Who can sign the “witness” line on the Authorization to Release Information?

Anyone who would be willing to later verify it was you who had signed the Authorization to Release Information can sign as a witness. This form does not have to be notarized.

If a question doesn’t apply to me, what should I put in the blank?

If you come to a question that doesn’t apply to you, please put N/A in the blank as opposed to leaving it blank. This is so you can let us know that you did not overlook the question, it just does not apply to you. Leaving answers blank will delay the results of your background.

What should I do if I know a question applies to me but I don’t know the answer to put there?

Some of the questions require you to recall information about yourself from a certain number of years ago or from your whole life. It is important that you include incidents that happened in your criminal history even if it was a long time ago or the details are unclear. Work History: You will need to account for your work history for the last 10 years or longer if you have worked for law enforcement before. You can contact your former employers for dates of service, your job title and duties and your supervisor’s name.

Traffic History: You will need to account for your traffic history for the last 8 years. You can obtain a copy of your driving record from the transportation department for the state you are or were licensed in. As a standard, driving records only go back 3 years so you should make sure you ask for a copy of your entire driving record. If you have traffic history in Idaho, visit mycourts.idaho.gov and do a search for yourself by first and last name.

License Suspensions: You will need to account for any time your driver’s license has been suspended or revoked even if it was a long time ago or if it was only briefly. You can obtain information about your suspension history from the transportation department where you are or were licensed. On your background, please list the start and end dates of your suspension or revocation and the reason why it was suspended or revoked.

Criminal History: You will need to account for any time you were charged, cited, arrested, held or detained by any kind of law enforcement agency for any felony or misdemeanor case. You must disclose even if you were told it would not show on your record because it was withheld, expunged, dismissed or you were acquitted of the crime. If you know you have criminal history but you don’t know the details, you can request the police reports from the police department or county sheriff that cited or arrested you and the court documents from the court in the county where the charges were processed. You may wish to attach copies of these documents to your background when you submit to speed up the process. Please disclose any criminal history you have because non-disclosure can lead to disqualification even if the incident would not have disqualified you if you had disclosed it originally. If you have criminal history in Idaho, visit mycourts.idaho.gov and do a search for yourself by first and last name.

Former Addresses: You need to account for the places you have lived. We understand that exact addresses may not be available to you, however you must provide us with the city and state you lived in and the time frame that you lived there.

I have submitted a Background Investigation Questionnaire before. Do I need to send another one?

If you have submitted a background investigation questionnaire before and has been processed, you will be contacted by an IDOC representative with specific instructions about how to renew your background investigation.

Aside from the Background Investigation Questionnaire, will you need any additional information from me?

Individuals applying for positions other than Correctional Officer, Food Service Officer or Probation and Parole Officer do not need to submit any documents to supplement the Background Investigation Questionnaire. There may be cases where additional information is needed to clarify your responses so a background investigator may contact you for that information.

If you have any of the following conditions in your background, it may expedite your application if you provide a detailed written explanation of the circumstances as an addendum to your background:

• Termination from any employer
• Decision to leave Law Enforcement employment at any agency
• Criminal history
• Driver's License Suspension

For those positions named above, additional information will be due at the interview stage of the selection process. If you have the documents handy, you can submit them with your background packet. Otherwise, you should bring one document from each area listed below to your interview.

Proof of US Citizenship. Accepted documents are listed below:

• Certificate of Live Birth issued by US City, County, State or Territory
• US Passport
• Certificate of Consulate Birth Abroad
• Certificate of Naturalization>/li>

Proof of High School Educational Attainment. Accepted Documents are listed below:

• High school diploma
• High school transcript showing graduation date
• Official college transcripts showing 15 or more college-level credits. Unofficial college transcripts or college diplomas are not accepted.

Applicants who have served in the US Military must provide their Member 4 DD-214 or NGB-22. If you do not have this documentation and it applies to you, you can request a copy of the record at www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.

Do I have to disclose criminal history that I was told would not be on my record?

A criminal record in itself does not necessarily disqualify you from employment with IDOC. However, failure to disclose information is a reason for disqualification or termination once employed with the department. You must disclose all charges, convictions and dispositions regardless of when they occurred or if you were told they would not appear on your record. Idaho Department of Correction is a law enforcement employer and has access to criminal history information that other employers do not.

If you have questions about what might show up on your criminal history check, you can search for your own name with Idaho Courts mycourts.idaho.gov.

Additional Questions/Check on Status

If you have additional questions about the background investigation questionnaire or want to inquire as to the status of your Correctional Officer application, you may contact a background investigator by sending an email to hr@idoc.idaho.gov.