Past pill use disqualifying State Patrol candidates
»Play Video
SEATTLE - The Washington State Patrol needs to hire dozens of new troopers, but something in many candidates' pasts is keeping them off the job.
Being a state trooper is one of the most challenging jobs - and one of the hardest to get.
But for Cadet Erik Magnussen, it's the only job he ever wanted.
"I've grown up around it my entire life," he says. "My grandfather was a state trooper, my dad is a state trooper right now."
And physical fitness is just the beginning.
"The written test, following that your oral boards the next phase, it's phase 2. Phase 3 is the back ground questionnaire," says Magnussen.
And that's where many candidates are stopped by their past.
Trooper Pete Stock WSP says, "It's really hard right now to find people that are qualified to put on our uniform."
Stock says prescription drugs are to blame.
"People may have legitimate concerns. Instead of getting their own prescription from a doctor they are borrowing it from their friends, and it's just illegal. We can't have that," he explains.
And it's a growing problem that he saw again in a recent group of applicants.
"I can tell you in just the few days I was there, screening approximately 10 to 12 people a day, I probably had a handful - three to five - that had issues where they had taken prescription drugs outside of what was prescribed to them or borrowed someone else's," says Stock.
Trooper Stock wants to the get the word out to younger people - if you think you may want a career with the Washington State Patrol, bumming a few pills off a pal will keep that from happening.
"Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, Oxycodone - were seeing anti-depressants in there," he says.
Cadet Magnussen says earning the uniform starts long before you fill out the application.
"The patrol holds its employees to a higher standard, and it's extremely important to the patrol to not have that in your background," he says.
The Washington State Patrol says it needs to hire around 60 new troopers every year just to keep the force at current levels.
Being a state trooper is one of the most challenging jobs - and one of the hardest to get.
But for Cadet Erik Magnussen, it's the only job he ever wanted.
"I've grown up around it my entire life," he says. "My grandfather was a state trooper, my dad is a state trooper right now."
And physical fitness is just the beginning.
"The written test, following that your oral boards the next phase, it's phase 2. Phase 3 is the back ground questionnaire," says Magnussen.
And that's where many candidates are stopped by their past.
Trooper Pete Stock WSP says, "It's really hard right now to find people that are qualified to put on our uniform."
Stock says prescription drugs are to blame.
"People may have legitimate concerns. Instead of getting their own prescription from a doctor they are borrowing it from their friends, and it's just illegal. We can't have that," he explains.
And it's a growing problem that he saw again in a recent group of applicants.
"I can tell you in just the few days I was there, screening approximately 10 to 12 people a day, I probably had a handful - three to five - that had issues where they had taken prescription drugs outside of what was prescribed to them or borrowed someone else's," says Stock.
Trooper Stock wants to the get the word out to younger people - if you think you may want a career with the Washington State Patrol, bumming a few pills off a pal will keep that from happening.
"Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, Oxycodone - were seeing anti-depressants in there," he says.
Cadet Magnussen says earning the uniform starts long before you fill out the application.
"The patrol holds its employees to a higher standard, and it's extremely important to the patrol to not have that in your background," he says.
The Washington State Patrol says it needs to hire around 60 new troopers every year just to keep the force at current levels.
The only thing I have needed lately is Preparation H and I will buy my own, thanks.Â
I know several with WSP.
Why would any of you protest or make fun of WSP for expecting to hire people who are in shape to do their job; who live by the laws; and are the best? This pill use issue is because those people used the pills of others - which is illegal drug use!
We should all support WSP in their expectations that their new hires are ethical! Too bad other law enforcement agencies (Seattle especially) don't have the same high levels of expectations!
Are placebos ok, then i'am a shoe in
Phase 4 is the live Taser test so they don't want no wussies that can't handle pain.
So, the State Patrol probably has a bunch of good liars.Â
Why don't they just hire Robots instead.
A trusted friend of mine is on the team that interviews candidates and hires for the WSP. Requirements are very stringent and rightly so. Integrity at all levels is demanded without compromise. Past behavior dictates potential future behavior without question. These people are salt of the earth.
Â
One interview, the candidate flunked when he admitted he shoplifts, then returns merchandise to the store for cash. But he felt ok about it, since he did return the items so all was made good. Cash was used however.
Â
I am glad they are so very strict as they do have the very best enforcement people in the world. It is a great job of enormous privilege and public trust.Â
Â
Too bad the empty suit in the White House was not required to be tested.
@pbs7mm I agree! Unfortunately even society has become so unethical that they would criticize WSP for expecting high standards. Shows how low our country has become!
@pbs7mm I almost feel paritally to blame for the high standard. I wrote to some one in HR once years ago, that the WSP needs to be specific about what is a "drug" when giving the interview. I wonder if Captain Jay C remembers me now.
Be mindful that I am not a user of any drugs, aside from an asperine, coffee, and cigarettes.
Ok for all you who think that they should not worry about people borrowing pills from friends or family, how would you feel if the nurse or doctor caring for your loved ones taking medication not prescribed to them but pain meds that they "borrowed?" Bet you would give a second thought to that person caring for your loved ones. Police are to protect, how are you going to protect and serve loaded on pain killers??? Really stop and think for just one minute.
 @cajunurse I dislocated my shoulder snowboarding and had to get down the mountain and then had a 2 hour ride to the ER.  This is very painful so when someone offered me a couple pain killers you bet I took them.  Should that disqualify me from being a trooper, or the fact that I would lie about and say I hadn't done it.
@oledawg @cajunurse Yes - it should disqualify you! Why? Because if you did it once, you will do it again and it is considered illegal drug use!
@ oledawg &  I LIke Meat you are talking about a one time occurrence, Highly unlikely you will go take drug test right after this happens to you. You not talking about taking pain pills on a regular basis from friends, so no I do not think this should keep you from being a trooper especially if you dislocated your shoulder and on your way to the ER, nine chances out of ten they are going to prescribe you pain medication once you get there so really nothing to worry about. More than likely you would past the test bec most pain pills only stay in your system up to seven days.So if you only took it as a one time deal you would have no worries However, if it is a regular occurrence that you borrow pain pills for every ache and pain then you should not be a trooper, because this the beginning of the road to addiction.Â
Â
And I like Meat, borrowing oxys for a tooth pain is a lil extreme!!! Oxy a very strong drug and not the drug of choice when dentist are preforming routine extractions. Plus a tooth does not just go bad over a weekend. I have had plenty of dental work and trust me I know the pain, needed two root canals, however I could not take anything for pain due to pregnancy, and could not have root canals done till I delivered therefore endured about 6 months of excruciating pain!!! Pain so bad that I would just pace because I did not know what to do with myself. But I knew pain pills not good for baby during pregnancy, so i made a conscious decision not to take anything.  I chose the health of my baby to the pain i was enduring. So i know the pain involved with bad teeth as well as I know a tooth just does not go bad over a weekend. Pain will not kill you until you can see a doctor. So if you considering a job as a state trooper consider what you want more a career or pain pills.
 @cajunurse There's a huge difference between someone who takes someone else's pill as a one-time thing versus someone with a drug abuse problem. WSP already has a tolerance in palce for a certain level of past marijuana usage. They should also allow a small tolerance for someone who made the mistake in taking someone else's pill, but does not show a pattern of it or any indication they will do it again.Â
@iampam @cajunurse There is no difference! It is illegal - period!
 @cajunurse OK..wait until YOU get have tooth go bad over Thanksgiving weekend when no dentist can be found. So would you borrow a few Oxy's from a family member to make through the weekend? Of coarse not because your a super human that doesn't feel pain. I'll bet you had you wisdom teeth yanked with no pain killers at all and liked it.
Â
BTW..I've actually had this happen to me on two separate Thanksgiving weekends.
@I Like Meat @cajunurse No - "borrowing" is illegal. My family is in health care and there is no reason you would need to "borrow some Oxy's for a bad tooth. Advil will do the same - and guess what it is legal! FYI - I did have all four of my wisdom teeth pulled in one day and did not need pain killers. BTW - you sound like any excuse to illegally use Oxy is ok! No sympathy here for you!
Lie detectors are easy to beat, thats why they can't be used in a court. Only an idiot would admit something that is no one else's business. I imagine there's a lot of people that have had to go to the black market to get a couple pain killers. Its getting just about impossible to get a doctor to prescribe them any more and people have a right not to be in pain. And then they've lowered the age of recruitment for WSP to 19. Does anyone really want a 19 year old with a gun and a badge?
@Blindman No - there are not a lot of us who go to the black market. 19? better than someone your age who supports illegal drug use!Â
 @Blindman "Lie detectors are easy to beat, thats why they can't be used in a court."
So, ultimately it comes down to integrity.Â
Â
Why do people have a problem with that?
Obama smoked pot and he still got the job.
 @DarkParty Bush used coke & was a boozer, and you don't have a problem with that?
 @OrcasThunder Did I say that? I was using an example, not writing a book.
 @DarkParty I'd say it is clear to most people that the last thing we want in an LEO is a politician...
 @OrcasThunder Clearly someone that is charged with protecting our state has nothing to do with someone in charge of protecting our country.
 @DarkParty No, you were making an unrelated comment that had nothing to do with the topic.
This is such a joke! what about the WSP officers that got caught buying online college degrees (fraud) to get promotions and raises? They were put on PAID administrative leave for over a year and were allowed to return to work since they did not "realize they were not legitimate degrees"...the entire "we hold our officers to a higher standard" is a complete lie, what they should say is "we will do or say anything to protect our officers from being exposed for what they really are"...I wonder how many current officers could pass the same exam the new guys are taking.
Thanks, and keep the standards that have made your tough job something to be very proud of.
This is an excellent policy and should be copied by all employers, including the lie detecters.
 @Donacita No it shouldn't. No one should ever borrow prescription pills, nor give them to friends ( what if you give your friend something and they have a fatal reaction?!?!) There are some professions that merit this level of scrutiny, and plenty that do not. I don't care if the kid who washed dishes at the local diner ever did anything wrong in his life or even if he smoked a joint before he came to wash dishes that day. I do care if the pilot of the airplane I am boarding is high. A guy who operates heavy equipment should be drug tested. A guy who answers calls at a call center shouldn't have to.
Even though he took pills from a friend, were they for pleasure or a real problem? With the cost of Dr's and hospitals what they are now days one can't afford to run to a Dr. when they feel bad. I broke an ankle back in 2001 and it cost over $50 grand to fix it and it was a simple break. Where is a kid now days going to get that kind of money for a Dr or hospital? Ok it is illegal to share you medicine, but are you just suppose to stand around and die or go bankrupt to try to get some treatment? Ok, so he took some pills, If they were for recreation then pass him, but if they for treatment they should give him a second look.
 @LongBeachBum "I broke an ankle back in 2001 and it cost over $50 grand to fix it and it was a simple break."
I do hope you aren't one of those who argue against ObamaCare...which will eliminate the problem you speak of.
 @OrcasThunder Argue against it, I fight against it for the simple reason it is a golden blanket for the insurance mob and nothing else. They are already raising rates and fighting people who need treatment by denying it. It this was a true health care scheme then one would get FREE health care and if you wanted better then pay for it like you do for Medicare. This convoluted fouled up insane mess that ObUma has handed us is only another way for the for profit insurance company to stick it to us. Yes there are some good points to it, but not many and not enough to overshadow the glaring fact that it will cost everyone too much and do too little in the end.Â
 @LongBeachBum You know, the first 3 posts I found in my mailbox this morning (for other threads) were fair, polite and respectful.
And then I read your post.
 @LongBeachBum I hear what you are saying. It is disgusting that we're at this point where healthcare is ridiculously beyond the means of so many. I do not think we should give out our prescription meds though. Only because I consider how awful it would be if I gave someone one of my meds and they had a serious or even fatal reaction to it.
 @longbeachbum:Â
You claim "but if they were for treatment" - oh, so the kid is a trained medical professional? If so,m has he ever heard the saying "a doctor who treats hmself has a fool for a patient"? And if he is NOT a doctor, even MORE foolish to start popping pills that are not yours & that you have no idea what the affect will be, whether or not they will be contraindicated by something else you are taking. There are reasons that doctors have to go to medical school - to learn this stuff.
Â
As for those claiming the WSP is being "too picky" - I disagree. This is not a harmless "no biggee" kind of thing - it shows a lapse of judgement & critical thinking. ER's are open 24/7/365 - not the cheapest option for care, but they are there for a reason. Many decry their cost - "I don't have insurance" - hospitals have chariuty care, and foundations that work to adjust the bills down in your favor.
Â
As for the claim of "go bankrupt" from treatment. If they "only" took 1 or 2 vicodin and they were magically "cured", how are they going to go bankrupt actually seeking medical care that would make those vicodin legal? Short answer is: you won't. That is just an excuse to justify your actions.
LOL if you borrowed from a friend then there is no record of it happening. Why volunteer that info? And to disqualify someone for that is just ridiculous.
 @Barlion LOL it's cause they're hooked up to a lie detector test... LOLÂ
 @PackersCougsBravesSounders  @Barlion LOL All of this is so funny LOL
Hell, the President of these United States has smoked dope. Plenty of evidence to support it. The WSP is above God. Thats what they are looking for.. I'll bet anyone I could find something on every single cop in the WSP that would cause them to lose their job. To think that the WSP is so perfect from the day of their birth is so arrogant. So what are we going to do about this WSP arrogance?
The background investigation process to work for a police agency is so ridiculous, I'm surprised they can find anybody to work for them. I recently applied for a position with a local police agency and gave up when it came to that point. It is very invasive and they want to know things about you that are nobody's business. When I was expected to track down every girlfriend I ever had in my life, some of whom I haven't had any contact with for over 20 years, I said screw it. I kicked those people out of my life for good reasons and have no idea where some of them even are. I probably couldn't have even found them within the time frame they gave me, even if I was willing to do so. The position was not to become an actual officer, either. Anybody who works for them must do the same thing.
They also require you to tell them things like what vehicles you own and their value, etc. Lots of very personal things that I felt were too much.
 I don't have anything to hide, either. I have no criminal history and haven't even been pulled over by the police in over 20 years. Not worth the work and invasion of privacy for the small chance that I might have gotten the job.
What about steroids? THAT's the concern I have about law enforcement: somebody who admits openly that they borrowed a close relative's Percocet because of a bad toothache just doesn't worry me a bit - especially by comparison to a 'roid-er. In fact, I'd rather have a LEO who openly admits borrowing a prescription and has some good reason to tell for it, than one who denies ever doing such when he is probably lying though his teeth.
Here what is funny about the WSP. I have been in Law Enforcement for the past 16 years, Military with Honorable discharge for 6 years before that and applied to the WSP as a Trooper. However, in my background when I was 19 (I'm in my mid 40's now) my Marijuana usage at that age and time was over 15 times. I got disqualified because my usage was over 15 times and I have not done it again since then.  I believe my total useage of Marijuana is 20-25. Regardless that I did not use any other illegal drug except for Marijuana. WSP said it doesn't matter if it was 15 times or more 100 years ago, it does not count and I was booted. I think this is unfair. How about you do your job, interview character witnesses, co-workers etc. and find out what kind of person I am and go from there in the hiring process. Make a judgement of my career now, not what I did over 20 years ago. Also, in regards to the pills, I would have been disqualified. I was visiting my parents house with a killer headache and my mom gave me two of her prescription IBUPROFEN. I guess that is illegal too. I guess it wasn't meant to be.
I am not sure if everyone realizes how strict WSP is. Taking one prescription pill, one time, that was not prescribed to you will disqualify you. It doesn't have to be a narcotic,  They do a polygraph and will ask you about it, so there is no sense in lying. I know active law enforcement officers that are good at their job who have applied with WSP and been disqualified over a one time incident of taking one of their spouse's pills. There's a difference between a candidate with a potential drug abuse problem, and a candidate who once made a decision that they didn't even realize at the time was illegal. Â
 @iampam There is no reason for a Washington law enforcement of any kind, whether it's state, city, or county to be like this. In fact they should not even be hiring. They should be focussing on cleaning up their corruption and trying to be actual law enforcement officers with integrity before hiring any new staff.
 @iampam Hmmm... I wonder how they handle it when - as has happened to me - my family dentist says "use some of those pills I prescribed for your wife and see me on Saturday."
Sounds to me like WSP is screening to only take people who can lie and fool the polygraph.
 @JLS1950  @iampam If the dentist told you to take a prescription then it's prescribed for you.
 @jcman If someone else's name is on the bottle, it was not prescribed for you.
A bad law is a bad law, no matter who it applies to. If I want to borrow a pill from a friend or family member, who the heck is the government to tell me that I can't? More government meddling in private affairs that far too many people will endorse.
 @dg54321 "If I want to borrow a pill from a friend or family member, who the heck is the government to tell me that I can't?"
Well, for starters, they are the authority that is supposed to control use of prescription drugs...
There is a reason that drugs are controlled by prescriptions - the person taking one without a script may have an unexpected (even fatal) reaction that a doctor would have known about and NOT written the script to avoid.
Far too many people abuse prescription meds - either by taking them when not needed, or taking an antibiotic but not finishing the series...which is why there are so many resistant bacteria infections now. And people who demand an anti-biotic to fight a virus...even worse because they are useless against viruses.