General Forums >> The Lobby >> credit issues
credit issues
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Posted 3 months ago My local police department in Houston Texas is very picky about credit, but many years ago when I was younger I Iost my job and I was not able to pay my bills, so I was reported to the credit agency on two bills with a total of 1177.00. Is there anyway possible that I can still get in the department with them knowing that it is old? Since then I have paid everything on time. Why is this so important anyway for the job? |
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| Posted 3 months ago
This is a crystal ball question; one that only a Mystic could answer with certainty.
As for why good credit is important, you are entrusted with a great amount of responsibility as a Cop, if you are unable to manage your bills, there may be question as to your ability to manage the authority. Add to this the potential to be exploited, your broke and Joe Six Pack offers you 2K to let him off…
Have you made good on the old debts? If not, you may want to fix those issues. After a certain number of years these items can drop off your report (time escapes me).
Pull your credit report and see if it is still listed, but remember just because there is no record, does not mean it didn’t happen and the Department will not find out.
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| Posted 3 months ago 10-4 on what he said, the only thing I might add is be paying regularly and on time. If you have a manageable debt to income ratio it shouldn't be an issue as long as your not at risk for the things listed above. Police Link Forums Moderator PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY! |
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| Posted 3 months ago Greenstein is correct about why it is important to have a good credit report in law enforcement. Those reasons are all valid. But if I were looking at it I would wonder the following: 1) What is many years ago? If it is five, six, seven years ago and you have been on time since that is better than two or three years ago. 2) What was it for? If it was medical bills you had no choice to incur versus the big screen TV or a cruise on a credit card that could make a difference. 3) Did you ever pay that off once you got back on your feet or did you just shrug it off to a bad time in your life? Back to the reason to have a credit check it is for two main reasons. To check your possible succeptibility to further money problems that can be exploited by people with bad motives, and to serve as an integrity check. How a person handles money extends to other parts of their lives and can be an indicator of how they will handle the offer of something like illegal gratuities or issues of....personal favors. You will be asked if you apply what the deal was. Be honest and open if you get to that point in the background. Its always the right thing to do, plus they will figure it out anyway so tell the whole story and it might go better for you. Good luck!
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| Posted 3 months ago the bad thing is, at least for me on how I feel about credit history. This is just a Legal way to discriminate. I am going thru my second divorce and just found out that several bills are on my credit that I never new existed. And trying to get them removed right now so get my Security Clearance, it like pulling teeth from a BULL. You may or may not get it cleaned up but no matter, you will still have the negative one on your credit for at least 7 years and that will stop you. |
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| Posted 3 months ago onegoodcop says ...
I don't think it's discriminatory at all. It's a legitimate concern for employers. If you have too much debt, best case you embarrass the agency by bouncing checks and getting calls at work. Worst case, you slip to a life of gratuities that grow out of control, and money goes missing from seizures. Police Link Forums Moderator PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY! |
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| Posted 3 months ago
Not sure about where your security clearance is being vetted through, but in most cases; unless it is a highly sensitive level, minor credit issues are not a major factor.
Adjudication of background issues be they credit, conduct, employment or the like are part of the whole picture. True, some fine folks have been denied or lost a clearance due to credit, but rarely is it a minor bump but rather the case being a pattern.
Quite a bit is looked at in the “whole picture” from amounts, time, reason for falling into arrears and most importantly: what has been done to rectify the issues.
It has already been shown that there is a correlation between money issues and the likelihood of being exploited, in the same breath most of the recent espionage cases were only partially motivated by money (most were ego trips) but there still exists the stigma.
It can be from “the old days” when everyone knew who the Cops were and when you hedged on a debt to the local merchant, the issues were more than today.
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| Posted 3 months ago Many years ago, in conjunction with my second divorce, I had severe credit problems, and I was in the military. After the problems arose, I was put up for a Top Secret/SCI clearance. I provided all the information in writing for the background check that was involved. Later in the process, I was further interviewed and subsequently approved for the clearance and all the caveats that came with the clearance. One reason I was granted the clearance was because I was forthcoming about the credit issues and how they arose. Because I was forthcoming, I couldn't be compromised on those issues. My clearance was approved again after the initial 5 years and thereafter, I retired, so the issues never arose again. The best thing a person can do is provide a sound explanation for the credit issues so they canot be put in a position of compromise and that's a lesson from experience. |
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| Posted 3 months ago Credit issues can hurt you with any department if you are less than forthcoming about them. The best thing to do is make sure you list everything on your personal history forms. If negative facts are found as part of your background investigation, it can result in your being disqualified for a security clearance and could possibly result in fines if you knowingly concealed information about it. |
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| Posted 3 months ago onegoodcop says ...
I suppose it's discrimination for convicted felons not to vote or have firearms? Same principle, it's a RISK issue. If their credit is bad then they may be at risk for slipping to the dark side or casting a dark cloud over an agency for bounced checks or something like that. SO what is it that made you become a SG after being a cop for 5 years? Police Link Forums Moderator PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY! |
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| Posted 12 days ago If your credit score is 600 to high 500s, would that affect you when appling for a law enforcement job. |