Becoming a Police Officer: Background Investigation

One of the final stages of the hiring process is the background investigation.  Background investigations are conducted by other sworn officers.  A person's entire background is looked into.  This is the most timely and costly step of the hiring process but certainly one of the most important. 

During the background investigation, information on the applicant is sought in the areas of:

• Educational background including disciplinary problems in school
• Work history
• Personality traits
• Criminal activity
• Driver's history
• Credit history
• One-on-one interviews as dictated by the investigator

A fellow officer can take comfort knowing that each member of the department went through the same stringent background as themselves.