Careers: Police/backround checks

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Expert: - 5/5/2011


Question
I was convicted of a misdemeanor crime in 1990 in Arizona and was told my record would be expunged at 18.  Does that automatically get expunged or was I to file paperwork at age 18 to do that?  Also, if it was expunged, and a backround check is run on me, what shows up?  Does it indicate that there is an expunged record for me?

Answer
James,

Thanks for the question.

If your that arrest/conviction was expunged, all information pertaining to that individual crime is supposed to be wiped clean from your history. If someone was to run a criminal background check on you, that arrest should not appear.

I am not sure how it works in Arizona, but most states require you to file some paperwork with a judge to get an expungement order.

Good luck and best wishes!

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William Payne

Expertise

South Carolina general law enforcement career information. South Carolina Criminal & Traffic Laws. Field Training Manager, Court Systems, Police Recruiting & Hiring, Personnel/Employee Evaluations, Non-Lethal Weapons & Use of Force.

Experience

Retired after 24-1/2 years experience as a Municipal Police Officer. 19 years as a Sergeant. I guest instructed at the State of South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. I am a Community Policing Instructor, Field Training Officer, Instructor-Trainer in the Monadnock Expandable/PR-24 Batons, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Law Enforcement Driving Instructor, O.C. Spray Instructor, Taser Instructor, and liaison for State Accreditation Standards. I also serve as an Adjunct Instructor for Park University, where I teach in the Criminal Justice Administration Degree Program.I am currently Director of Security for a major hospital system in South Carolina.

Organizations
South Carolina Law Enforcement Officer's Association.

Education/Credentials
South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy
Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, Park University.
Master of Arts Degree in Management, Webster University.
Master of Arts Degree in Human Resources Development, Webster University.

Datamaster Operator, Monadnock PR-24/M.E.B. Instructor-Trainer, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Field Training Manager, Certified Basic Investigator, Certified in Homicide Investigations.


Awards and Honors
Beaufort County, South Carolina, Police Officer of the Year, 1990.

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