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September 06, 2005
NYFD Hiring People with Minor Drug Convictions
September 2, 2005
People with minor alcohol or other drug convictions are being hired as firefighters in New York City -- a practice defended by officials with the New York Fire Department (NYFD).
The New York Times reported Sept. 2 that the fire department has adopted a policy of hiring firefighters with certain minor offenses in their past as long as they agree to random substance-abuse testing after they are hired. NYFD officials said the "stipulation agreements" allow the department to hire otherwise qualified applicants who may have made mistakes during their youth.
Moreover, they said, the agreements allow the department to more closely monitor firefighters who may be vulnerable to addiction issues; those who fail drug tests also can be fired.
"You don't want to out-of-hand reject someone for what might have been a youthful indiscretion," said NYFD spokesman Francis X. Gribbon, who said the number of firefighters hired on condition that they sign the stipulation agreements has risen 50 percent over the last three years. Of the 3,200 firefighters hired since 2002, 165 have signed the agreements.
Some critics questioned the need for the policy. "The Fire Department is one of the most desirable positions in city government," said Glenn Corbett, an assistant professor of fire science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "I can't see why they would want to bend over backwards to bring in someone who has problems when they have other candidates who are well qualified."
Both the NYFD and the New York Police Department bar convicted felons from being hired, but even the police department will consider hiring applicants with misdemeanor records.
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Posted by lois at September 6, 2005 10:57 PM