Police Background Check: Everything You Need to Know

Dave Moore - April 28, 2025

Police officers are some of the most noble people in the country because they put their lives on the line to keep the peace. While becoming a police officer is a dream for many, not everyone can become a cop. 

Not only do you have to pass the necessary exams, but you also have to pass a background check. Plus, the background check process for becoming a police officer is often more extensive due to the power that police officers have. 

The good news is that it’s not impossible to pass a police background check if you know what appears in your records and what the check looks for. Read on to learn everything you need to know about police background checks.

What Is a Police Background Check? 

A police background check is a background check that police agencies run before hiring applicants. When someone applies to be a police officer, they must go through this background check process and pass without having too many red flags. Typically, these checks look for criminal records, sex offender status, and much more – we’ll cover everything they look at in a moment. 

Aside from checking your identity, police background checks may include psych evaluations, drug screenings, and other tests to ensure that applicants are suitable. You may also have to pass physical exams to become a police officer, but this isn’t part of the background check process. 

Police background checks may also happen more frequently than your average background check. For example, if someone is being promoted to detective or another higher rank, there might be another background check. Police officers are also subject to regular background and drug screening, so any changes to your record need to be discussed with the department.

How Long Does a Police Background Check Take? 

The length of time it takes for a police background check to be completed varies based on the type of information that’s being looked at. That said, they tend to take as long as your average background check results to come back.

Local and state records should only take a few days to fetch, but if the station needs to look into records from other states, this can add a few days to the process. Furthermore, international background checks might take even longer, with some checks taking up to 20 days to be completed.

The length of time also varies based on the agency and what role someone is applying for. An entry-level police officer may not need an extensive background check, whereas people being promoted into more prestigious roles might need more in-depth checks.

For these reasons, it’s important to be open about any potential red flags that might show up in your records. Doing so will prevent delays and ensure that neither you nor the department end up wasting time.

What Happens if You Fail a Police Background Check?

One of the main concerns that people have regarding a police background check is failing. For example, what if you fail the drug screening? Not only will you have to worry about failing the drug test and not becoming a cop, but what about being arrested? 

While these are valid questions, there’s zero reason to panic. If you fail a police background check, you shouldn’t be arrested unless you’re part of an ongoing investigation. In fact, some departments may even let you apply to become a police officer again at a later date.

What Does a Police Background Check Look For? 

Police background checks look for a lot of information. You’ll find that a lot of it is the same information that’s looked at for most jobs, but there are some additions. Since police officers have jobs that require interaction and protection of the greater public, police officers need to pass more thorough screenings. Learn more about what a police background check looks for below.

Drug Screening 

Drug screenings are something that needs to be done for most police jobs. Typically, these screenings are run on new applicants, but active police officers are also subject to drug testing. The drugs that police agencies look for include marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, benzodiazepines, and sometimes even alcohol.

While some of the drugs that are looked for in the screening are prescription drugs, that doesn’t mean you get an automatic pass. It’s important to notify the drug tester about any medications you’re prescribed prior to testing.

You should also check to see if those drugs will land you on an exclusion list for hiring. Purposes.

Credit History 

Police officers need to be responsible citizens and act professionally in the face of adversity; plus, they may need to handle money that’s seized from criminals. For this reason, most police background checks will look into someone’s credit history. 

While having a low credit score won’t hurt you too badly, delinquencies and other poor financial decisions can cause concern about an officer’s judgment. This isn’t something that’s looked at in every situation, but there are times when credit history can be brought into the fold to make a hiring decision.

Checking with Friends, Family, and References 

Most background checks will contact your personal and professional references. This means that they’ll speak with them to ensure that you know each other and that you are who you claim to be. While this is true for police background checks, you’ll quickly find that they don’t stop there.

In fact, the police will call your friends and family to learn more about you. Therefore, you may have to provide more contact details and credentials than you’re used to. We recommend getting your family and friends on the same page before you decide to go through this process. The last thing you want is for there to be conflicting information that impacts the agency’s hiring decisions.

Criminal Records 

Police officers are often on the front lines when there is criminal activity, so they need to be model citizens in the eyes of the law. While minor things like small driving infractions may surface, this isn’t what the police are looking for at some background check time. Instead, they’ll examine your criminal records to determine if the crimes are serious enough to prevent someone from working in law enforcement.

Crimes that are red flags tend to include:

• Assault 
• Battery
• Theft 
• Larceny 
• Manslaughter 
• Money laundering 
• Any type of gun violence 
• Labor trafficking 
• Sex crimes 
• Status on a sex offender registry 

These are only a few examples of crimes that may show up as red flags on a police background check. Ultimately, anything that would disqualify you from a level 2 background check will disqualify you from police work.

Some minor crimes and misdemeanors will show up on a police background check as well, such as a DUI, but depending on the amount of time that’s passed you may still be eligible for law enforcement work. Make sure you’re open about any criminal records before applying for the best results.

Education and Employment History 

Police background checks also look at education and employment history. While education and employment information aren’t as relevant compared to other careers, police agencies still want to see some college and work experience. In fact, many police academies will require at least an associate’s degree or a comparable amount of credits. 

Work history is less rigid, but police departments will want to see some evidence of work history or at least an internship. Having a work history shows departments that you can work with others.

Prepare for a Police Background Check Today

Police background checks are a normal part of the hiring process if you want to become a police officer. Therefore, you need to know what will show up on the check before you go through it. 

Even if you think your record is clean, it’s a good idea to be positive before you apply. This will help you clear up any discrepancies when they show up on the background check. Furthermore, you can catch any errors in your records and have things cleared up before you apply.

When it’s time to check your records, we have you covered at Information.com. Our background check tool makes the process as hassle-free as possible and helps you run a full background check with only your name, city, and state. Once you enter that information we can show you the following: 

• Civil court records 
• Criminal records 
• Social media accounts 
• Email addresses 
• Dating profiles
• Financial records 
• Driving records 
• Address information 
• Past addresses 

Overall, we’ll help you find anything that’s publicly available to ensure that you never go into a police background check blind.