Past pill use disqualifying State Patrol candidates
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SEATTLE - The Washington State Patrol needs to hire dozens of new troopers, but something in many candidates' pasts is keeping them off the job.
Being a state trooper is one of the most challenging jobs - and one of the hardest to get.
But for Cadet Erik Magnussen, it's the only job he ever wanted.
"I've grown up around it my entire life," he says. "My grandfather was a state trooper, my dad is a state trooper right now."
And physical fitness is just the beginning.
"The written test, following that your oral boards the next phase, it's phase 2. Phase 3 is the back ground questionnaire," says Magnussen.
And that's where many candidates are stopped by their past.
Trooper Pete Stock WSP says, "It's really hard right now to find people that are qualified to put on our uniform."
Stock says prescription drugs are to blame.
"People may have legitimate concerns. Instead of getting their own prescription from a doctor they are borrowing it from their friends, and it's just illegal. We can't have that," he explains.
And it's a growing problem that he saw again in a recent group of applicants.
"I can tell you in just the few days I was there, screening approximately 10 to 12 people a day, I probably had a handful - three to five - that had issues where they had taken prescription drugs outside of what was prescribed to them or borrowed someone else's," says Stock.
Trooper Stock wants to the get the word out to younger people - if you think you may want a career with the Washington State Patrol, bumming a few pills off a pal will keep that from happening.
"Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, Oxycodone - were seeing anti-depressants in there," he says.
Cadet Magnussen says earning the uniform starts long before you fill out the application.
"The patrol holds its employees to a higher standard, and it's extremely important to the patrol to not have that in your background," he says.
The Washington State Patrol says it needs to hire around 60 new troopers every year just to keep the force at current levels.
Being a state trooper is one of the most challenging jobs - and one of the hardest to get.
But for Cadet Erik Magnussen, it's the only job he ever wanted.
"I've grown up around it my entire life," he says. "My grandfather was a state trooper, my dad is a state trooper right now."
And physical fitness is just the beginning.
"The written test, following that your oral boards the next phase, it's phase 2. Phase 3 is the back ground questionnaire," says Magnussen.
And that's where many candidates are stopped by their past.
Trooper Pete Stock WSP says, "It's really hard right now to find people that are qualified to put on our uniform."
Stock says prescription drugs are to blame.
"People may have legitimate concerns. Instead of getting their own prescription from a doctor they are borrowing it from their friends, and it's just illegal. We can't have that," he explains.
And it's a growing problem that he saw again in a recent group of applicants.
"I can tell you in just the few days I was there, screening approximately 10 to 12 people a day, I probably had a handful - three to five - that had issues where they had taken prescription drugs outside of what was prescribed to them or borrowed someone else's," says Stock.
Trooper Stock wants to the get the word out to younger people - if you think you may want a career with the Washington State Patrol, bumming a few pills off a pal will keep that from happening.
"Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, Oxycodone - were seeing anti-depressants in there," he says.
Cadet Magnussen says earning the uniform starts long before you fill out the application.
"The patrol holds its employees to a higher standard, and it's extremely important to the patrol to not have that in your background," he says.
The Washington State Patrol says it needs to hire around 60 new troopers every year just to keep the force at current levels.
