You are here:

Careers: Police/Background check credit debt

Advertisement

Expert: - 10/23/2009


Question
Hello Jack. My question is regarding the background check for the police department.  My credit score is good, 749, but I have about 9,000 dollars in credit card debt.  Most of the debt is from Paramedic school.  I make payments every month, and have never been late.  I was curious as to whether or not this will impact me during a background investigation.  

thanks so much

Steven 26 y/o

Answer
Steven,

If we had a national police department with the same hiring standards I could give you a "yes" or "no" answer.  But as you know we have thousands of police departments in this country and each has its own hiring standards.

If your credit score is high that means that "they" believe that you are a good risk.  However I have no idea what any individual police department is going to do.


Perhaps you did not understand that each police department acts independently of each other.  There is no way to tell you whether your debt is going to affect your candidacy for one individual police department.  If it was my department and I was making the decisions perhaps I could tell you.  It would not be fair to you to give you a Yes" or "No" answer because you could change your plans and it could affect the rest of your life.

Careers: Police

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Jack Toomey

Expertise

U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.

Experience

Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.

Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.

Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.