by Jason Morris

With all the news over the past few weeks about Presidential vetting I felt it was appropriate to clarify some important points.  Vetting a person through the media and through associates is much different than your traditional employment background investigation.  Typically (and legally) a background check on a potential employee will not include allegations of pregnancy, marital infidelity and spousal arrests.   Picking a Vice Presidential candidate leads the “vetter” down a much different path.  An employer is not concerned so much with how the Country will perceive their employee.  For a more in-depth view of how an employment background check is done, read our series Employment Screening 101. For information on other areas of employment screening check out employeescreen University.  To read more about how potential VP candidates are vetted…..open any newspaper, blog, magazine,  etc.!!

by Jason Morris

So it looks like the city was a “day late and a dollar short” on their background screening program.  It appears in 2007 they were enlightened and decided to start running background checks….but what about current employees?  A day late; They should have been running these way before 2007, don’t they read the news? A dollar short; adding a simple service like IQ Review would have gone back and checked those not already screened.

Swimming Pool Rape Case Prompts Demand for Background Check Policy Review

By Amos Maki (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Thursday, August 21, 2008

Mayor Willie Herenton and members of the Memphis City Council are demanding answers after an employee at a city swimming pool was charged with raping a 17-year-old girl and exposing her to HIV.

Timothy Bernard Payne, a pool attendant at Westwood Community Center, was hired in 2006, one year before the city began running background checks.

Payne was indicted on a rape charge in 1993, but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor assault. He was charged Monday with the July 31 rape and is being held in the Shelby County Jail on $250,000 bond.

On Aug. 5, Human Resources director Lorene Essex told the council she would perform regular background checks on temporary employees who had contact with children after a television station reported a city lifeguard remained on the job after being charged with assault.

Essex said the lifeguard, who had since been terminated, had a clean background check when he was hired, but because the city does not do yearly follow-up checks, the charge he received while he was a lifeguard was unknown to city officials.

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by Nick Fishman

Question: What happens when 1,900 convicts including those with sex offenses, murder raps and child abuse convictions apply for a job in day care in the state of Michigan.

Answer: They get get hired!

This is not a joke.  The state of Michigan allowed this to happen exposing the children throughout the state to people who had no business caring for them.  The state admits that the “background checks” that they ran were unsuitable and since 2007 are now running “4 background checks”.  Since they were negligent in setting up a effective background screening program the first time, what are the odds that the program they have now is effective?

This is not rocket-science people!  And my intuition tells me that the original decision was made for budgetary reasons.  I’m personally disgusted by this revelation and hope that the people responsible for this are held accountable.

The media is already ablaze over this and I’m happy to pour on more gas.  See a sampling of the articles written in the last 24 hours.

1,900 Convicts Worked in State Day Cares Due to Poor Background Checks

Audit: State Allowed Sex Offenders to Work as Day Care Providers

Audit: Michigan Ok’d ‘Unsuitable’ Day Care Providers

Michigan Let Criminal Provide Day Care for Children: Audit Finds

by Natalie Beck

The Boston Firefighters’ Union is fighting a new mandate that all firefighters will be randomly tested for drug and alcohol use. The excuse they are using is “self protection”.  In my opinion, the protection of the public from these civil servants completely outweighs that of the civil servants themselves.  These people are responsible for protecting citizens from dangerous situations.  How can they do that if they are using alcohol or narcotics on the job?  This union should take a long hard look at their position on this matter and weigh the pros and cons.  Do their personal beliefs regarding drug and alcohol testing really surpass the need for public safety?  If the answer is yes, then I would suggest they find another career.

Fire Department’s culture problem

July 10, 2008 By Joan Vennochi, The Boston Globe

The Boston Firefighters’ Union is once again flaunting its me-first culture and resistance to change.

Four months ago, Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser demanded that a department board reopen its investigation and examine autopsy reports of two firefighters who died last year in a restaurant fire. The board - composed entirely of union members - did nothing. As reported by the Globe’s Donovan Slack, board members refused to examine autopsy reports that indicate that one firefighter had cocaine in his system and the second had a blood alcohol level of 0.27, more than three times the legal limit to drive in Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, the union, which has been without a contract since July 2006, continues to reject random drug testing, unless firefighters are paid more to do it. But despite strong union opposition, change is coming to the Boston Fire Department.

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by Natalie Beck

A new report out of the U.K. questions whether parents are too protective of their children in this day and age. The U.K. thinktank, Civitas, reports that there is now exists a “culture of suspicion” which deters people from working with children due to the possible appearance of impropriety.

I absolutely agree with Civitas’ notion that there exists this culture which makes us question the motives of others. Why? Because there is cause for it. On any given day you can peruse the Internet and find a multitude of stories about sex offenders, coaches, volunteers, bus drivers, teachers, and others who have committed unspeakable acts of violence against children (or you can just read our blog). If there were no cause for this suspicion, companies like ours would not exist.

At the conclusion of this article, there is an opportunity to post your thoughts on this story. I ran across a comment made by a father about an incident that occurred with his young daughter. Here’s his story:

“I have been stopped in the street because I picked up my youngest daughter, who had decided to cause a scene in town, and carried her over my shoulder to the car. A passer by assumed that I must be some evil child abducter, and I had to patiently explain to them, and the well meaning security guard they’d drafted in, that I was nothing of the sort. What’s bizarre is that whilst part of me was overcome with indignation, the other couldn’t help being impressed that they’d bothered to check…”

So even though someone butting their nose into your affairs feels a bit intrusive, take a minute to think about the big picture. If that was your kid, loved one, or employee, wouldn’t you want to know? Wouldn’t you NEED to know? Wouldn’t you be glad someone took the time to ask?

Click here to read “Are We Overprotective of our Kids?”

by Jason Morris

We have talked about redaction of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the past, mostly relating to criminal records.  This article shows the effect having too little information in public records.  Not having enough PII is a slippery slope causing those with common names to suffer. Background screening can be difficult if we are not given the proper tools to do our job!

The Name Game
The FBI’s incompetence is punishing immigrants who play by the rules.

WHAT’S IN a name? For Ali Rahimian, it may be the difference between a quick path to citizenship and a two-year sentence to immigration purgatory. Dr. Rahimian has lived in the Washington area for 17 years, and, among other useful pursuits, has helped operate a free clinic for people who lack medical insurance. Two years ago, Dr. Rahimian, who was born in Iran, applied to become a U.S. citizen. His application was sent to the FBI for what should have been a routine background check, and Dr. Rahimian said he has not heard from the bureau since.

The applications of hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants such as Dr. Rahimian are mired in FBI bureaucracy, according to a recent audit by the Justice Department inspector general. The audit found that the FBI’s National Name Check Program, designed to be a security vetting of immigrants applying to be citizens, is relying on outdated technology and poorly trained workers. Some immigrants awaiting resolution are denied the right to work or to study. And, significant in an election year, they are denied the chance to vote.

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by Jason Morris

Something always bothered me about these commercials, I knew I smelled something fishy! Company CEO, Todd Davis dared consumers to steal his identity. Mr. Davis took this dare a step further, he put his Social Security Number out there for the public to see. It now appears Mr. Davis and his company are being sued in three states because his “lifelock” doesn’t work! To take it a step further, it has been found that Mr. Davis’ identity has been compromised so many times he has over 20 drivers licenses in various states.

I know what you are saying; Why is a background screening company writing about a story like this? Its simple, all the privacy legislation and identity theft news was kicked off a few years ago because of a data breach in our industry. There are now several areas of the FACT Act that require us to help consumers when they are victims of these crimes. Identity theft is a serious matter, consumers are out billions do dollars every year and services like this are not making consumers lives any easier!

The best thing you can do to ensure you are not a victim is check your credit report at least once if not twice yearly. The FTC has some great resources to further protect yourself. If you feel you are a victim, contact your attorney immediately.

ID-protection ads come back to bite pitchman

by Natalie Beck

I find it difficult to accurately convey my thoughts on this story as I think the title speaks volumes by itself. And, quite honestly, I’m extremely dumbfounded that almost seven years after 9/11, this type of oversight on the part of a major airline has even occurred.

We cannot stress enough how important it is for employers to conduct background checks on their employees. Furthermore, it is equally important to screen those who are working for your business in any capacity – volunteers, contractors, part-time, seasonal, etc. For the safety and security of your employees, customers, students, friends, and/or family that enter the confines of your business, you just have to know who you have working for you. You are taking a very big risk if you don’t.

Afghan Hijacker Found Working as Cleaner at Heathrow Airport

FOX News - Friday, May 16, 2008

An Afghan hijacker who won the right to live in England is working at Heathrow Airport in London as a cleaner in the British Airways training center, the Daily Mail reported.

Nazamuddin Mohammidy, 34, was among nine hijackers who in 2000 diverted an Ariana Airlines flight with 160 passengers on board to Stansted Airport in Essex, England.

The group, armed with guns and hand grenades, claimed it was fleeing the Taliban and threatened to kill all the passengers unless they were granted asylum. It took four days for the hijackers to surrender.

Mohammidy appeared in court this week after police pulled him over while he was driving a car around the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow, the Daily Mail reported.

At first authorities thought he was an unlicensed cab driver but were shocked to discover he was one of the hijackers and had a British Airways pass on him.

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by Natalie Beck

The Houston Chronicle has unearthed documents attesting to the Houston Police Department’s lack of oversight and security in their own precinct. It appears that the Houston PD hired individuals that either had criminal records or no background checks conducted on them and allowed them access to secure areas of the building. Within a six month time period, it was discovered that 30 guns, among other items, were stolen from the department’s property room. You would think that a police department that has sworn to protect its citizens could adequately protect themselves from the very thing they lock people up for every day. Let’s hope that other police stations around the country are doing a better job of securing their facilities from those who do not belong there.

Click here for the story

by Natalie Beck

It has been reported that an Australian doctor was hired to practice obstetrics although his background check stated there were restrictions to his license. Why conduct the background check if the results are immaterial to your hiring decision? There’s really no valid excuse for this company hiring this individual to practice medicine at their facility. A background check should never be just a formality in the hiring process. The results should be used for its intended purpose - to make sure that the person you are hiring can not only do the job but that they are the type of person you want working for your company. This company dropped the ball 100 times over.

Employer warned about mutilating doctor: NSW Opp

The New South Wales Opposition says it has proof a former doctor was hired despite a warning he was banned from practising obstetrics.

Dr Graeme Reeves allegedly mutilated and assaulted hundreds of women while working at hospitals at Pambula and Bega on the state’s far south coast.

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