Background Check Advice

JC150

New Member
First time poster, I hope this is in the right section...

6 years ago, I lived with roomates who sold drugs, partied, and drank from the dorm room. As a result, I spoke to my RA who called the police and one of the roomates was arrested. Afterwards, my roomates fabricated a story about me and made some allegations that are embarrassing. The accusations include homicidal and suicidal statements along with wanting to fly an airplane into the ground and kill lots of people on campus. The police came to my dorm room and they talked to everyone for roughly half an hour and left. The police made a report of the statements and what happened, I was put on flight hold status, and the university began their investigation. Skip ahead 2 months, I was transferred to a new dorm, put back on flight status, and no other interactions with the police occurred.

I recently interviewed with a regional airline who rescinded their offer following the background check. I did not mention this incident prior to the background check because I was never arrested nor did I get charged with anything.

I just interviewed with another regional that doesn't do a background check until after the ATP-CTP is complete. During the interview, they only asked about DUI and criminal convictions, so this incident does not meet either criteria. After ATP-CTP, there is a 1 week gap until new-hire class. During the first day of new hire class, the background check process is conducted.

On the application and during the interview, I was only asked about DUI's and arrests, both of which I said no to. I have never been arrested or ever been criminally charged. The police report from 6 years ago contains false statements that has already cost me one job, and I am trying to get ahead of this. I imagine this will come up again during the next background check. I am looking for advice on how to handle this.

Do I call HR and tell them about this BEFORE ATP-CTP? Or do I wait until after ATP-CTP, and tell someone about it during day 1 of new-hire training?

I want to re-emphasize, the statements in the police report are false, I was never arrested, and no charges were filed. The university found nothing wrong with me and I was put back on flight status. But there is still a police report out there with my name on it accusing me of saying things I never said, and it already cost me a job. What should I do?
 
You hire a lawyer and don't ask questions like this online. If your career is worth something to you fight for it. Just don't walk into HR and say these things were said about me with no proof. They will be very very hesitant to hire you. They don't want them to be true, then you do something and they knew about it. How did the first regional even know you had this police report unless you told them?
 
Thanks SFLAX. I did speak to a lawyer who recommended suing for defamation, but there is a 2 year statute of limitation. He said I would have been better off if I was charged with a crime since he can usually get those expunged. But since no criminal act occurred, I'm stuck with it.

I completely agree with you, and even I would be hesitant to hire someone with something like this. I was given a class date, do I at least finish ATP-CTP and wait until the background check to say something? Or do I say something now before ATP-CTP? I just don't know what other options I have.
 
You hire a lawyer and don't ask questions like this online. If your career is worth something to you fight for it.

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Did you get a file of your record? Possibly something is on there that shouldn't be? Hear it happen to people with driving records. I always request to see my records just in case. In today's world it seems like anyone could use your name for anything.....even credit checks.

Sounds like you just had bad luck and some low life roommates. Don't let them ruin this for you. This probably isn't the best place to come for advice on something this serious. Wishing you luck buddy.
 
>>> Get an attorney, stat, and figure out what's on your record and what you can do about it. <<<

Wait for his advice. Follow that advice.

Disclosure is always your friend. The lack of disclosure gets a lot of people dragged out of ground school at all levels of professional aviation.
 
Did you get a file of your record? Possibly something is on there that shouldn't be? Hear it happen to people with driving records. I always request to see my records just in case. In today's world it seems like anyone could use your name for anything.....even credit checks.

Sounds like you just had bad luck and some low life roommates. Don't let them ruin this for you. This probably isn't the best place to come for advice on something this serious. Wishing you luck buddy.

Thank you. Should I at least attend ATP-CTP that the airline is paying for?

I did get a copy of the police report. The officers never accused me of doing anything; just says they spoke to me and wrote what my roomates claim I said.

I didn't know where else to ask but I appreciate the advice. Does it have to be an attorney of that state? What if they give me the same answer that they cannot help me because only police reports attached to a criminal charge can be expunged?
 
That state...I would start there. But the idea that a police report can be used this way, has discrimination all over it. That means anyon can file a report just to get revenge.
 
If still confused as to how the first regional got a police report ? I believe they would have ask the specific police department, I don't believe it's on a national data base.
 
Bingo. I did some research and there are several stories online where other people have a police report about them with similar situation and it was holding them back from a job.

There's nothing to stop anyone from telling the police that they heard someone say suicidal and homicidal things. And when it's 3 angry roommates against yourself, you're outnumbered.

I heard California law prohibits releasing police reports that don't result in a conviction. If true, I wish more states would adopt that policy. But my situation did not happen in California unfortunately.

I imagine they found it because they knew where I went to college and went to the local PD to check for anything.
 
In all seriousness, you think a regional would take the time to call a local PD on where you went to college ? I also think, doing that is outside normal procedures. I would be worried and I would pay/fight this report or its availability to be seen.
 
Man, tough call here.

Seems like you would have a good case for libel against the guys you reported. Like an open shut kind of case. I'd go after that too. As for an employment attorney, that ones a tough call. Were you given a reason they rescinded the offer at the other place? If it was because of the false statements made by your old roommates, that's even better for you, and all the more reason IMO to get an attorney to have that removed from your record. Unfortunately, it probably won't help you get a job when you show up to an interview with an attorney, or some of your application stuff is written on an attorneys letter head.
 
In all seriousness, you think a regional would take the time to call a local PD on where you went to college ? I also think, doing that is outside normal procedures. I would be worried and I would pay/fight this report or its availability to be seen.

Well, for starters, they contract it out to a third party.

And yes, they absolutely will check with local jurisdictions in any place you've ever lived to dig up dirt on you. I drive Lyft as a side gig to accelerate my flight training, and their background check involves querying every county you've ever lived in. If a somewhat menial job can do it, I'm sure a regional airline will.

It just seems wrong to deny someone a job without being so much as charged with something let alone convicted. Like everyone else said, lawyer, lawyer, lawyer.
 
Your flight school grounded you for two months and you think that it was a police report that was the issue?

I went to a 141 school where they would coordinate with student health to flight-hold people who went to see a doctor, so you never know. Plenty of places have a "better safe than sorry" attitude.
 
I went to a 141 school where they would coordinate with student health to flight-hold people who went to see a doctor, so you never know. Plenty of places have a "better safe than sorry" attitude.

I think it's much more likely that the flight school revealed that this person was grounded for a period than a criminal records search was able to mine this information. All they had to ask was, was so-and-so ever grounded for health, safety, or as a disciplinary measure?

[edited after I realized I responded to @thevideographer thinking it was @JC150 ]
 
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I once got grounded because I forgot the can on a cross country flight. Let's not jump to conclusions.
I'm not concluding anything. I'm just suggesting that a flight school relating why this guy was grounded is a possibility and probably more likely than this info surfacing as a result of a criminal background search that would have found no arrests or convictions.
 
Not a lawyer, but if it does turn out to be the 141 school, I'd think they have some explaining to do, possibly in court, depending on what was released. You presumably paid them a lot of money, they ultimately saw you as suitable to certify for flying privileges following the "investigation", and now they are interfering with your career based on something that ended up being nothing, which they recognized at the time. But then again, I guess they got theirs ($$$) so who cares.......

Again, just saying if it was them.
 
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