Becoming ‘titled’ has a serious effect on your future. Being ‘titled’ means that you have been indexed in the national criminal databases. The term comes from having your name placed in the ‘title’ block of an investigative report.
Being ‘titled’ IS going to affect your future. If you ever undergo a background investigation for a security clearance or other federal employment or if you are employed (or try to get employment) with a company that has certain types of federal contracts you will find that you are not employable or dismissed. Most civilian employers never know about this action or how to find out about it, but if they did you might be overlooked when applying for a position.
The investigative agency that conducted the investigation would enter your name into the Defense Central Index of Criminal Investigations (DCII) who maintains the database. It takes ‘credible information to become indexed but each of the Military Criminal Investigative Organizations (MCIO)s has a strict guideline that would lead them to this action. The MCIO’s are the OSI, CID, NCIS or CGIS.
Even if you are later exonerated, your name remains in the database unless you can show that there was no credible information to support the titling decision. This takes proactive effort on your part.
Attacking the standard used for “credible information” is probably the first place your attorney or an investigator will look. It’s not unusual or unheard of for a simple case to be referred for courts-martial when they could have easily been resolved through non-judicial punishment such as an Article 15 or Captain’s Mast or even a reprimand.
We are not lawyers and are not giving legal advice, but over the years we have found “When Lawyers Need Answers, They Come to Us”. Lawyers can find the answers but find more often than not it’s easier to go to someone