The Department of Homeland Security Visted my house!

I swear this is the God's honest truth!

Today I came home from work and my husband said to me "Guess who came by today?" Now just coming home from work I did not feel like playing games and really didn't care who had stopped by. So I said who, and he said "the department of security". I said "What? The department of Security?" He said "The department of defense, you know the department of security defense thing." I said "you mean the department of homeland security"? He said "yeah them".

You should have seen my jaw hit the floor. My first response to my husband was "your lying". I thought he was messing with my head, not a good thing to do after a long day at work. He said no I'm not. I know he wasn't lying, he doesn't follow these boards or the political side of life. I mean he didn't know to say department of homeland security, and he would not make something like that up. I asked if they showed him any ID and they did.

Let me tell you, a thousand thoughts had run through my mind and the first one was "great they do read what I type".

It turns out our neighbor next door works for the government. He had applied for a very high level security job. They were doing an extensive background check on him. They asked what type of person he was, if he did drugs, would we recommended him for a high security position, etc.

Now I have never in my life experience anything like that, and don't know if this is typical of a background check. But I will tell you it freaked me out. My husband said they looked like what you would expect, slicked back hair but no sun glasses.

I am not sure if this is in the right forum, so mods please feel free to move it to a more appropriate forum if necessary. I just wanted to share this with you guys and find out if anyone here has had a similiar experience.

Actually its a fairly common practice not only to recieve clearance but some jobs require a yearly checkup of sorts. I know a few people who have clearances for goverment jobs and they get checkups about once a year where their neighbors get interviewed and asked lots of questions about them, so it may happen on a yearly basis depending on what the nighbor is doing for a living now.

When my husband was serving in the Marines, he applied for a top secret government clearance (which he got) and they came to pay me a visit too. I almost dropped dead. I can understand how you feel

I really don't know about homeland security, if they are the ones doing that, but when my husband was hired for the job he does now for the military base, he had a background investigation that lasted over a year, he was interview in person by the investigating team and it was not Homeland security it was a private company.

The interview was performed in the base and none of our neighbors has said anything about being asked any questions.

So I don't know.

[edit on 5-1-2005 by marg6043]

I did not realize that they actually came out to your house and interviewed you like that.

I swear the first thing I wanted to ask my husband was did they take the computer!



[edit on 5-1-2005 by aTwistofReality]

yes, this is actually very normal. For a high security check, they go back into your life asking prople you haven't even seen for many years. I know because my boyfriend works for the state department.

I can imagine your surprise! Lemme see - how do I erase all those tracks on my hard drive?

No, seriously, as others have stated, it's a normal occurrence during a background check.

But I'd still be careful of what I typed, if I were you.

Just kidding!

Originally posted by jsobecky
But I'd still be careful of what I typed, if I were you.

Just kidding!

That's exactly what my husband tells me all the time, he is afraid that my ATS littler rendezvous is going to get his security clearance revoked.

I don't worry a bit, I told him that he is paranoid.

You know it is probably a good thing I wasn't home. I would have made a fool of myself. You know running around trying to figure out how to get rid of the "evidence". LOL

Seriously, it is a shame that I am so paranoid about making any type of comment against the "government" or "administration". You know I fear the loss of our liberties more than terrorism itself.

My neighbor Charlie, Oh yeah a great guy!
You know kinda quiet and introverted.
Seems to be holding up pretty well after his wife left him for borrowing her clothes.
And he's always real generous. Shares a few of the buds from his garden with me all the time.
From looking at him you wouldn't know that he used to be the lead guitarist for the band "The Impalers"
Oh and his daughter's therapy is coming along nicely.
It's too bad you can't talk to his last boss.
That hunting accident was a real drag.

Originally posted by aTwistofReality
Seriously, it is a shame that I am so paranoid about making any type of comment against the "government" or "administration". You know I fear the loss of our liberties more than terrorism itself.

Isn't that a shame that in our democratic country we are starting to fear our own elected government?

This thread has brought up a good point while we make fun about things, we Americans are starting to feel that our own civil liberties could be taken away.

Are we going to start looking over our shoulders every time we make a derogative comment about our government?

I refused to live like that, this is my country and I will fight to keep my rights.

Back in the late 70's when my ex wife applied for a job with the UK Foreign Office, they did just the same thing. In fact they did an actual interview while walking around her garden. They checked with her friends, the neighbours and the local bobby. So its not a new thing.

Evidently, we're not the only ones. I see stories of thousands heading to inauguration peacefully and when a cue is given, thousands of people will turn their backs

They wont have hats or badges or anything to give them away either.

Lets see how many of them get the Patriot Act Book thrown at them for this.

A friend of mine joined the air force about a year ago. And about four months later an Air Force investigator is at my work asking me questions such as "would you trust him with a job in national security"

Now I know this guy. He is responsible (though I didnt lie and told them about his drinking problem at a young age). But to hear is name and national security in the same sentence.... hehe.. Of course I guess a national security job could be anything really.

This is normal procedure for anyone who requests a security clearance, especially for Secret or above and is just part of the background check. Its analogous to a new employer checking your references, although they do that too, but its necessary to be a lot more thorough.

I had my clearance redone and upgraded in late 2003 and I was overseas at the time, and right around Christmas I got flooded with like tons of emails from people I knew, old bosses, and other places I used to work for. They were interviewed about me and because I was in Iraq, I needed my clearance done up quickly before it expired not to mention to do my job there. My family was so freaked out cause they thought I might have gotten into some trouble over there and with limited comms that we had, one sat phone for 100 people to share, it was too funny, I just told them that i was getting my clearance upgraded and redone before expiration, and they said well we have been contacted several times by different people. I told them its to make sure your story is the same and you are telling the truth, then I started to get worried and asked you didnt make up BS did you?

Overall, its normal, they go to old neighborhoods, your highschool, talk to the principal, teachers you had, college, friends, coworkers, they will talk to people you didnt know or knew of, they pull everything about you, court records, drivers licenses, driving record, old addresses and talk to the tenants/landlords, just about everyone. And a TS (Top Secret) takes about 12-18 months to get if its your initial. And if there is a problem with your background they contact you for an interview or come to you and question you so they can clear it or deny it, that has happened before.

I've heard of this as well. My sister-in-laws brother was a marine and he was guarding the President. Before he did, the FBI or Secret Service came to her parents house and hung around town for the day asking questions about him.

They were pretty friendly.

Originally posted by jsobecky
But I'd still be careful of what I typed, if I were you.

Don't sweat it. There are thousands of consipracy sites out there with people like you and me talking about the gov't. They care less than what most of us think.

Unless you go around talking about blowing buildings up, you are in green zone. :up

Surf

Me too.

Quite a few years ago.
I got home, and a bunch of my neighbors stopped by the house.
"HEY, Guys in SUITS were asking questions about you, your house, your habits.."

OH REALLY?

Fortunately the only bad thing they had to say was that I drove a bit fast, and my stereo was loud sometimes...LOL


They were asking because I serviced Mainframes for a big Campus of buildings in Langley Va. (you know the place), And a few on Capitol Hill.