QUESTION:
Hello my name is XXXXXX,
I am a current college student majoring in criminal justice . I am planning on applying to a few different law enforcement agencies locally, but I am worried about the polygraph test while I was in the military. I did see prostitutes/escorts and even been to massage parlors for sexual actives. I cleaned up my act and that life is over . I am a happily married family man now, what do you recommend when I take the polygraph test and what will happen to me if I fail?
ANSWER:
We all have baggage, that is honestly not that bad overall. You did not mention the age these happened or how much older you are now but in most cases you will probably pass if there are not others things. Polygraphs are not fun and honestly not that hard. In mine I was just honest, I had more issues with mine because I have not smoked, drank or done any form of drugs or illegal activity in my life and I was young when I took mine. They did not believe I was telling the truth.
The one that was more of a challenge was the psych evaluation honestly. In many cases that comes after the poly. Just be honest and only talk about what is asked. There is no need to talk about more than answers to the questions they ask. When I was doing hiring I would much rather have an honest candidate than one that lies. Lying in Law enforcement will end a career.
It is more about where you are now than were you were in the past. If you fail in many cases you give it some time and re-apply. But that depends on the department. You can also ask questions to the departments recruiters before you even start the process.
Hopefully that helps. Thanks for the question. We need good cops out there, it is a hard but rewarding job. But make sure to have good communication with your family, / wife as going into Law enforcement will change your perspective on the world.
Not to scare you off of a career in Law enforcement but this podcast has some very good interviews with life long police officers and deputies, they might be worth a listen: https://www.clearedhotpodcast.com/ it will help you better understand the world of LE and how different it is from Civilian life.
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