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

[Red Baron]

I have two cops in my current group, and they have never mentioned any such concern. (Both have played since high school.)

 

[alsih2o]

i asked my brother, who ahs applied for 5 law enforcemnet jobs and he sais d+d has never come up.

 

[Quickbeam]

According to those I know in the law enforcement field, this question was never posed during their hiring processes. Maybe it's just an FBI thing...or something that may have become extinct.

 

[Len]

But what about Mutants & Masterminds? It seems to me that would be more relevant.

 

[D+1]

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. [...] 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.

Well that first sentence is fairly key - a RUMOR from a friend of the father of a friend. Given that I sincerely believe you've run into some miscommunication. D&D is not a crime, it is not a sign of deviant behavior, aberrent behavior, or even questionable behavior. Hard scientific evidence shows that it is a better indicator of intelligence and creativity.

Since you say this is part of a general psych evaluation - even a question on a polygraph test - I strongly suggest that this question is NOT present because playing D&D itself is considered a character flaw. What they want to know is if it is something you're going to try to keep secret - or even lie about. They probably also ask if you've ever taken illegal drugs, told a lie, physically injured someone, and so forth. If you smoked pot once in high school they almost certainly don't care - but they want to know if you'll LIE about it. You may once have had a fight with your brother when you were 8 years old and given him a black eye. They don't care that you once hurt your brother - they want to know if you're the type of person whose going to try to keep secrets, or try to tell people what you THINK they want to hear, rather than just state the truth. THAT is the character flaw they are trying to reveal.

 

[Taelorn76]

My girlfriend is a teacher and at her Christmas party this past year she was talking to her colleagues about me and mentioned that I played D&D. She was taken back by how they reacted. Some of them had met me a few times before and they were like I never thought he was like that. Others asked if I wore a trench coat, and other stereotypical questions along those lines.
She said she felt like crap for the flack some people were giving her and told me she would never mention again that I play D&D.

It is hard to believe that the misconceptions and stereotypes about D&D from the 80s are still out there.

 

[mythago]

She said she felt like crap for the flack some people were giving her and told me she would never mention again that I play D&D.

Or, she could throw the flack (politely) back at them. "Trench coat? Why would he do that?"

The original post definitely sounds like a paranoid rumor. I've never heard of such a question, nor have any of the friends I know in the military or in law enforcement.

 

[LGodamus]

I am going to be starting law enforcement training here in NC...I will let ya know if I run into it.

 

[Dirigible]

Well that first sentence is fairly key - a RUMOR from a friend of the father of a friend. Given that I sincerely believe you've run into some miscommunication.

Or you could be reading too much into a turn of phrase.

Everything else you say makes great sense, though.

 

[Michael Tree]

Apparently role-playing is a serious character flaw and can keep you from getting hired.

If FBI recruitment is anything like CIA recruitment, they're looking for a fairly specific group of abilities and character traits. So if the rumor you heard is in fact true, it may not be a "character flaw" but just a possible indicator for traits they don't want. If, hypothetically, a large proportion of gamers mistrust authority, are unlikely to take physical risks, and have a tendency to daydream, and the FBI doesn't want agents with those traits, then a 'yes' response to the gaming question may be a red flag to look out for those traits more specifically.