Dismissed DWI

[sdrcl1230]

Hello,

I got an offer to work as an Engineer for a nuclear power plant. My tests are coming up and a year ago I received a DWI (stupid college mistake) and it was dismissed. What should I expect? Will I fail their background investigation? I am freaking out. Will I also have to mention every speeding ticket that I have gotten? I have gotten quite a few of those. 

[Papa Nuc]

Yes, you will have to report the arrest.  You also have room on the form to explain that it was dismissed.  Speeding and other traffic tickets do not have to be reported, unless you were taken into custody.

[sdrcl1230]

Will I not be employed because of this?

[Fermi2]

You just got strikes 1 and 2 on the stupidity list. If you have so little integrity you won't report it you don't belong at a nuclear plant.

AND they're going to find out anyway. If you don't report it and they find out on their own you'll be fired.

[sdrcl1230]

I should rephrase my question. I will report it on my form but will having this arrest on my record deter me from failing their background investigation? It was dismissed but I am still worried.

[OldHP]

I got an offer to work as an Engineer for a nuclear power plant. My tests are coming up and a year ago I received a DWI (stupid college mistake) and it was dismissed. What should I expect? Will I fail their background investigation? I am freaking out. Will I also have to mention every speeding ticket that I have gotten? I have gotten quite a few of those.  

It sounds like a 'potential offer'.  If you had an 'offer', they would have already done the background check, thus the question would not be relevant, i.e., you would have already reported.  If you are thinking about not reporting, see BZ's reply:

You just got strikes 1 and 2 on the stupidity list. If you have so little integrity you won't report it you don't belong at a nuclear plant.
AND they're going to find out anyway. If you don't report it and they find out on their own you'll be fired.  

[Higgs]

Graphic will know, but if it is dismissed you aren't guilty of anything..., I'm not saying not to worry but why would you be denied for something that is dismissed?

[Papa Nuc]

You should pass the check since it was dismissed.  But BZ has a good point.  If you are in the habit of covering things up, or falsifying, sooner or later you are going to get yourself fired.  But wait, there's more!  If you do it at a nuke plant you could also find yourself in prison, fined, or both. 

[Higgs]

Ok I'm stupid so maybe I'm missing it, but where did he allude to thinking about not reporting it?

[sdrcl1230]

I think you guys are confused by what I was asking. I got an offer to work at a nuclear power plant as an engineer contingent on me passing the drug, background, and psychological test. My tests are coming up and I was asking if my dismissed DUI from my past will cause me to fail my background check? I had no intention of not recording it.

[HydroDave63]

Since we don't have the PHQ form in front of us, it is hard to know what your plant wants to know, but some plants do look at number of traffic tickets paid/nolo contendre above $150. Not enough information here to give an authoritative answer.

[hamsamich]

Welcome to soapbox central.  As for your dismissed DWI, I would ask the security people at the plant you are going to work for what they would like you to put down on the questionaire.  I have filled out a million and it always comes down to that, what security wants.

Sorry about the "jumping to conclusions game" some people love to play on this site.  Have you seen office space yet?  I think a few of the people that post here on nukeworker were being made fun of in that movie, they just don't know it.

[Incline]

You must report the arrest, plain and simple. Write the outcome of that arrest in detail to include whether it was out right dismissed or if it was deferred adjudication with a period of probation and fine or whatever took place. Security will want to know and it will be ok as long as you are completely honest. I used to go thru this drill at any new plant I went to and I was never denied access. You're not the first and wont be the last to have used poor judgement prior to joining this industry.

Welcome to this industry and good luck.

[Graphic]

You definitely have to report anything and everything. If it was dismissed your chances of getting in are higher obviously. You have to remember.. people in access have seen it a million times.. if it was dismissed because you basically made a plea agreement.. such as I will take this drug/alcohol class to get the charge reduced or dropped..they can still deny you if they feel as if you have a substance abuse problem.

So just because it is dismissed doesn't necessarily mean you can't be denied.

I saw a guy get denied because he had 13 charges of varying things such as burglary, robbery, dui... every single one of them were dismissed but he was still denied. It's kind of like the saying where there is smoke there is fire.. So he either had a really good attorney or just "happened" to be in so many wrong places at the wrong time.

To be on the positive side you have already had the SAE (Substance abuse evaluation) and they said you were okay to go. The plant will probably want you to take another one either way. But having it dismissed is always better than being charged. I just wanted to be clear that even if it was dismissed there are times that you can still be denied.

Time is the biggest factor in these type of situations.. since it was basically less than a year ago then that may hurt you more than anything.

I'm not saying you will be denied.. if it was me I would give it a chance but you will probably have to go through a few extra hurdles to get cleared.

Good luck.