How a Baltimore DUI Impacts Security Clearances

DUI charges in Baltimore can result in many negative side effects that can be devastating to both your personal and professional life. If somebody holds a security clearance, are in the process of getting a security clearance, or plan on entering a field of employment that will require a future security clearance, then it is important to know how potential DUI charges may affect somebody and how to minimize the impact of a DUI charge on their security clearance. A Baltimore DUI lawyer experienced in cases involving security clearances and well-versed in the unique nuances to the process of the Baltimore court system can better educate somebody on the ramifications of a DUI with regard to their security clearance.

Maintaining or Improving Security Clearance After Baltimore DUI

How a DUI affects a person’s security clearance depends on the nature of the job position. Some employers always require security clearance; other employers never require security clearance. If a person works for the NSA; the odds are very high that they need a security clearance. If they work for McDonalds, the odds are good that they probably don’t need security clearance.

Usually, getting charged with a DUI in Baltimore does not hurt a person’s opportunity to maintain or improve their security clearance. There have been individuals with very high levels of clearances and multiple DUIs on their records. As long as they are not trying to hide the DUI from their clearance authority, it should not have a negative impact on their ability to get, maintain, or improve security clearance.

Current Security Clearance Holders

Getting a DUI generally does not hurt a person looking to receive new clearance or upgrade an existing clearance. It is also possible for a person to increase their level of clearance after they have been convicted of a DUI in Baltimore. Having a DUI doesn’t inherently injure someone’s ability to keep a secret and if they disclose it, there is no potential for blackmail.

If a person’s job requires that they have a security clearance and for whatever reason they lose their security clearance, then they are no longer qualified to do the job and that would result in termination. A DUI resulting in the loss of a security clearance largely depends on what position a person holds and what kind of work they do. Although it is still a possibility, it is not usually the case that DUIs cause a current security clearance holder to lose their clearance or prevent them from increasing their level of clearance.

Defense Strategies for DUIs Involving Security Clearances

The strategies are the same techniques that a person’s attorney uses to try to get an acquittal in a case. A Baltimore DUI attorney can challenge the elements of the state’s case. They can potentially present affirmative defenses. An experienced local lawyer can also help a person select the proper venue to hear their case and an attorney can help a person present mitigation in the court. All defenses used in other types of DUI cases would also be in play in a DUI case that involves a person’s security clearance.