Careers: Police/Possible DQ?

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Expert: - 5/9/2010


Question
Mr. Wagoner,

Hello, thank you for taking your time to read my question, my name is Joshua, I'm currently a  senior in high school in California. Im very interested in becoming a peace officer after collage and eventually becoming a detective. The only problem I might encounter is the medical examination, because i am a type 1 diabetic, i have good control of my blood levels and i am in good shape as well. I do not know if you are familiar with California's regulations, but i was just wondering if type 1 diabetes would be a possible disqualification of the medical examination? Thank you once again.

-Joshua

Answer
Hi Joshua,

I read the Cal POST standards and saw nothing about your condition being a disqualification. You can look here:

All individuals vested with the powers of a peace officer must meet state minimum selection standards, whether they are applying to be a highway patrol officer, insurance fraud investigator, part-time reserve officer, or any one of hundreds of classifications of peace officer. To be a peace officer in California, at a minimum you must:

Be at least 18 years of age [GC§1031(b)]
Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien who is eligible and has applied for citizenship [GC§1031(a)]. (Note: CHP officers must be U.S. citizens at the time of appointment VC§2267.)
Have a U.S. high school diploma, GED certificate, or high school equivalency certificate, or a two-year, four-year, or advanced degree from an accredited or approved college/university [GC§1031(e)]
Be free of any felony conviction or certain misdemeanor convictions that are disqualifying [GC§1029; PC§12021(c); 18 USC 922(d)(9)]
Be of good moral character as determined by a thorough background investigation [GC§1031(d)]
Be free of any physical, emotional, or mental conditions that might adversely affect the exercise of the powers of a peace officer [GC§1031(f)]

Also go here:
http://www.post.ca.gov/Publications/PAM/PAM-ch5_selectionRequirements.pdf

Here is the Doctors evaluations standards for Cal: http://lib.post.ca.gov/Publications/Endo.pdf

It looks like they take it on an individual basis. SO from what I can read, your not automatically DQ'd, and if your can explain it to a doctor, then your Diabetes should not be a problem.

Also remember that there are a lot of other things they look at. Read my free guide to becoming a cop. http://dept.sfcollege.edu/IPS/CEW/So%20you%20Want%20to%20be%20a%20cop.pdf it will help.

Good luck, be well and stay safe...

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Chris Wagoner

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I have been a police officer for 30+ years! I am the Police Academy Commander at the Santa Fe College, Institute of Public Safety in Gainesville Florida It is a full service Law Enforcement and Corrections training facility. I can answer most questions concerning law enforcement procedures, law enforcement training and general questions about law enforcment. I can also answer questions about becoming a law enfocement officer. I have a booklet and web page I have written that answers many questions about how to become a police officer called "So you want to be a cop (police Officer) in Florida?", which is free, Google it.. All you have to do is ask. I teach the following subjects: RADAR/LASER, Law Enforcement Driving, Law Enforcement Firearms and Patrol Techniques, Officer Safety, WMD's for Patrol Officers, Application of Law, Communications skills, Dealing with the Mentally and physically handicapped, and many more subjects. I have worked as a subject matter expert for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and helped to write the police curriculum for the State of Florida. I like answering questions about how to become a police officer, and questions about why did an officer do this or that type questions. I also like answering any questions you may have about police work in general. I do not mind helping with homework questions or trying to answer your questions about legal subjects that I have knowledge of. You will never know the answer until you ask! If you do ask a question, PLEASE take the time to at least rate the answer. I do not get paid to answer these questions and do it on my own time. If you ask, please rate it when I answer. Thanks!!! If its a question about becoming a police officer, it may be answered here: http://sites.google.com/site/flaleohelp/ My "hobby" website - http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdID8487 Military Videos on YouTube and Facebook!!

Experience

I am a 30+ year veteran police officer, I am currently the Police Academy Commander of an Academy in North FLorida. I have been training police officers since 1993 and have trained them in all aspects of law enforcement, including firearms, Driving and legal subjects including patrol techniques and others and training all over the world. I have trained over 5000 officers worldwide in the last 16 years of training.

Publications
I am a published author in Accident Investigation from the University of North Florida, Institute of Police Technology and Management. Also have written and published on the Internet, "So You Want to be a Cop (Police Officer) in Florida?" you can Google it..

Education/Credentials
I have 2 degrees, in Criminal Justice.

Awards and Honors
Phi Theta Kappa, plus 50+ Departmental Awards over the years. FBI Directors award for assisting in a Nationwide investigation into Child pornography.

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