How to Complete the CHP 446F: Cadet Arrest and Citation Questionnaire

The CHP 446F form is a two-page handwritten questionnaire that every California Highway Patrol cadet applicant completes during the background investigation phase, listing every traffic citation, traffic crash, and arrest in your history so a background investigator can verify your record against government databases.1California Highway Patrol. HPM 10.1 – Conducting the Investigation – Uniformed Classifications Fill it out from documents, not memory, and disclose everything the form asks about — including matters you believe are sealed, expunged, or long forgotten. Omissions are among the fastest ways to lose the job.

When You’ll See the Form

Form 446F is not part of your initial application. It comes after you pass the written exam and physical ability test, once a background investigator has been assigned to your file.2California Highway Patrol. Forms The background phase typically runs three to five months from the point of assignment.3California Highway Patrol Careers. FAQs The 446F is one piece of a larger packet that also includes the POST Personal History Statement, fingerprint submissions, credit checks, employment verification, and social media screening.4California POST. Background Investigation Manual

How to Get the Form

Download the PDF from the CHP careers forms page at chp.ca.gov. If the PDF won’t render, the same page offers JPEG versions of both pages to print and fill in by hand.2California Highway Patrol. Forms Your background investigator may also provide a copy. There is no electronic submission version; both pages are completed in ink.

Pull These Records Before You Write Anything

Filling the 446F from memory is where applicants create the discrepancies that trigger follow-up interviews. The investigator will cross-check every entry against official records, so your entries need to match those records exactly. Gather the following before you sit down with the form:

  • Your California driver record. The old “H6” ten-year printout was discontinued in March 2019. The current DMV driver record shows convictions for three, seven, or ten years depending on offense type, along with departmental actions and accidents, as required by Vehicle Code 1808. DUI-related convictions appear for ten years, two-point violations for seven years, and other violations and accidents for three. Order online for $2 or by mail for $5. Because the record only reaches back ten years at most, you’ll need court records for anything older.5California Department of Motor Vehicles. Request Your Driver’s Record6California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 1808
  • Court minute orders or dispositions. Get these for every criminal or traffic case you were involved in. They show the exact charge, plea, and final outcome in the language you need to copy onto the form. Certified copy fees vary by county.
  • Police reports. Request reports for any incident where you were arrested, detained, or involved in a reportable crash. You’ll need the agency name, case number, date, and location for each entry.
  • Military service records. If you served, request records through the National Archives using Standard Form 180 if you don’t already have your discharge paperwork. Processing can take 90 days or longer.7National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180

Start these requests as soon as you apply, not when the 446F lands in your lap. Clerks and agencies can take weeks, and records delays will stall your timeline.

What You Have to Disclose

The scope is broad: your complete history of traffic citations, traffic crashes, and arrests.1California Highway Patrol. HPM 10.1 – Conducting the Investigation – Uniformed Classifications That includes minor infractions like speeding and equipment violations, not just serious criminal matters. A few categories mislead applicants into leaving things off.

Expunged and Dismissed Convictions

If you completed probation and had a conviction dismissed under Penal Code 1203.4, you still have to report it. The statute explicitly says dismissal does not relieve you of the obligation to disclose the conviction on any questionnaire for public office or state licensure.8California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 1203.4 – Dismissal of Accusation or Information Peace officer hiring falls inside that exception. Leaving a dismissed case off the form reads as dishonesty, not a technicality.

Juvenile Records

Sealed juvenile records are not off-limits for peace officer background investigations. The POST Personal History Statement makes clear that you must disclose juvenile contacts with the justice system, and that deliberate omissions will result in rejection regardless of the underlying offense.9California POST. 2-251 Personal History Peace Officer

Reduced Charges

If a DUI was plea-bargained down to reckless driving, or a moving violation was reduced to a non-moving infraction, list both the original charge and the final disposition. CHP’s examination bulletin warns that even a DUI reduced to reckless driving may still be automatically disqualifying.10CHP Recruitment. Examination Bulletin The investigator needs the full picture, not just the cleaner-looking outcome.

Out-of-State Incidents

Citations and arrests from other states count. The Driver License Compact shares traffic violation and suspension data between participating states, so your investigator will likely find out-of-state offenses whether you list them or not. List them.

Filling Out the Two Pages

Use black ink and print legibly. For each incident, you’ll provide the date, location, law enforcement agency, and case outcome. Work from your documents with the form in front of you:

  • Copy dates, case numbers, and agency names exactly as they appear in your DMV printout, minute orders, and police reports. A one-digit error can flag a discrepancy during verification.
  • When the form asks what happened, write a brief factual account. Stick to facts of the stop or incident rather than explaining or minimizing.
  • Record the final disposition in the language from your court record: “guilty plea, fine of $XXX,” “dismissed per Penal Code 1203.4,” “reduced to infraction, traffic school.” Don’t paraphrase in ways that shift the meaning.
  • List entries chronologically from earliest to most recent. If you have more incidents than the form has space for, ask your background investigator whether to use additional sheets or a continuation page.
  • Don’t leave fields blank. Write “N/A” where something doesn’t apply so it’s clear you didn’t skip it.

Submission and What Happens Next

Your background investigator will tell you how to submit the completed 446F, usually either hand-delivered at a scheduled meeting or through the department’s intake process for background documents.2California Highway Patrol. Forms Submit it alongside the other preliminary background forms if that’s what the investigator requests, and keep copies of every page you turn in.

After submission, the investigator verifies your entries against state and federal criminal record databases, DMV records, and fingerprint clearances from the California Department of Justice and FBI.4California POST. Background Investigation Manual Discrepancies between your form and the databases trigger a follow-up interview. These interviews are routine; the investigator is trying to tell an honest mistake from an attempt to hide something.

What Will End the Application No Matter What

Some issues disqualify you regardless of how carefully you fill out the form. Know these before you start so you can decide whether to continue — and so you don’t talk yourself into thinking a clean disclosure will overcome one of them.

Felony Convictions

Under Government Code 1029, a felony conviction disqualifies you from peace officer employment in California. Since January 1, 2022, this applies even if the conviction was later expunged, set aside, or dismissed, unless a court specifically found you factually innocent.11California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 1029 A felony in another state that would have been a felony in California counts the same way.

DUI and Prior Drug Use

A misdemeanor DUI conviction may be automatically disqualifying, including one reduced to reckless driving.10CHP Recruitment. Examination Bulletin Past use of illegal controlled substances can also disqualify you depending on the substance and how recently you used it.

Domestic Violence Convictions

A misdemeanor domestic violence conviction triggers the federal firearms prohibition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), with no law enforcement exception. Because peace officers must carry firearms, this operates as a permanent disqualifier. State-level expungement does not restore federal firearms eligibility.

Dishonesty on the Form Itself

POST’s guidance on the Personal History Statement puts the principle plainly: prior drug use, DUI, theft, or arrest “may not be, in and of themselves, automatically disqualifying. However, deliberate misstatements or omissions can and often will result in your application being rejected, regardless of the nature or reason.”9California POST. 2-251 Personal History Peace Officer If you’re unsure whether something belongs on the 446F, disclose it. An embarrassing truth is survivable; a lie that gets caught in verification is not.