do they ask you about drug use on polygraph tests to become a police officer?

Question

i have tried marijuana before and cocaine once when i was younger but i dont want them to hold that against me because i will never try it again. do they ask you questions about that? i have a feeling if i say yes that i have tried drugs they will disqualify me.

Answer 1

Hi,
There is a large portion of the poplulation who have tried marijuana. There are less who have tried cocaine. When you do a polygraph they will give you a great big questionaire. In that you will answer a whole bunch of questions. It will ask about drugs, the kind, how much, and when it you last used them.
After you have finished the questionaire the polygraph examiner will look through it and pick out about 12-20 questions to ask you during the actual examine.
Drugs will certainly be one of the ones used in the actual examine. Just simply be honest and dont stress. The marijuana will absouletly not disqualify you if it has been a while. Departments usually want three -five years sice the last use. The cocaine may be a problem, but it just depends on the department. They will ask more questions about when you last used and the regularity of your use. All you can do is answer the truth.
I have had a polygraph multiple times. One time I was nervous about some how failing and as a result I tried to concentrate on my breathing. This caused the examiner to say I was hyperventilating. I still passed, but I suggest simply answering the questions and not worrying about it. If you tell them everything you have nothing to hide, so the actual examine is realitvely simple. There are so many ideas on how to pass, and I think the best is to simply tell the truth. The examiner goes off of the charts and their observations of you. They generally have you sit there with your hands on your legs looking ahead (some have your eyes closed). It really is suggestive result. The polygraph which is now hooked to a laptop not the old paper and wheel; will not say pass or fail, it will give a percentage score of you telling the truth. One time I got an 84% likelyhood of telling the truth. I thought that was bad, but now I work for that department. So I guess it was good enough. Every exainer I have met has been very nice and the whole test was not very stressful. It as kind nice to know that I told them everything and all you have to do is confirm what you said.
Depending on your departments size, they may have a division that is doing the background investigation. I would suggest you call who is doing your background and tell them you simply want to know if trying cocaine one time back in let's say 1996 will cause you to be disqualified. Just say that you don't want to waste their time by doing a polygraph if when you tell them about that it will automatically disqualify you.
They will more likely than not just tell you to do the polygraph anyway. Chances are if they are giving you a polygraph, you are very close to being hired.
Good Luck, you'll be just fine. I hope to hear you have been added to the force in blue.

Answer 2

The questions asked during a polygraph test for police officer candidates are not the same from every agency, and they are usually not the same for every person. They usually ask you questions to get an idea if you are a thief, drug user, or if you have committed any serious crimes. If there are any areas of concern on your application, they will probably ask you questions about these areas. If you have to take a polygraph test, just try to relax, and be honest. Different departments have different policies and standards pertaining to applicants and past drug use. Your past drug use might or might not disqualify you. However, you won't get hired if you don't pass the polygraph test.

Answer 3

Not every state municipality use polygraph for Police candidates. However, all municipalities do drug tests. Cocaine will be out of your system in about 10 days, but a hair folical test can detect drugs up to 5yrs. Hair holds a 5 yr history. Here is "catch 22". If you lie and they find out you will surely be disqualified. If you tell the truth you stand a chance of being accepted or disqualified. I would go with the truth.

Answer 4

In my experience, the questions you mention are part of the psychological exam, not the polygraph. A different setting entirely. For the polygraph, just answer truthfully. The examiner will go over a list of questions before you are ever hooked up to the machine. Part of the effect is your own nervousness. You know what questions are coming because the examiner already asked the questions once. If you try to play games with the test, chances are the results will not be good.

Answer 5

Depends on when you did this. Were you a juvenile? Probably not a big thing. Do you have a drug arrest record? Not a good thing.
The worst thing you can do is try to lie about it. The polygraph will pick it up. The background investigation will certainly turn it up as well. Amazing how many of your "friends" will rat you out.
Trying (experimenting) with drugs is one thing, habitual use is another.

By the way, not all L.E. agencies use a polygraph during the hiring process.
Good luck.

Answer 6

Police hiring polygraphs will almost certainly ask you questions about your prior drug use, ranging from marijuana to PCP. More and more, police agencies are becoming understanding about youthful drug use and experimentation.

Tell the truth about your past drug use. Explain your situation to your background investigator. Remember that if you are caught lying on your poly, you will ABSOLUTELY be disqualified from hiring.

Answer 7

I had to take a polygrpah test for a police agency and yes, they did ask if I ever used illegal drugs. Your best bet is to be honest, the conductor of the test informed me before the test that no one is perfect, and we've all made mistakes in the past. He also went over every question, and gave me the opportunity to disclose any info I felt would harm the outcome of the test. (like any drug use, arrest history etc)

Answer 8

They will ask you about drug use and anything else you can think of. Be 100% honest, if it has been a few years or more since you last used, don't worry about it. PD's want to know everything about you. I smoked pot in college, it didn't disqualify me, they just watch a little more carefully until they know they can trust you.

Answer 9

They ask about everything to do with criminal activity. Just be honest, that's what they are looking for. Before the test you fill out a huge questionnaire asking everything beforehand....there are no suprises. They interview you after you fill out the questions and the last thing they ask is "Is there anything else you wish to tell me before your polygraph?"

The polygraph is not a lie detector, it's a truth detector

Answer 10

They definitely ask you about drug use.

Depending on which PD you're applying to, some of them are more lenient with pot use. But you will probably run into problems with the cocaine question...