Has anyone passed a security clearance with an arrest record?

[avxo]

It's not the same in the world of Federal/Military security clearances. For a Top Secret they'll go so far as to dig through your personal life, medical records, police records, school records, contact friends of friends, looking for anything that may suggest you're not 100% trustworthy.

Exactly - that's what my answer was predicated on - that this was a background check performed in connection with Federal Government and/or Military clearance. Even there, while an arrest, by itself, isn't an automatic deal-breaker (except in certain very highly sensitive TS/SCI or TS/SAP cases where it may very well be) but you can be sure that it will be closely looked into and it may come back and bite one in the ass.

Of course employers are free to use whatever criteria they want in evaluating employees (except for what the law explicitly forbids them from evaluating) so a prospective employer could probably even require that you have an arrest record in order to be considered. Arrests probably aren't that big a deal for most civilian background checks; sometimes even a criminal record isn't a deal breaker. For example a lot of people with records end up getting jobs in the computer security sector; Personally, I see this as both good and bad: on one side I don't want to penalize people for stupid mistakes in their past, but on the other hand I don't think it's a great idea to have someone whose business card says: "Chief Security Officer, Convicted Felon".

[Tapeworm]

You're applying for IT jobs tho?  It's not like you're going to be patrolling Yankee Stadium with an automatic weapon.  You're going to be armed with a 3" screwdriver and a LAN port.  Biggest risk I can forsee is that you sniff a woman's office chair when crawling out from under her desk. 

[Maddy]

speaking of
convicted felons
getbig may
be in for
a treat

[The Abdominal Snoman]

In America you can get non felony's hidden from your record so employers and what not can never see it. I forget what its called but I do know it's possible. Cost some money and you have to apply or some shit. Just start your own business and be done with all the bullshit.

[nefario]

In America you can get non felony's hidden from your record so employers and what not can never see it. I forget what its called but I do know it's possible. Cost some money and you have to apply or some shit. Just start your own business and be done with all the bullshit.

Expungement, but it's not nearly as straightforward as you think.  Expunged convictions generally come up in any check of court records, for starters.  The court process to apply for expungement etc...all varies depending on the state, too. Very rarely, records can be sealed...usually in juvenile situations.

[kh300]

Depends on what you were arrested for. Was the arrest something stupid you did in your youth or does it show untrustworthy behavior? If you knocked some dude out at a bar it doesn't make you a security risk. Shit I was arrested twice for motorcycle incidents and became a cop, they just never let me do highway patrol lol.

[outby43]

Arrests and charges filed....are they still pending? Dropped? Plea bargain?

everything dropped.  i am 100% in the clear for regular private sector jobs.  They would see nothing but the Govt. would if I needed any security clearance issued.