The Police Oral Board: The Marijuana Question

I would have never believed it if I didn't hear it with my own two ears. Well, I guess I shouldn't say my own ears, but from someone I trust. I'm referring to the feared question "Have you ever smoked marijuana?" that most police applicants anticipate when taking their police oral board interview. A friend of mine was telling me while in one of his interviews he was asked if he ever smoked marijuana. He said that he did try it once when he was a teenager, but never did it again. One of the interviewers immediately stopped the interview and said "Ok, we're done." My friend had only been there for a few minutes and said "What do you mean we're done?" The interviewer said "We're done. We don't hire anyone that's every tried any drugs at all." My friend was floored.

So how should applicants answer this question in their police interview?

We think you should answer it exactly how our friend did, honestly. Just because this particular police department turned him away for it does not mean the others will. In fact, it is our opinion that the vast majority of police departments "expect" to hear you say that you've tried it. A lot of applicants have been questioned as if they were lying when they in fact did not try it in the past. Interviewers have become suspicious believing the applicant was trying to cover up their past.

So you must weight what's more important: Telling the truth or lying

We understand these are legitimate concerns. Of course if you told most applicants, no matter how honest they are, that they would be 100% excluded without exception if they admit to ever even trying it, most would lie and say they've never tried it. That's just common sense.

But what is the worst of the two evils here? Lying or telling the truth on this subject? Our opinion is that lying is not only wrong, it is the foundation of your interview. It is the primary purpose of your interview, aside from your common sense and ability to do the job. If a department determines you are not being honest, then it doesn't matter if you're superman; they don't want you. You have proven that you are a liar and it goes against every grain of a professional and responsible police officer. In addition, even if that temptation comes upon you, keep this in mind: Most police oral boards "expect" you to have tried marijuana when you were younger, and are "expecting" an explanation on it. In fact it is our opinion that in these times, it is the vast majority.

What about other hard drugs?

Quite frankly if you've tried some of the hard drugs like cocaine, crack, heroin, etc. you probably shouldn't be applying to be a police officer anyway. In addition, you will have tremendous obstacles to jump in getting hired as these drugs are almost "unforgivable" in police work. They don't fall under the "when I was younger I tried it once." And one of the main reasons is that these ones are much more powerful and addicting. Law enforcement recruiters know that as a police officer you will be exposed to drugs, money and all sorts of temptations on a regular basis, and you will be given a significant amount of power on the streets. These all make a recipe for disaster if they choose the wrong applicant.

Conclusion

Be honest in your interview. A vast majority of police departments understand that you've tried things in the past, possibly even been in trouble with the law. The important thing is that it was when you were younger and that you are not repeating your same mistakes. Many applicants jam themselves up by trying to be dishonest about this subject, when it in fact should be considered a strong point as it shows you're being honest. Of course its not a comfortable situation, but it happened and there's nothing you can do about it now besides moving on. Good luck!