EmployeeScreenIQ

Employers in Ohio will now have an easier time performing criminal background checks on potential or current employees.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray recently announced that the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles will work together to offer background checks at local deputy registrar offices throughout the state.

The new partnership will create a convenient and low-cost way to obtain background checks. The checks will be obtained through WebCheck, an electronic system that compares fingerprints and demographic data with state and national databases.

The BCI used $300,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to train local deputy registrars and provide equipment. Since October, the BMV has been offering background checks through more than 100 registrar offices and plans to make the service available at more offices during the near future.

"More and more organizations and employers are finding these checks to be an invaluable safety tool," Cordray said. "The range of Ohioans who must obtain these checks has become vast; from doctors to daycare teachers, from church volunteers to construction workers.

"Through our partnership with the Ohio BMV, people all across Ohio will be able to obtain a WebCheck close to home, at the lowest possible cost," he continued. "And that cost will be consistent from one location to the next."

A BCI or state-level background check through the BMV will cost $32, while an FBI or federal-level check will cost $34 and a background check through both databases will cost $61.

In the State of Ohio, background checks are required for employees and volunteers who work directly with children or the elderly, those in law enforcement and corrections; and those in a variety of licensed trades and professions.

Prior to the new collaborative effort, WebCheck was only available at a few BCI locations or through private companies.

Labels: Criminal background checks

What does a background check consist of at hotels in India?

Many people who travel to India for business or pleasure are noticing that it's not as easy as it was before to simply book a hotel room for the night. That's because many hotels are doing everything in their power to prevent terrorist attacks.

On Nov. 26, 2008, a handful of tourist attractions in Mumbai, including two prominent hotels, were the target of terrorist attacks. The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, which was the target of six explosions, and the Oberoi Trident, which was the target of one explosion, were among four locations attacked that day.

Since then, hotels in Mumbai have been ramping up their security efforts by using background check companies, appointing ex-armed forces personnel and installing new security devices in hopes of preventing further attacks.

According to an article by The Times of India, background check companies are seeing an influx of requests from new clients. Ashish Dehade, managing director of First Advantage, said his background check company has gone from serving a couple of hotels to serving more than 12 since last year.

"After the attacks, every hotel has felt the need to address security issues seriously," he said. "We conduct criminal record, education and reference checks of employees as well as contractual house-keeping staff who have access to guests' rooms."

Hotels have taken a number of other measures to ensure the safety of their staff and guests. Some hotels have installed baggage scanning machines, explosive detection devices and vehicle scanners. Many others are now requiring guests to provide proof of identification.

In addition, some hotels have instituted a policy requiring that staff members leave the premises within 20 minutes of finishing a shift. Colonel Sandeep Sudan, Regional Head, Mahindra Special Services Group, a corporate security risk consulting firm said,

"We have suggested hotels to adopt a 'role, time and zone' model, according to which the premises are divided into zones and each staff is designated to work in a particular zone," he said. "This restricts free access to the entire premises."

Labels: What does a background check consist of

More job seekers are finding that what shows up in a background check can severely hurt their chances of employment, and are therefore looking to legally clear their own criminal records.

Amid an already declining economy that makes it tough for anyone to find a job, many potential candidates are looking to clear their records of minor crimes and other information that could further hinder their efforts to find employment.

Michigan state police have estimated they will set aside 46 percent more convictions this year than during 2008, while Oregon is planning to set aside 33 percent more convictions, according to an article by The Wall Street Journal.

Officials in Florida sealed and expunged almost 15,000 criminal records last fiscal year, a 43 percent increase from the previous year. Officials in Cook County, which includes Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, received about 7,600 expungement requests during the first three quarters of this year, which is almost twice as many as during the same period last year.

Many cities and states are working with job seekers in this effort, as some entrepreneurs have set up record-clearing services and local governments have passed laws to speed up the expungement process.

Michael Hornung, a defense attorney in Fort Myers, Fla., charges $1,000 to help clients clear their criminal records. Part of the problem, he says, is that unemployment has increased to more than 10 percent, which allows employers to be more picky about potential candidates than in the past.

"This is affecting a whole new group," he said in the article. "I've had more people come in to talk to me about having their records expunged in the last year than I have had in the previous 13 combined."

In addition, several studies have found that more Americans currently have criminal records. That in turn has caused background checks to become more commonplace among employers.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 80 percent of companies performed background checks during 2006, an increase from 50 percent during 1998.

Labels: What shows up in a background check

One teacher is planning to sue the State of Texas for requiring her to be fingerprinted for background checks (Click here).

Several reports have claimed that Pam McLaurin, a teacher at Big Sandy Independent School District in Dallardsville, is suing the state because she feels being fingerprinted is a violation of her religious freedom.

The case, which will be heard in Lufkin federal court, is the only religious freedom case to take place in Lufkin and the only fingerprint case to take place in the country.

Attorney Scott Skelton told KTRE that McLaurin thinks getting a fingerprint would result in her "bearing the mark of the beast" and being "tormented in burning sulfur." However, she would be willing to undergo any other type of background check.

"She just doesn't want to be fingerprinted," Skelton said. "That's all she doesn't want to have to do. She doesn't mind her background being checked out. She just doesn't want to submit to that. But TEA (Texas Education Agency) is not allowing an exception and so she is in this predicament."

McLaurin also has complained that the state is forcing her to submit fingerprints, even though the statewide law that would require school teachers to do so isn't supposed to go into effect until 2011. Big Sandy Independent School District officials have said they will comply with the state, but hope McLaurin will continue to be allowed to teach in the district.

"The Constitution issues are very, very interesting, from a stand point of a conflict between a teacher's sincere upheld religious beliefs under the first amendment to the United States Constitution and the state's intent in providing a safe environment for children in the public schools," Wayne Haglund, lawyer for the Big Sandy School District, said.

Labels: Background checks

It's not uncommon for employers to obtain background checks and criminal records on potential candidates, but many people are asking if one Ohio school has gone too far.

The University of Akron recently announced that in addition to criminal background checks, it will require all new employees to submit a DNA sample. While many colleges require employees to undergo background checks, adding DNA to the mix seems to be a first.

According to an article by Inside Higher Ed, the new rule states that all candidates selected for employment must undergo a background check and all offers will be "contingent on successful completion" of that check. In addition, applicants "may be asked to submit a DNA sample."

The rules state that all employees, including faculty members, are covered under the measure. The school's Board of Trustees adopted the new policy in August, but only recently notified faculty of the measure.

Laura Martinez Massie, University of Akron spokeswoman, said the school has not yet collected DNA and has no plans to do so, but is "merely reserving the right to do so."

"(Akron wants) a safe environment for all of its students and employees," she said. "DNA testing was included in the policy because there have been national discussions that indicate that in the future, reliance on fingerprinting will diminish and DNA for criminal identification will be the more prominent technology. (Akron wants) the flexibility to adopt the new technology if we found it necessary."

Some faculty and community members have taken exception to the new rule, and one adjunct faculty member has already quit because of it. There also is concern that the school never consulted with the American Association of University Professors before passing the new rule.

Labels: Background checks and criminal records