Law Enforcement psych evals include "Have you played D&D"?

[Cougar]

Hey all, I have a couple questions:

How many Law Enforcement Officers are here on these boards?

Have any of you run into problems with your career due to your enjoyment in this hobby?

Does anyone remember or know if "Have you played D&D?" shows up on the psych eval / polygraph at the hiring process?

If so, does how does it affect employment for first time hires?


I am planning on attending the law enforcement academy here in Orlando, FL in a couple of weeks and I heard a disturbing rumor from a friend whose father is knows someone in the FBI. My friend plays with me in my weekly campaign I run and he is interested in possibly going in to the FBI and knows I plan to become a local police officer. He said his father was talking to his FBI friend who informed his father that on their pysch eval / polygraph the FBI asks if you "Have ever played D&D". Apparently role-playing is a serious character flaw and can keep you from getting hired. My friend's father came home, and asked my friend about the game he always knew about, but never really understood. Suddenly my friend's father is hearing from an FBI agent that playing D&D is a character flaw and he wanted to know more about it. Unfortunately he wasn't outraged at the stupidity of thinking D&D is a problem, but at his son for playing it. luckily he was reasonable enough to understand it after it was explained to him.

This distresses me, for many reasons. First off, I want to become a police officer and I love D&D and all role-playing games. I also would hate to be judged on a subject that the hiring officers have no real experience or clue about, besides the seemingly everlasting bad press. Worse off, I think being a role-player makes me MORE qualified. I have practiced communication weekly, played many different roles, used my mind to imagine scenes, and then describe those scenes.

So, if any of us ENWorlders are law enforcement, help me out and let me know what to expect for my first couple of applications. Of course I realize that things will be different all over, but it would be nice to see if there is a negative trend.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Chronosome]

Whoa...If that's true, I'm amazed and curious.
Best of luck with your attempts. Sorry I can't be of more help than just moral support.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

"You'd think during all those years of playing D&D, I would have learned something about courage."
Fox Mulder, FBI Agent Extra-Ordinair

That is kinda whacked. One thing to keep in mind is that this is (from as you've described it) an FBI thing; It may not effect you overly much. What I'd like to know is the reason for it? I mean, I could see RPGs being something of a flag to look further into (some folks do have a reality problem and, unfortunately for us gamers, some of them do get into gaming and the rest of us get stuck with the rap). But if it's a major "red flag" that turns your application into an instant reject notice, than I'd have to question the person that made the decision to make that policy.

And if that has leaked-down to a more local level, well... You have my sympathies. I've had co-workers and employers turn weird on me after I've returned from lunch with a newly acquired book and my "little secret" is exposed only to find myself "no longer needed" a few weeks later (the president was a fanatic of a religion I won't name out of respect for the decent members of that religion), so I know how it must feel.

 

[CombatWombat51]

I'm a boarding team memeber in the Coast Guard, which means I'm a federal law enforcement officier. They never asked me anything about it, but then again, they didn't do any kind of psych test past the one they did when I enlisted. But that didn't have anything about D&D or otherwise roleplaying.

I have one friend who became a cop in San Diego, and he'd addictively played D&D, Ultima Online, Dark Ages of Camelot, etc. He'd been playing D&D for probably nearly 20 years when he was hired, and still played. He never mentioned anything about that question.

 

[enrious]

My guess it's akin to an urban legend, I doubt they're all that concerned with whether or not agents play.

I would hazard a guess that it's derived from questionaires in the 80's and 90's seeking to determine if someone were part of a satanic cult or the like.

 

[Buttercup]

I'm pretty sure MEG Hal is in law enforcement. He's (obviously) working for Mystic Eye Games, and you gotta know he plays too. Hopefully he'll see this thread.

I haven't seen him around the boards much lately. I think his real life is quite busy.

 

[Grazzt]

I've a few friends on the police force here, and none of them have ever mentioned anything about being asked that. One played D&D in the past, and one still plays. The other, never has. But, as I said, none have ever mentioned being asked something like that.

 

[Shadowdancer]

"You'd think during all those years of playing D&D, I would have learned something about courage."
Fox Mulder, FBI Agent Extra-Ordinair

You got the quote wrong, and you attributed it to the wrong person. It should be "I didn't spend all of those years playing D&D without learning something about courage." It's from "Jose Chung's From Outer Space." I can't remember the name of the character who said it, but it was a young man Mulder and Scully were questioning.

Our local police department used to have a gaming group that played D&D and other RPGs. I never played in their group, but knew some of them. They never mentioned anything about it hampering their being hired or keeping their jobs.

 

[MEG Hal]

I have been a felony probation officer for over 5 years and they know what I do for a second job and the most I get is mocked at times .

Now saying that my job did not have a psych eval so...I do not know and if it did ask the key is what is the "right answer" ya never know if they ask they may like someone who has RP'd a situation of good vs. evil and did the right thing . I would be interested in finding out about this but when in doubt come to Florida and be a probation officer, we don't ask!!!!

Ok, off to get my equipment on and work on Sunday doing the good work .

*edit: I saw you stated it was considered a character flaw and I have a friend who is a PO with me and just applied to FBI and ATF and I will ask him as well. I still would like to know what that flaw "rating is" as much as _____ or as litle as _____ it may be a flaw, but a minor one.

Thanks for the e-mail Buttercup, real life and illness has slowed me down all around lately.

 

[SkidAce]

I'm a Cop in the Air Force and it was never part of any question process when I came in (middle of the 80's).

None of my friends who became civilian cops after the military ever mentioned being asked that.