Saw this on the main page and could NOT believe that out of all the trans people just now one has become a PO....I thought there were AT LEAST dozens if not hundreds of them til i read that.

I've been thinking about becoming an officer for the past 5 or 6 years now.  It's between that or doing construction.

I coulda been the first if i pursued it 5 years ago dammit!!

anyways im very happy to hear that and gives me hope and inspiration that i won't be discriminated against joining the force because i am trans which was a fear of mine.

mods u can remove the police smiley since im not a mod just putting it out there cuz i feel proud right now and i dont feel that often

I believe it was the first in the state of Idaho, if you're talking about https://www.susans.org/2015/06/15/idahos-first-transgender-police-officer-tells-her-story/

lol, i just read the first line, i thought it was the first ever

nevermind XD

I know one trans woman in Trenton, NJ that transitioned over 10 years ago as a Trenton police officer and only recently retired. Her partner (now wife) is also transitioned in her career and worked as a corrections officer at the NJ state prison. They are both retired (not because they are trans) and in their 50's now doing quite well.

cool, i actually live in NJ now....grew up in NYC but moving to Phoenix AZ within the next 6 months (max) and cant pursue any career until i move.   Very conflicted with whether to pursue being a cop or doing construction first

if it were up to me i'd choose cop....but i wanna be a real one, that can carry a gun....not a stupid traffic cop....but i have a history of mental illness and have been in a mental hospital.....im not sure if i would be allowed to be a real cop with a gun because of that....if my only choice is traffic cop or construction i'd go with construction

it's something i have to look into....i asked my psychiatrist and he had no clue

I was a cop for two years in a major US city. We had a decent number of trans officers. It's nothing new.

Most departments do have you take at least one psychological test and personally review your results with a psychiatrist they have on staff before they'll agree to hire you. I don't think you'd be automatically disqualified for having a history of mental illness, but I'm not sure you'd be a top pick with that kind of history, based on my experience.

isn't that discrimination to not hire someone because of mental illness?

i mean people with criminal records can become cops

Most departments will not hire someone with a criminal record currently, but it will depend on the type of crime committed and the circumstances surrounding it. Violent crime, no. Any kind of domestic violence, no because you legally cannot carry a firearm. Misdemeanor property crime, maybe. Drugs, anything but marijuana no, and maybe not even then depending on how hardline they want to be.

As far as mental health, there is a lot of negative stigma in the United States about mental illness. There's even more when you bring gun control into the conversation, as most people agree that access to firearms should be restricted for people with mental illness, due to the potentially increased risk of violence against themselves or others. I'm not saying that is or isn't accurate, as I haven't researched it, but that is the general feeling put out there in gun control conversations, which law enforcement has a vested interest in.

It depends on a lot of factors honestly, the most important one being the applicant pool itself. Most police departments have a very limited number of openings every year, and as a result get to be very selective about who they hire.

When you have 1000 people who apply for maybe 10 positions that you have available (which is pretty accurate for an average sized department in the US on an annual basis), you can make a lot of easy cuts via minimum qualifications and testing. That's why there are minimum education requirements, physical fitness tests, psychological testing, polygraph tests, etc. It's very easy to make a first round cut and say anybody that doesn't have an Associate's degree or higher, or has a criminal record does not get considered. It's nothing against the applicant as a person, it's all numbers at that point.

Back on the topic at hand - the department I worked for has a fairly highly regarded LGBTQ unit that gets specialized training to respond to potential hate crimes against the community. Their current commanding officer is a transwoman who transitioned on the job. And I can think of at least ten trans officers that I know through mutual friends in the department, so there's probably plenty more that I don't know of. So it is a very accepting and accommodating place to work in that regard.

I am an ex sheriff's deputy as well.

Max u are making no sense and obviously have no understand of mental illness

people diagnosed with a mental illness are LESS likely to be violent than people without a diagnosis

people like u are who bring the negative stigma....if u look up actual facts.... statistics show people with mental illnesses are less likely to be violent than the rest of the population

Actually alek as some one who deals with ptsd (which IS a mental illness) on a daily basis, it is something people have a right to be concerned about. Just because you have been treated doesn't automatically mean you are nonviolent or somehow better. Nearly all mental illness diagnosis involve a lifetime of treatment, be it with antidepressants or counseling or some other form of treatment. That being said max was correct in stating that the diagnosis and treatment will be what the pd psychologist will consider along with their own observations. They will be very selective in who they put into a position of authority such as a police officer is in. They have to depend on that officer to be able to handle any situation regardless of the stress involved.
I don't know where you found statistics that showed mentally ill people are less violent but I would love to take a peek at that study.

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Quote from: Becca131306 on June 23, 2015, 11:45:54 AM
Actually alek as some one who deals with ptsd (which IS a mental illness) on a daily basis, it is something people have a right to be concerned about. Just because you have been treated doesn't automatically mean you are nonviolent or somehow better. Nearly all mental illness diagnosis involve a lifetime of treatment, be it with antidepressants or counseling or some other form of treatment. That being said max was correct in stating that the diagnosis and treatment will be what the pd psychologist will consider along with their own observations. They will be very selective in who they put into a position of authority such as a police officer is in. They have to depend on that officer to be able to handle any situation regardless of the stress involved.
I don't know where you found statistics that showed mentally ill people are less violent but I would love to take a peek at that study.


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There are many types and forms of mental illnesses and a variety of symptoms, your particular situation doesn't speak for everyone

and its pretty ignorant for anyone to associate violence with mental illness when statistics show people with mental illness are LESS LIKELY TO BE VIOLENT than the rest of the population

if u wanna peek at the study or statistics look them up for yourself on google, i already have and im not doing your homework for u

not everyone with a mental illness deals with depression or "cant handle" stressful situations.

u know for being a transgender person who is so frequently misjudged by society u sure are quick to judge others especially when u have zero knowledge on the subject

Quote from: ftmax on June 23, 2015, 08:31:46 AM
As far as mental health, there is a lot of negative stigma in the United States about mental illness. There's even more when you bring gun control into the conversation, as most people agree that access to firearms should be restricted for people with mental illness, due to the potentially increased risk of violence against themselves or others. I'm not saying that is or isn't accurate, as I haven't researched it, but that is the general feeling put out there in gun control conversations, which law enforcement has a vested interest in.

Read bolded section.

I'm merely telling you what kinds of things come up when the conversation of mental illness and firearms comes up - not how I feel. Firearms are a big part of law enforcement in the United States. Departments have to have 100% confidence that giving you a gun will not result in anything that would (1) violate someone's rights to life and liberty, and (2) cast the department in a negative light. They cannot afford to have someone on their staff that they feel would be a liability to them and their community.

Police Officers are already 3x more likely than the general population to commit suicide due to job related stress, and that's not counting unsuccessful attempts. The people making hiring decisions want to choose candidates who have the greatest chance of success at a long, healthy career. One of the ways they do that is excluding people that they feel present too great of a risk.

I'm not saying give up on it if it's your dream. But it would be an uphill climb.

just because u have a mental illness doesnt mean u are suicidal or dangerous....my going to the mental hospital wasnt depression related....u are lumping all people with mental illness together when its a huge spectrum of thousands of disorders with hundreds of thousands of symptoms....u are talking like every person diagnosed with something has hte same symptoms and issues and sounding really ignorant....its the same as taking every physical ailment or disease a person can get and saying "its all the same"

oh and another thing

not only can u have a mental illness WITHOUT depression or being suicidal or dangerous

but people can be depressed and suicidal and dangerous WITHOUT having a mental illness

*mod edit per ToS 5

In an organization such an LE agency, the interests of the agency and the community it polices takes priority over yours.

A history of mental illness, whether violent or not, will be a disadvantage when compared with a similar applicant with no such history.

As members of the transgender community, we all know what it's like to be viewed as mentally incompetent by society and medical professionals.

It's not about whether you belief your history of mental illness will be a liability. It depends on whether the LE agency you're applying to will view it as such.

They will view it as a liability, unfortunately.

Other important considerations will include an applicant's character, life experience, and emotional maturity.

I am not arguing with you. I'm just telling you how things work as someone with experience in the field that you are interested in. You seem to take it very negatively when people say things that you don't like or don't agree with. If you're serious about being a cop some day, that's something you need to work on.

Leaving this thread now. If you'd like career advice, you are welcome to PM me.