Answer with complete honesty. Have you ever committed a crime, participated in any illegal activity, or maintained inappropriate criminal affiliation by association?

What You Need to Know
Entry Level Example
Experienced Example
Community Answers

The Transportation Security Administration is explicitly clear that, when crafting your TSA application, you must answer every question with complete honesty. Failure to do so will result in application denial. Most people have had a misstep of some sort in their life. So, rather than hide any past discretions, be upfront about them. Trust that who you are today and the integrity that you bring will shine through.

"I have never committed a crime. I have always been very rule-abiding and always will be so. When I initially applied for a career with TSA, I carefully read through the employee responsibilities and conduct expectations. I will wholeheartedly abide by these guidelines."

"I understand I must answer with utmost honesty and integrity to gain consideration as a TSA Screener. As a teenager, I had a couple of indiscretions with petty theft. I was temporarily involved with friends who did not make good choices. I could have said no; however, I chose to take part. Although I regret going down that path, I am thankful to have received support and guidance from my family. My family and friends showed me that I needed to straighten my life out. And I did. I immediately changed course, got very involved in community service, and am an active member of my community. I've since had my record sealed, but I share this to attest to the fact that I have nothing to hide and am honest. You asked for honesty, so honesty is what you get."

Anonymous Answer

"No, Absolutely not. At the most, I have had a traffic violation for speeding. I have always been an honest person. If you are honest, you have integrity. Morals and ethics are very important to me. If you follow the rules set forth, it should be very easy to abide by them. Following the rules leads to a successful chosen path. I understand that to be employed by the Department of Homeland Security, you should not have a criminal background, and you should be an honest law-abiding citizen. I am very pleased to say that I can be trusted as an individual who respects the law."

Marcie's Feedback

Great! This is good news :) TSA screeners obviously need to be people of integrity since they are in charge of ensuring passenger safety by checking identification and screening the passengers and their items so it's important that you emphasize to the interviewer that you are honest. You make this clear in your answer, which is good, but don't hesitate to include another sentence or two that explains why you've always followed the law (likely because you consider yourself to be honest, full of integrity, and someone who respects the law because it helps to keep people safe).