I currently have a secret clearance and work for a defense contractor. Back in February 2015, I made a stupid mistake and got arrested for Public Intoxication. I ended up simply pleading guilty to it and paying the fine. Other than that, i have no criminal record. Also, I have not gotten in any legal trouble since then. I am currently applying for promotions / other positions within my company and when interviewing for other positions, applicants are required to fill out a short questionnaire about things like: arrest record, credit history, foreign national relationships, etc. One of the questions on it asks: “Have you been arrested in the past 7 years?”
Will my arrest from 2015 put my security clearance in jeopardy? Will this impact my eligibility for other positions?
Thank you so much!
It will definitely be something that will attract some attention and be sure you are prepared to provide any and all relevant (and irrelevant) information to the investigator. I think it will not be a major show stopper but will probably prevent you from getting an interim.
I have successfully submitted people for clearance at Secret and TS who previously had up to 2 DUI’s many years apart and even up to 2 bankruptcies. They use the whole person concept. A “one of” incident is a flag to be scoped. However if it was an anomaly and outside the norm for you, no repeat, and other whole person factors speak to the good…I wouldn’t worry too much. DO be frank about the arrest. Any attempt to hide it, play it down, lessen the impact works against you. I tell our prospective hires to look at much of this as an honesty test. Any arrest will show up. They may already know when they speak to you. Frankly reporting it and demonstrating contrition and humility can go a long way.