Background Investigation Prep

You can't control your past. You can control how prepared you are when investigators start asking about it. Know what they're looking for before they start looking.

General best practices only. This content provides general preparation guidance. It is not legal advice. For specific concerns about your background, consult an attorney who specializes in law enforcement employment.

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What Background Investigators Actually Look For

✓Honesty and consistency — your answers must match your paperwork, which must match reality
✓Criminal history — arrests, charges, and convictions (even juvenile in some cases)
✓Drug use history — types, frequency, recency, and candor
✓Financial responsibility — debt patterns, bankruptcy, and whether you pay your obligations
✓Employment history — terminations, performance issues, and gaps in employment
✓Driving record — DUIs, suspensions, reckless driving, and patterns of disregard
✓Social media and online presence — posts, associations, and anything that reveals character
✓Personal associations — known criminals, gang affiliations, or connections that create conflict

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Organizing Your Personal History

✓Gather employment records going back 10 years minimum (federal: lifetime)
✓Compile all addresses you've lived at with accurate dates
✓List all supervisors, coworkers, and references you'll be asked about
✓Gather education transcripts, diplomas, and certifications
✓Pull your driving record from your state DMV before investigators do
✓Obtain your own credit report — know what's on it before they do
✓Document any civil or criminal proceedings, including sealed or expunged records
✓Create a timeline of your life history to catch gaps or inconsistencies

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Reference Preparation

✓Notify your references before listing them — don't surprise them
✓Brief your references on what your goal is and why you're applying
✓Choose references who can speak to your integrity, reliability, and judgment
✓Avoid references who might be contacted by investigators independently and say something different
✓Investigators will contact people you did NOT list — former coworkers, neighbors, ex-partners
✓Make sure your references know what they can and cannot say about your employment

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Common Disqualifiers

✓Felony convictions (almost always automatic disqualification at state and federal level)
✓Domestic violence convictions — federal law (Lautenberg Amendment) bars firearm possession
✓Recent drug use — especially cocaine, meth, heroin; cannabis policies vary widely by agency
✓Dishonesty during the hiring process — lying on your application is often worse than the underlying issue
✓Sustained use of force complaints with a pattern of misconduct (laterals)
✓Financial irresponsibility that suggests corruption risk
✓Gang affiliations or associations with criminal organizations
✓History of making false official statements

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The Most Important Rule

✓Be honest — investigators find everything, and a lie is worse than the underlying truth
✓Disclose proactively when possible — voluntary disclosure is viewed differently than discovery
✓Don't assume something is too minor to mention — let investigators make that call
✓If you have anything in your past you're unsure about, research the agency's policy before applying
✓A bad past with evidence of growth is survivable — dishonesty during the process is not

Related Tools

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Disqualifier Checker

Enter an agency and see if anything in your background might disqualify you — before you invest months in the process.

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Psychological Evaluation Prep

General best practices for the psych eval — what to expect, how to approach it, and how to be yourself while being prepared.

How BadgePrep Helps You Prepare

Tools to help you navigate every stage of the background investigation process.

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Know What's Coming Before It Gets Here.

BadgePrep Premium includes background investigation prep, disqualifier checker, psychological evaluation guidance, and every other tool you need to make it through the full process.

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