Employment Disqualifiers
Employment in law enforcement agencies involves public trust. Only those persons whose conduct, character and behavior which does not discredit either themselves or the Department of Public Safety (DPS) will be employed. The DPS employment process will address the integrity, ethical conduct, honesty, prejudices, financial responsibility (credit), and past behavior of all applicants.
While DPS reviews much information and considers the circumstances in many areas regarding an applicant’s background, the following standards are among those that will automatically disqualify applicants from consideration:
1. Intentionally falsifying, misrepresenting, or omitting pertinent information while completing the employment application, preliminary interview questionnaires, or any other pre-employment document(s).
2. Deliberately making inaccurate, misleading, false, or fraudulent statements during the employment process.
3. Poor management of personal finances (within the past five years). Debts, pending civil suits, garnishments, dispossessory warrants, bankruptcies, etc, will be investigated to determine a candidate’s suitability for employment.
4. Personal state or federal tax liability or delinquent student or government loans unless the applicant is on an approved payment plan.
5. Any felony conviction.
6. Any outstanding criminal charge pending adjudication.
7. Sufficient misdemeanor convictions to establish a pattern of disregard for the law.
8. Discovery of an applicant’s involvement in any crime of a serious or aggravated nature.
9. Any conviction or plea of nolo contendere within the past five (5) years for Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol (DUI) or for any serious traffic offense, including, but not limited to: Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, Vehicular Homicide, Failure to Stop, Render Aid, or Leave Information, and Racing.
10. Five or more convictions and/or pleas of nolo contendere within the past two (2) years for any moving violations.
11. Current illegal drug use.
12. Illegal sale, distribution or manufacturing (to include growing) of any drug.
13. Deliberate association of a personal nature within the past year with persons who use illegal drugs in the presence of the applicant.
14. Use or possession of marijuana during the last three years.
15. Use (more than experimentation) of an illegal drug or combination of illegal drugs, other than marijuana, during the past 10 years. What is considered “experimentation” will be determined on a case by case basis considering the totality of the circumstances.
16. Any tattoo that is visible while on duty and/or in uniform will require successful removal before the applicant may be considered for employment. For most people this generally means that tattoos located on the arm must be 2.5 inches above the elbow not to be visible in the short sleeve uniform shirt. Click here for more information regarding all the requirements of the DPS Uniform and Appearance Policy.
We hope this information will assist you in determining if you are a suitable candidate for employment with the Department of Public Safety.