All cops involved in a shooting – particularly a fatal shooting – should have their blood drawn to check for drugs and alcohol. Taking a man’s life is a serious, serious act – regardless of who does it – and all bases should be covered during the subsequent investigation. Drugs can alter perception and judgment. The person under the influence of drugs does not always exhibit classic signs of such to the casual observer. That’s why testing is so important.

I totally agree. In fact, in ANY employment that requires the operation of a motor vehicle as part of the job description a DUI should be an automatic disqualifier. It might be unfair to the guy who had a couple beers at the ballgame who got busted, but if the person gets into a bad accident with a company car while he’s loaded with a prior DUI the victim is going to own that organization. It just displays extremely poor judgment.

But allowing a cop back on the job after TWO DUI’s is unforgiveable! If that cop injured a citzen while loaded on the job it would be worth $5-$10M!

“I would bet my life she could not test out on an OBJECTIVE written test above the bottom 10%”

I have no idea what her IQ is but if a GED is the best she could do she really had no business managing an organization that ran a $800M budget. If we are going to let GED’s run the show we might as well just shut down all the universities. People attend college to get a competitive edge. College grads are supposed to be rewarded for the effort it took to finish their higher education. For most jobs that pay over minimum wage you need one just to get your foot in the door. It should apply to LE as well. And it just doesn’t look good to the public when a GED has the corner office. It’s bad PR all the way around. It only perpetuates the fact that government work is a farce. And if a GED had the corner office I can only assume the rank ‘n file must be packed with ’em.

I think the reason a GED is still the entry educational requirement in most non-federal LE jobs is because it gives the insiders a way to land their kids, relatives and friends high paying jobs without the need for higher education. But an entry level cop pulls down a comp package well over $100k. That should require at least a BA or BS. The fact that it only takes a GED is proof positive it’s a scam.

Beels-Let me ask you a question- If Jo Ann Galisky were given a WRITTEN TEST for Sergeant, or Lieutenant, or Captain or Sheriff, what do you think the chances are of her getting a score in the top 10%? Top 25%?? Bottom 10%??

I would bet my life she could not test out on an OBJECTIVE written test above the bottom 10%. I could almost guarantee it.

A DUI is IMO the most serious misdemeanor criminal offenses there is- should be an AUTOMATIC dis-qualifier for any job in LE, ANY JOB. And if you get one while employed it should be a career ending offense. No room for drug offenses in LE. Of course that would end the careers of half of LE.

IMO all alcohol (which is a drug) offenses in LE should be career ending.

If a corporate employee whose job description required the use of a company car got busted for ONE DUI, whether it was in the company car or a POV, he would be shown the door soley for liability purposes regardless of his job performance. I have seen it happen to more than a few corporate employees. Good workers were shown the door for ONE DUI. Most corporations automatically get an annual copy of the employee’s driving record through DMV so there is no way to hide it.

Yet a cop with TWO DUIs and is allowed to remain on active duty. But if you have two beers and a glass of wine and drive home after a party that same cop can pull you over, write you up and possibly ruin your career.

Amazing.

That is why gov hiring and promotion is no longer done on actual TESTING. Tests are OBJECTIVE, you cannot game them. But “oral interviews” are 100% subjective and you can game them. That is why a military GED Dork with a DUI or some other criminal conviction under their belt can get hired into a LE job over a college grad with a squeaky clean record with no convictions. I guarantee you there are a number of OC sheriff deputies right now that have DUI and other misdemeanor convictions, and I can further guarantee you that there are thousands of college educated OCSD applicants with clean records that never made it past the interview process. Guarantee it.