Entry Level: Minimum Requirements and Disqualifiers

Candidates shall meet minimum standards established by Virginia law, those required in Va. Code § 15.2-1705, and the following:

• Be a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident alien who, in accordance with the requirements of the USCIS, is eligible and has applied for citizenship (proof is required). Note: an application for waiver of minimum qualifications (citizenship) must be obtained and approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).

• Pass a background investigation including fingerprint-based criminal history records inquiries to both the Central Criminal Records Exchange and the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

• Possess a high school education or have passed a high school equivalency examination approved by the Board of Education;

• Possess a valid driver's license if required by the duties of office to operate a motor vehicle;

• Pass a physical examination, subsequent to a conditional offer of employment, conducted under the supervision of a licensed physician;

• Be at least 21 years of age prior to DCJS certification as a police officer.

• Not have been convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to a felony or any offense that would be a felony if committed in the Commonwealth;

• Not have produced a positive result on a pre-employment drug screening, if such screening is required by the Department, where the positive result cannot be explained to the Chief of Police's satisfaction;

Not have been convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to:

• Any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, including but not limited to petit larceny under Va. Code § 18.2-96, or any offense involving moral turpitude that would be a misdemeanor if committed in the Commonwealth

• Any misdemeanor sex offense in the Commonwealth, another state, or the United States, including but not limited to sexual battery under Va. Code § 18.2-67.4 the laws of another state or the United States or consensual sexual intercourse with a minor 15 years of age or older under clause (ii) of Va. Code § 18.2-371

• Domestic assault under Va. Code § 18.2-57.2 or any offense that would be domestic assault under the laws of another state or the United States

Automatic Disqualifiers:

The following are automatic disqualifiers for those candidates seeking a position as a police officer within the Charlottesville Police Department:

Criminal Activity:

• Conviction of a felony or domestic violence;

• Conviction of a crime of moral turpitude, such as lying under oath or falsifying any official documents;

• Conviction of any crime, which carries a penalty of prohibiting the ownership, possession, or control of a firearm;

• Misdemeanor conviction of any crime involving sex offenses and/or required to be registered on the Sex Offender Registry at any age;

• Currently a member of, or in the past been associated with, or supported in any fashion, any criminal gang, extremist-racist or Anti-Semitic group, or any group that has stated a desire to overthrow the United States Government and/or;

• Failure to divulge information concerning involvement in any undetected crimes;

• Under criminal investigation or have criminal charges pending.

Drug Use/Activity:

• As an adult, manufacturing, cultivation, supplying, transporting, distributing, or selling any controlled, illegal or dangerous substance other than marijuana;

• Illicit use or possession of any controlled or dangerous substance after being employed in any criminal justice or law enforcement capacity;

• Illicit use of non-prescribed medication from date of application, including but not limited to Adderall, Xanax, etc.;

• Illicit use of marijuana from date of application, regardless of location of use (includes states/countries where usage may be legal);

• Illicit use of club drugs, such as, but not limited to: Ketamine, GHB, Rohypnol, or MDMA (ecstasy) with three years or less from the date of written application;

• Illicit use of anabolic steroids within three years or less from the date of written application;

• Illicit use of aerosols, sometimes referred to as huffing (paint) or whippits (nitrous oxide) or used Khat within three years prior to date of written application;

• Illicit use of or possession of a drug classified as a hallucinogenic within three years or less from the date of written application;

• Any experimental use of any Schedule I, II, III, or IV drug within the last five years not covered above.

Operation of Vehicles:

• Any criminal traffic DUI, or hit & run conviction in Virginia or similar offense in another state within three years or two or more Criminal Traffic DUI convictions in Virginia or similar offense in another state in an applicant’s lifetime;

• Suspension or revocation of driver’s license for criminal traffic offenses within three years;

• Three or more of one or any combination of the following traffic violations within twelve months of the application:

◦ Speeding 15 mph or more above posted speed limit;

◦ Reckless driving.

Military:

• Receipt of either a dishonorable, undesirable, or bad conduct discharge.

Financial:

• Conviction or involvement in illegal financial practices such as embezzlement, employee theft, check fraud, income tax evasion, expense account fraud, filing deceptive loan statements, and any other intentional financial breaches of trust;

• A history of debt linked to gambling.

Integrity:

Any material misstatement of fact or significant admission/omission during the application or background process including inconsistent statements made during the initial background interview (Personal History Statement or Supplemental Questionnaire) or polygraph examination or discrepancies between the Department’s background investigation and other investigations conducted by other law enforcement agencies.

Other:

• Failure to submit a fully complete, honestly reported Personal History Statement

• Refusal, or failure without reasonable cause, to cooperate with any required step of the hiring and selection process, including but not limited to meeting with the background investigator, interview panel, polygraph examiner, psychologist, or physician or completing evaluative forms or releases;

• Any previous revocation or denial of certification as Police Officer or a suspension of current certified status that will render them disqualified;

• Any body art, tattoo, or other modification (such as branding or gauges) that violates current Department policies.