Work as a Police Officer

not me, but...

by Cabg Patch - 2016-08-22 12:27:42

The policy varies by organization and usually the decision has little to do with reality. I'm addressing this as an employer who dealt with employees with PMs prior to getting a device myself. I had the employee list all of their duties, actual and potential, then get the Cardiologist to sign off that the employee was not at risk, nor would his/her condition affect the safety of others. It may not work for you, but until/unless you try you'll never know. Someone has to start the discussion of whether the limits they are placing on your employment are reasonable or an over-reaction.

I wish you luck

And, not me, either...

by oldearthworm - 2016-08-22 16:00:25

What matters is having a strong heart , never mind its assist from the PM..There are still a lot of ''old ways'' of doing things  out there , people in charge whose thinking is stuck in the   1600s  ...Maybe a first class doctor  could do some attitude changing, but, its a tough one ....The doctor would have to be a cardiologist , at least ...

PM's & employment

by donr - 2016-08-23 08:35:57

Full Disclosure:  I spent 28+ years in Uncle Sam's Army, but NOT as a Combat Arms officer.    I retired in Oct 1987, back when PM's were still pretty crude, compared to 2016.

During my service, I recall many soldiers, enlisted, NCO and officer who were retained on active duty w/ handicaps.  Many served honorably and well for more than ten years w/ their handicap.

The first was a not-so-old SFC (Sergeant First Class) who was missing a forearm from the Korean War.  (This was in 1960.) He was a field artilleryman & in those days, all fire control was performed with slide rules & maps and various protractors & compasses.  He could perform those duties faster than most men w/ two good arms.  He was non-deployable, but the Army was large & they could use him as an instructor at the Artilery School.  Smart move from a huge bureaucracy!

The second was a Captain, Infantry, missing a lower leg (Korea, again).  He was an Airborne soldier,  again non-deployable.  He even commanded a small training airborne detachment.  So, how did he jump from an airplane w/ only one fully functional leg?  simple - He took his prosthesis off, strapped it across his body, hopped on one leg to the door & jumped.  Landed just fine, (Who needs 2 legs to hit the ground & collapse & roll safely?) put the leg back on & did what he had to do.  He went to the Gym every day & ran a couple miles on the indoor track.

I know of three more officers, who, early in their careers suffered lower extremity wounds or severe thoracic wounds that would normally have forced retirement (one a prosthesis).  They refused to quit & demonstrated that they could still perform the expected duties & meet or exceed all physical requirements.  One retired as Chief of Staff of the Army & the other 2 as 4 Star Generals & comanders of  major commands.

Let's get to PM's.  I only know of one man who was allowed to stay in the Army after receiving a PM.  But he was a very special case.  Very senior (a colonel w/i 4 yrs of mandatory retirement), in a very short specialty - a comptroller for a major command, & otherwise in very good physical shape.  Likewise he was non-deployable.

The bottom line is a maxim of war stated by Napoleon in about 1806:  "In Battle, the mental is to the physical as three is to one!"  That also applies to all things medical. 

After that ramble, I'll answer Pat's question:  Yes - he should be given consideration.  PM's have come a loooooong way since the 1980's.  Consideration requires all of what Patch said, plus a periodic demonstration that the PM host is fully capable of performing the duties he/she wants to perform. If there are certain physical/mental standards that must be met by all members of the force, the PM host must be fully capable of meeting them, also - or be required to find another specialty where the host can meet the requirements.

Face it - we all know what our limits are - physical & mental (Remember Napoleon).  They are all different, depending on the basic condition of our heart & its interacting capability w/ the PM.  Some are just better than others.  AND!!!! they change with age.  Back in 2005, when I'd had my PM for just 2 yrs, I wanted to take an 18 mile hike in the mountains w/ a bunch of 18 yr olds.  I badgered my cardio for his clearance for quite a while uintil he said "Don, what good will it do me to say 'NO!' you'll do it anyway."  So he said "Yes."  I started getting ready in April for an event in Aug.  Every day I went out & hiked up & down th hills around our house. The final hill heading home was 1.5 miles long w/ a verticle rise of over 400ft.  That was a cardiac event waiting to happen - especially in the summer heat.  I had to average 2.5 miles per hour to succeed.  Having no idea how I could perform, I had my Wife follow me in our van, just in case.  Just in case never happened!

I was ready!  Couldn't quite keep up w/ the 18 yr olds, but all went well till I got to the bottom of the last hill, when I wandered off the road in the darkness, tripped over a 2 ft boulder, bruised my left thigh so badly I could not climb that *&^%$ hill.  Had to get a ride in an emergency vehicle over that hill, but limped in the last two miles on flat, paved roads.  Got a medic to check my BP at the top of that hill & it was a wicked 120/70.  Spent two weeks on crutches before I could walk again.

Napoleon & the heart/PM made it just fine, but the leg didn't.  At that time, I was 70.  The oldest guy there was 85, & he made it just fine.  One of my classmates did the same event this Aug (W/ his granddaughter) & he was 80.
Donr