I left the government last year. I am actively being recruited by my old agency in a different area and they are offering me a new position doing something else (much more enjoyable).
I recently went through a background investigation with the local PD for a position and put down any and all drug use. I realized that I omitted one on my sf 86 from 2010 and 2015.
Specifically, while visiting family, I asked for some Tylenol. What they gave me was most likely a prescription pain medication, oxy. I took it, not knowing. , and then when I came to told them not to give that to me again (there was a language barrier issue with that, long story).
I put it out of my mind since then. But while I was working on my background with the PD I remembered it. I put it on my PD application but now I am getting this offer regarding returning and am wondering how badly this will bite me.
I looked at the notes on mitigation and know this is mitigatable, but it was omitted from my old sf86.
I know if I go back I will be including that. This is concerning me to some degree. Did I have any intention of omitting it, no. I flat out forgot. So I am concerned regarding adjudication (as it would go there). The only people present was my ex and her mother at the time (I suspect it was the mothers prescription).
Thoughts? I want to know whether to even bother going through with it and decline their offer.
If you list it, it WILL raise a few flags but nothing that you can’t mitigate. It was a one-time event and you were not aware until after and you asked them to make sure that they didn’t give it to you again.
When I did BI’'s for police applicants for my dept, I had an excellent candidate in the exact same scenario…I encouraged him to not lie, but not to offer the info unless asked for. He ended up talking about it in the poly, which, of course led to the “what else is he leaving out?” suspicion.
He did not make it through, and we had a strict 6 year drug policy back then…so he had no shot to try again for at least 6 years…
Well I went through the poly with the PD with no issues as I put everything down, but they don’t do sf86’s.
I turned down the offer with them this morning. I realized that I was running into two issues. One was my own self consciousness regarding that time, and how that was such a bag of nothing that I somehow remembered 6 years later. Looking back I see what danger I put myself into especially if I received a random drug test (and I’ve received them with no issues). I’ve had a flawless record except for that.
But secondly, I would enjoy the position, but I would not be able to really grow as a person. I know exactly what I would be doing, and for some reason, it does not excite me.
… but mostly it was panic over the SF86 as there would be a glaring omission and the question as to why I put that in 6 or 7 years later and not report it immediately. It is not a fight I want to have.