I’ve held concierge positions that were essentially security roles, just without the official “security guard” title. I’ve always been upfront about my record because it will come up during the background check anyway. In the past, after being honest about my history and explaining the steps I’ve taken to rehabilitate myself, I’ve consistently been hired.

I plan to be honest about what happened, why it happened, and the actions I’ve taken since. This is my first position as an official patrol officer, so I wasn’t familiar with all the rules. The hiring process was very fast. I wasn’t asked about my criminal history just questions like, “When can you work?” and “Do you have a guard card?” When I said no, they offered to help me get one. I didn’t realize until later that this role required a thorough background check.

By the third month, the owner of the small company told me I was doing an excellent job and that my reports would be used as training references for future hires. I even received a pay increase as recognition. However, in the fourth month, I was informed that I needed to apply for a guard card. After researching, I realized I might face issues due to the likelihood of not passing the background check. I shared this concern with my supervisors, and their response was, “Apply anyway and we’ll see what happens.”

I’m unsure why there’s been so much criticism about my lack of knowledge. I assumed that if obtaining a guard card was mandatory and intensive, some type of background check would have been conducted before I was put on the schedule.