I have an expunged conviction from 36 years ago. I am trying for a Security Guard job but they need to run a fingerprint check. Will this ruin my chances?Thanks:(

If the record was expunged then it shouldn't show up.

If they run the record though normal government ( police) it should not show up, if it was explunged properly. If they run a private search, these can show up many things, since they access all sorts of records.

But it should not show up and it should be OK.

I have explained this quite a few times before and have delt with this kind of stuff as a probation officer and as a police officer. There is a big difference between police records, such as NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and court records. In my state, an expungement erases a court record but not a police record. That means that a record of the charges brought against you will remain. I assume you were fingerprinted when charged, this will likely be on record as well. Expungement doesn't apply to fingerprint cards.

That doesn't mean you won't get the job, but you need to be up front about it with the potential employer as they will likely find out about it. I have had people on probation who had an NCIC record going as far back as military misconduct during WWII. No, wait a minute, that guy was on parole.

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Originally Posted by JimGunther

There is a big difference between police records, such as NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and court records. In my state, an expungement erases a court record but not a police record. That means that a record of the charges brought against you will remain.

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This is actually the case in most areas. But most background checks will only do a court search. Police records are generally only available to law enforcement personnel.

Well it depends on the nature of the job, the status of the employer and of course, state law. There are agencies, such as NASA, where I worked at one time, that can get access to that type of record.

In my state there is also a procedure whereby certain employers can register with the State Police and get an authorization number which allows them to get a "police check" from an agency called CJIS, the Criminal Justice Information System. This involves arrests in Maryland only. If you don't have the authorization number, you can't even get a police check on yourself. If you have it you can for a fee.