school and NEVER again? To the best of my memory, I don't think I was ever checked again for ADD, and at the very least I can guarantee that I was never checked after I entered high school.

This is the last note I promise, hope to get a response soon...

[mcsap]

It doesn't matter how long ago you were diagnosed. You are getting regular prescriptions filled and are considered under a doctors care for the diagnosis from ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ! The diagnosis might as well have been yesterday because you are still being treated.

If there is no solid medical reason to take meds, who wold continue to take them for 15 + years unless dependant or NEEDFUL.

If you need the meds , so be it. If you don't...:confused:

[UCLA2008]

Haha you posted at the same time as I did...

Like I already said, I understand I was taking it for the wrong reason. Nonetheless, I do hope that this isn't a huge problem, because I am going to go to a doctor, and I know he will say I don't need medication, because I don't. I know I'm not in a position to definitively say that, but I did go a month without medication at UCLA, and I performed just as well that month as any other. It was stupid to resume taking it just to please my mother (she asked me to atleast take it until I finished college), but what's done is done.

Am I wrong to assume that if I pass the psychological exam that this will not be a problem for me? I COMPLETELY see your point of view mcsap, I just hope you see mine. I am completely mentally and physically fit (well, as fit as I can be before the academy) to serve, and I think if you knew me personally, you would be a bit more relieved of your fears.

Also, since one of my original questions was never answered, I'll ask it again. Should I be very happy with being ranked #6 on the eligibility list? This is my first time trying out so I don't know how many spots to assume they will be trying to fill.

[Drummadude]

Just like mcsap recommended, why don't you go to your doctor? Your doctor will be able to professionally tell you if stopping the meds would be possible and if you would be fit for police work.

Just because mcsap is a law enforcement officer doesn't mean he can tell you, nor if anyone on this forum can, if you are fit for duty with those ADD meds. If you have the slightest idea that it may affect the process, go to your doctor.

What he is trying to tell you is not that you are mentally or psychologically unfit for the job. But if you can get by without being drugged up, it would be in your and the department's best interest to be an officer that is not using a drug.
You may not be doing crack, but a prescription medication is a drug and could be a problem. Only a doctor can tell if it affects you in a way that could be hazardous.

[UCLA2008]

I agree Drummadude. At this point what I am really asking is, after a doctor tells me I can come off it (which he will, just assume I know myself well enough (+psychology major :p) to know that), will my having BEEN on it work against me? I'm basically asking if no matter what I can prove now, will my past prove a hinderance for me. Also...is #6 a good place to be?! :P

[UCLA2008]

In addition I was told more than once when trying to find out how many spots they are looking to fill that over the next 7 years the department is looking to hire a third of its staff.

[Drummadude]

I'm not a law enforcement officer so I haven't been through such a serious process; I'm just the brother of a psychology major. ;)

Therefore, I can't answer on if being on it for the last 12 years or possibly more will affect the process nor if your ranking is a good place to be.

[mcsap]

Haha you posted at the same time as I did...

Like I already said, I understand I was taking it for the wrong reason. Nonetheless, I do hope that this isn't a huge problem, because I am going to go to a doctor, and I know he will say I don't need medication, because I don't. I know I'm not in a position to definitively say that, but I did go a month without medication at UCLA, and I performed just as well that month as any other. It was stupid to resume taking it just to please my mother (she asked me to atleast take it until I finished college), but what's done is done. If your doctor truly believes that you dont need these meds yet continues to prescribe them...I have zero respect for him/her

Am I wrong to assume that if I pass the psychological exam that this will not be a problem for me? I COMPLETELY see your point of view mcsap, I just hope you see mine. I am completely mentally and physically fit (well, as fit as I can be before the academy) to serve, and I think if you knew me personally, you would be a bit more relieved of your fears.

You are not completely fit IMHO if you need to take drugs for ADD and since you are still taking them under a doctors care, it sure looks to me like you still need them. It isn't what you think that counts, it what it looks like to the rest of us and a hiring PD.

Also, since one of my original questions was never answered, I'll ask it again. Should I be very happy with being ranked #6 on the eligibility list? This is my first time trying out so I don't know how many spots to assume they will be trying to fill.

You should be thrilled to be at #6 at any agency. A lot of people get canned from the hiring list after their background shows things that have not yet been discovered , like a near lifelong need for psych meds.

I dont want you to do anything without full advice from a doctor , I am not convinced that your doctor is a repsonsible professional if he/she has allowed you to continue with meds thay you really don't need ??!!!