Character Background & Portrayal
An everyday average Joe background story is perfectly acceptable to use when joining the department. You do not need a unique character backstory to join the faction. People become police officers for all sort of reasons. Your reasoning to become a police officer does not have to be inspired from a cliché story. Cliché stories are unoriginal and frowned upon. These stories can be anything from my [insert family member here] was a police officer to my [insert family member here] was killed in the line of duty and that's why I want to become a police officer. These stories are not very realistic and make your character appear as the main character in a Batman-driven vengeance story. For example, a character who is stuck working a dead-end job and merely wants to become a police officer for the benefits associated with becoming a police officer (relatively higher pay and more career opportunities) is OK and definitely more realistic than a cliché story. In essence, a "boring" character is completely fine to join the department. This is line with what the faction looks for in applicants.
Originality
Your out-of-character background story must be completely written by you and only you, specifically for the purpose of joining the faction. Plagiarism is completely prohibited. Outside assistance of any shape or form will result in a permanent faction ban imposed against you.
Character Name(s)
Having an outlandish and/or an 'unique' character name can be and is grounds for denial. For example, a full blown Japanese outlandish character name like Kiyabu Suzume will likely get you denied for being too outlandish. In a similar fashion, while a generic name in itself is not necessarily ground for denial in itself, it is frowned upon. It is recommended that you avoid generic names. These are combinations of names like "James Smith" or "John Smith". These names generally give a bad impression.
Immigrant Characters
While people who immigrate to the United States can become cops, the naturalization process and obtaining U.S. citizenship in general can be a very cumbersome, lengthy and tedious process. Immigrant characters are something a lot of people do not roleplay appropriately or get right when they choose to apply. As such, those who choose to apply immigrant characters can expect to be scrutinized heavily and be held to a higher standard than an otherwise American-born character.
U.S. Military Characters
This is something also a lot of individuals get wrong. It is perfectly realistic for a retired U.S. Military character to become a peace officer as long as the background story makes sense. If you're applying with a U.S. Military character, do your due diligence by researching how the military works. Similar with cliché stories, do not overdramatize your story. This is frowned upon. Keep things simple and realistic.