NEED HELP. Is it wise to mention this????????

[HIM]

Hello everyone.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

I have my BI coming up here for LAPD.
And I have been troubled weather or not to mention to them that I am sober.
(I do not use drugs (obviously) but, I do not drink at all either.)
I am a member of AA.
I have been sober for quite sometime, I dedicate time out of my day every day to be of service to distressed and worthy individuals. and I 'sponsor' young men in the program.
Many of which have had some pretty severe drug addictions, as well as violent criminal pasts.
I counsel them on getting their lives back on track, making amends for the wrongs they have committed and becoming productive members of society.
This is one of the things that I have a passion for in my life, and I consider it to be an asset for my career as an LEO.
My plan is after doing two years on the streets to try to get involved with Narcotics division, or in some sort of police public outreach program to help kids and adults get back on track.

The issue is I am not sure if I should mention this to my background detective.

What do you guys think?
Thank you for your help.

[mcsap]

Do you mean to mention that you are a recovering alcoholic or that after two years you want to specialize ?

[HIM]

Do you mean to mention that you are a recovering alcoholic or that after two years you want to specialize ?

Thank you for your response.
Both; I am not sure how it would be viewed that I am a recovered alcoholic, or if I should mention that and my service work.
I do want to mention that I want to specialize, but I am unsure if I should mention how I would have expertise in this field.

[pac201]

There probably will be questions about past alcohol or drug use in your packet, if there is be sure to mention it. Any omission of information about your past could be a deal breaker.

The issue of a specialization probably would be okay, but it may seem that you don't really want to do any of the grunt work first. Two years is a very short time to be moved into a unit like that.

Good luck.

[MikeG]

Wasn't past drug/alcohol abuse on the initial app? LAPD in the background/sreening example lists "Choicese regarding drugs and alcohol" being one the maturity and discipline requirements. It lists alcoholism as a potentially DQing condition so it's obviously relevant to them in the hiring process. I would thnk it has to come up at some point.

The website says you have to assess yourself against the standards. How does that work?

[HIM]

There probably will be questions about past alcohol or drug use in your packet, if there is be sure to mention it. Any omission of information about your past could be a deal breaker.

The issue of a specialization probably would be okay, but it may seem that you don't really want to do any of the grunt work first. Two years is a very short time to be moved into a unit like that.

Good luck.

It is my understanding that after two years you can request special assignment.
I am happy to do any task they assign to me, but I feel I know where my greatest strengths are.
But who knows, perhaps I will fall in love with traffic, or some other duty.

[HIM]

Wasn't past drug/alcohol abuse on the initial app? LAPD in the background/sreening example lists "Choicese regarding drugs and alcohol" being one the maturity and discipline requirements. It lists alcoholism as a potentially DQing condition so it's obviously relevant to them in the hiring process. I would thnk it has to come up at some point.

The website says you have to assess yourself against the standards. How does that work?

That is very true, and I did answer truthfully.
I suppose when talking with other people in AA my drinking was on the lite end of the spectrum.
I never wrecked a car, or got in fights or any of the things that I have heard happening to people.
But, I made the choice to be sober because I don't like the thought of anything distracting me from achieving certain goals in my life. And it feels good to be of service to others.
Having just come back from a weeks vacation with a couple LEO's to mexico, I can tell you that they all drank wayyyyyy more than I would have if I was drinking.. haha
But then again, I didn't get sea sick on the boat when we were fishing. LOL!
I am going to bring it up, let the detectives there know that I am sober, and have been for a while.
I have nothing to hide about it, and I am not ashamed.

[mcsap]

You can request a spec assignment but dont expect that you will actually GET it. You need more than two years on the street to LEARN the job.

One can meet the MINIMUM standards for hiring but dont expect to get hired. ( especially when their are other better applicants way ahead of you).

[Safety Steve]

Honesty is the best policy! I hope you continue to stay sober.



Be Safe.

[HIM]

Honesty is the best policy! I hope you continue to stay sober.



Be Safe.

Thanks guys, I do appreciate it.
I do understand that although I do have the cards stacked against me, I am going to give it my all, and do the best I can, and that is all I can do.
Thanks again.

[mobrien316]

I believe that alcoholism is considered a disease and as such you cannot be asked about it during your background or interview process.
You can be asked about illegal activities, such as drinking and driving, or shoplifting liquor, but you can't be asked if you are an alcoholic.

After you receive a conditional offer of employment there are more questions that can be asked, but alcoholism by itself cannot be asked about. That doesn't mean, of course, that they can't ask you if you have ever been late for work because of alcohol, or missed work completely because of alcohol, or came to work after drinking, or kept alcohol at work so you could drink during the day.

[HIM]

I believe that alcoholism is considered a disease and as such you cannot be asked about it during your background or interview process.
You can be asked about illegal activities, such as drinking and driving, or shoplifting liquor, but you can't be asked if you are an alcoholic.

After you receive a conditional offer of employment there are more questions that can be asked, but alcoholism by itself cannot be asked about. That doesn't mean, of course, that they can't ask you if you have ever been late for work because of alcohol, or missed work completely because of alcohol, or came to work after drinking, or kept alcohol at work so you could drink during the day.

Thanks, that is insightful.
I never missed work, drank while I was working, or ever late..
I really appreciate everyone taking the time to reply.

[txinvestigator1]

I believe that alcoholism is considered a disease and as such you cannot be asked about it during your background or interview process.
You can be asked about illegal activities, such as drinking and driving, or shoplifting liquor, but you can't be asked if you are an alcoholic.

.

Alcoholism is a disability under the ADA. However, it can be a disqualifying factor.
"An employer may exclude an individual on the basis of alcoholism or former drug addiction, even though they would normally be protected under the ADA if the employer can demonstrate the following: The exclusion is "job-related and consistent with business necessity" (i.e., the individual cannot perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation); or the individual poses to the health or safety of others (i.e., a significant risk of substantial harm) and the risk cannot be reduced below that level through reasonable accommodation.

Reasonable accommodation may include periodic alcohol or drug testing, counseling, modification of job responsibilities and/or increased supervision. An example of "job-related and consistent with business necessity" exclusion might include the exclusion of a former drug addict from a law enforcement agency. "

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/...3/smallb8.html



Read more: Alcoholism is a disability under the ADA | Triangle Business Journal

[MikeG]

Alcoholism is a disability under the ADA. However, it can be a disqualifying factor.

I think they also worded it so that it's not the disease but rather the abuse of alcohol that's flagged as disqualifying (subtle difference). It's the same as prescription meds. If you abuse it, it can be DQing but the underlying disease itself isn't the reason. As I understand it, alcoholism is a lifelong disease but if you don't abuse alcohol it's not a hiring issue. Recognizing when "use" crosses over to "abuse" and dealing with it approriately is a maturity issue whether the person is an alcoholic or not.