One of the areas in which a DUI can most negatively affect a person is in regards to employment, specifically as it concerns background checks and security clearances. The impact of a Loudoun DUI on an individual’s security clearance, can make obtaining or maintaining clearance difficult, and as a result it can make obtaining or maintaining employment difficult as well.
If obtaining and maintaining security clearance is a condition of a person’s employment, then losing that security clearance could have a negative impact on their ability to remain employed in that position. It is possible that losing a security clearance could result in the loss of current employment as well.
A DUI can jeopardize someone’s ability to obtain or maintain security clearance. Security clearance requires an intense review of a person’s background; the extent of the review depends on the security level. A DUI will not necessarily foreclose all security clearance, but it will have a negative and adverse impact on a person’s ability to receive a new security clearance or have a security clearance renewed, depending again, on the circumstances of their employment.
Whether or not a person is required to have a security clearance in Loudoun County will depend on the nature of their employment. In Loudoun County, there are many defense contractors, especially in the Dulles Technology Corridor, and often security clearance is required to work in these positions. Additionally, Loudoun County residents that work outside of the county sometimes maintain active security clearances as a term and condition of their employment.
Security clearance must be frequently updated and amended in order to stay current. Depending on the level of a person’s clearance, this term or amendment for updating may occur every couple of months, as often as needed, or every couple of years. When the security clearance is updated and a new conviction is included on a person’s record, there may be a negative impact on their ability to maintain that clearance. In addition, some clearance requires a person to notify a security officer if and when they receive any criminal charge, including a DUI arrest or a DUI conviction, which may trigger adverse consequences. When that happens, it is also likely that a person will see their security clearance suffer as a result.
When someone’s security clearance is an issue, they will want to take aggressive steps to fight the DUI case at its very core. It is important to work with an experienced DUI lawyer in these cases. A lawyer can help a person obtain the necessary evidence, knows the law, and can be invaluable in coming up with a sound defense strategy. A strong defense strategy may also include notifying the person’s employer or security officer that they have been arrested and finding out what must be done on the employer’s end to put the security clearance in the best position to be preserved.
Northern Virginia Criminal Defense Group
