Should a rookie with BiPolar genes be allowed to become a cop when they have mood swings?

bi -polar is usually controlled and stable as long as the sufferer is medically compliant, i have several members in my family who yes got it hereditarily. none are loose-cannons ! 2 of 20 can become agitated if they fail to comply with meds as they sometimes do ! otherwise ,should all 20 pay because 2 are less controlled ? it shouldn't be a consideration unless there is a documented history of violence or abuse ! otherwise several are honor graduates 3 valedictorians from one household, the illness is different in everyone, so lets not chop off the head to save the *** !!

If an officer is exhibiting behavior that violates policy or otherwise poses an apparent and unreasonable risk to others during the course of his duties, that can be addressed by supervisory staff regardless of the cause. The fact that he has bipolar does not matter nor it is necessary to prove if he's unable to do the job appropriately according to set standards in the first place.

There are officers across the United States, thousands of them, who exhibit problematic behavior on a consistent basis. Not all of them have bipolar, even when they have mood swings. While the officer you speak of may in fact have been diagnosed with bipolar, and while the assumption is that bipolar is causing his behavior, that's only an assumption.

If someone is on medication for a mental illness and medicinal treatment modifies the behavior caused by mental illness to fall within a reasonable range and allows the officer to perform satisfactorily, he cannot be terminated or disciplined for the mental illness. Again, this is only if the officer's illness is sufficiently controlled. This means administrative staff, in addressing the matter with the officer, could find that a change in medication could remedy the problem. After consultation with the psychiatrist and the attorney for the government, the officer may stay. (The officer may have applicable rights under ADA and some other areas of law.)

There are all sorts of people with mental illness in every field. Law enforcement is just one of them. We fix these problems not by pointing to their disorders but by pointing to the behavior. This sets a standard and makes it fair. As I said before, there are a whole lot of officers without diagnosable disorders who do the craziest things to people. If the standard became whether someone is mentally ill regardless of treatment options, then anyone without a diagnosis might be allowed to stay even after questions about behavior are raised.

Lastly, law enforcement already places a stigma on mental illness, and this stigma is understandable given what many officers must see at times not to mention the regular stigma that exists in society as a whole. If we began to go after mental illness in law enforcement in unreasonable, unfair ways, then officers who do need true help or are suffering psychologically due to the job or otherwise will shy away from finding help. This could have the effect of increasing problematic behavior by officers all because we began to try and fix the specific problem of mental illness in officers with a broad stroke.

Academy staff, field training officers, experienced officers, and supervisors are not usual candidates for being influenced by a rookie, and they are very likely to be critical of a rookie if he's not upholding standards. Let that system take its course.

There's no such thing as Bipolar genes and your definition of the symptoms is incorrect. Anyone who becomes a cop can develop personality and control issues.

Logically, no he shouldn't be a police officer.

However, it would be illegal to bar him from a job because of a medical condition unless it directly prevents him from carrying out the duties of the job.

I don't work in law enforcement, but I work for the state, and I work with all kinds of crazies because anytime management tries to get rid of these people (for legitimate reasons), they cry discrimination.

no, that is why there is the psych evaluation during the entry process. just watch observe and report.

Bipolar disorder is not genetic.

No..