New Jersey town considers criminal checks on fire department applicants

By Kathyrn Burger

Pasack Valley Community Life

Criminal background checks will be part of the vetting process for those who want to join the ParkRidge Volunteer Fire Department if Ordinance 2011-034, approved on first reading at the Monday, Nov. 14 council meeting, is approved on second reading at the Tuesday, Nov. 29 meeting. Many municipalities in the state have adopted similar ordinances. ParFire Chief Bob Ludwig said that since 9/11, background checks for fire departments have become common. "Hillsdale has had one for years and Woodcliff Lake recently approved theirs," he said. Heightened concerns about security in the wake of the terrorist attacks were the impetus for the requirement, he said. "One of our police officers who lives in Hillsdale, applied to join their fire department. He had to have a complete background check – and he was a resident and a police officer."

Volunteer fire department chiefs decide whether or not to recommend an applicant after the applicant has been interviewed and provided references. Ludwig said, "Years ago, when the municipality was smaller, it was easier to determine a person's background. Often, we knew who they were before they applied. Now, the town has grown and there are more people, many of whom have only lived here a few years." He said it is difficult to make an educated judgment about an applicant when all they have to go on is the interview and information they provide. "We check references, but don't have anything else to go on. And usually, whoever the chief recommends is approved by the council."

That responsibility is another reason why the criminal background check is important. All firefighters get the same training and maintain their active status by fulfilling the same requirements, whether they are paid or not. "It's up to the chief to make sure that department members are trustworthy" and can back one another up, Ludwig said, adding that liability issues factor into the equation. "On the federal, state and local levels, there's no difference between a paid firefighter and a volunteer firefighter," as far as liability is concerned, he said. "The requirements are the same whether a firefighter is paid or is a volunteer," he said, and so are the risks.

The costs associated with the background check, including fingerprinting and the actual investigation into an applicant's history, will be paid by the department. "We don't want to discourage people from applying by having an enrollment fee," he said. But that amount is small in comparison to the cost for each new member, all of which is borne by the department. "There's the training at the academy, turnout gear that can run $4,000, a radio – that's about $500. It's a big investment," he said.

When someone applies, the department's officers conduct the interview and explain what is involved in membership. Ludwig said, "We go over all the expectations and answer their questions. They have to know what they are getting involved in. There are a lot of prerequisites. They have to go the [Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute] Fire Academy – that's a six-month process – and pass. Then they are probationary members. There are attendance requirements, annual physicals, a dress code, long hair and beards are not permitted. When we're done with the interview, the applicant knows what's expected of them. With the investment we're making, we don't want someone to decide after a couple of months, 'This isn't for me,'" because they didn't know what was required, he said.

The ordinance specifically addresses types of criminal conduct. It reads, in part, "Any person convicted of a crime in the first or second degree… shall be ineligible for membership" in the department. In addition, it specifies that, "Any person convicted of a crime of the third or fourth degree… may be eligible for membership… subject to review and recommendation of the Borough Council and the Board of Fire Officers."

Results of criminal background checks are returned to the Park Ridge Police Department, which, after review, will provide a written statement to the borough administrator stating that either the applicant has no disqualifying criminal history, or a summary of any disqualifying criminal charges or convictions, according to the ordinance. The borough administrator will advise the chief of the fire department if the applicant meets the standards for membership or does not. Applicants who do not meet the standard may meet with the borough administrator and borough attorney to review the basis for the determination.

The importance of criminal background checks – even for law enforcement personnel seeking to serve as volunteer firefighters – is driven not only by the desire to have reliable, trustworthy people as members, but by the demands of insurance carriers, Ludwig said. "Driver's license transcripts are reviewed by the borough yearly. Even when members are driving themselves to a call, they are covered by insurance the moment a call comes in, even at home, and even if they aren't driving a municipal vehicle. We have to be sure they're arriving here 'legally.'"

Ludwig said, "The borough government makes the final decision on the suitability of applicants; the fire department recommends people. The background check is another tool for gauging a person's worthiness to serve."

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Casting assistant's past prompts calls for screening

By Dawn C. Chmielewski
Los Angeles Times

A convicted child molester working as a Hollywood casting director began cooperating with a Los Angeles Police Department investigation, while child protection advocates called for background checks for those with access to child actors.

Jason James Murphy, who served prison time for the 1996 kidnapping and molesting of an 8-year-old boy in suburban Seattle, has spent the last decade working as a casting assistant. He helped find young actors for movies including the science fiction hit "Super 8" and the forthcoming comedy "The Three Stooges."

The casting directors who hired Murphy — who obtained casting jobs under the name Jason James — said they were unaware of his criminal conviction. LAPD representatives said Friday that, although Murphy is under investigation, there is no evidence that he had committed new crimes.

Murphy's Hollywood career has caused anxiety among parents of child actors on the film and TV audition circuit.
"They're just freaking out," said Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParentz Foundation, a nonprofit support group for parents whose children work in the entertainment industry. Henry said she spent the morning dealing with frantic parents worried that Murphy might have been alone with their children during casting sessions and could have obtained photos or videotapes of them.

"It's the one place in our industry when the kids are alone," Henry said. "In casting situations, the parents are never in the room for an audition. Some guy comes up. They take your kid down the hall and disappear for 20 minutes. You never know."

Murphy, 35, is cooperating with an investigation into whether he complied with requirements for registered sex offenders, said Det. Christopher Merlo of the department's West Bureau Registration Enforcement and Compliance Team. "It's a complicated investigation because we have to do a lot of research on where he's been and what he's done," Merlo said, adding that detectives so far have no evidence of additional victims.

Murphy has declined repeated requests for interviews. Henry and other advocates called for fingerprinting and background checks for anyone having contact with minors, as is customary for coaches, Boy Scout leaders and child-care providers.

"The industry has to recognize we have any number of predators who have insinuated themselves into the world of children. They are dance teachers, drama teachers, gymnastics teachers, coaches — as we have seen at Penn State," said Paul Petersen, a former child actor who founded A Minor Consideration, a nonprofit advocacy group for young performers. "And no one is doing any checking."

Others called on unions to do more thorough screening.

Acting coach and manager Betty Bridges has been vocal about pressing the unions to conduct thorough checks on casting agents and directors. Her son Todd, who starred on the NBC comedy "Diff'rent Strokes," was sexually abused as a child by his publicist. "The unions need to do a background check," she said. "They need to make sure that every time they put in a casting director, they need to know what her or his background is."
Since 2008, under the name Jason James, Murphy has been a member of Teamsters Local 399, whose business agent, Ed Duffy, said, "We're very saddened by this situation, if in fact it's true."

Local 399 also represents location managers and studio drivers. But unlike drivers, Duffy said, casting directors do not have to be licensed and are not subject to drug and alcohol testing. "It's up to the employer to vet these people," he added

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Stratford Connecticut Police Captain demoted over leaked background information

By Richard Weizel
Connecticut Post

Police Union President Joseph McNeil was demoted from the rank of captain to sergeant Tuesday and suspended without pay three months for his alleged role in the illegal leak earlier this year of personal background on former police applicant Christian Miron, the brother of Mayor James R. Miron.

The mayor said Tuesday he recused himself from "the entire disciplinary process" because the investigation was related to his brother's personnel file.

"The discipline imposed is due to the severity of this offense," Chief Administrative Officer Suzanne McCauley, who was the hearing officer in the McNeil case and made the final decision, said in a statement Tuesday.

McCauley said she strongly considered firing McNeil, a 17-year-veteran of the local Police Department.

"As the hearing officer in this matter I made the decision," McCauley said. "The town of Stratford has no further comments, as it is a personnel matter."

But the local police union had plenty to say, issuing an immediate statement blasting the town's action as a violation of its collective-bargaining agreement, and arguing that the decision is based on "political pressures." It vowed an immediate appeal of the ruling.

"The Stratford Police Local 407, Council 15, AFSCME does not agree with the conclusions of the town of Stratford in this matter," according to the statement. "By its own admission the town's conclusions are derived wholly from circumstantial evidence.

"The union will immediately grieve this matter because the town has not sustained the evidentiary burden necessary to sustain the just cause requirement found in the collective bargaining agreement," the statement says. The union "is confident that when these facts are reviewed by an impartial panel, free of political pressure, Joe McNeil will be vindicated, reinstated to the rank of captain and made whole for salary lost as a result of the suspension."

McNeil, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, said prior to the disciplinary hearing that he "feared the worst." However, he strongly denied he had any involvement with the release of a personnel background check on Christian Miron, 29, who was issued a conditional offer of employment as a police officer earlier this year. However, a detailed, nine-page background investigation raised questions about whether Miron is fit for police work.

All of the vacant police jobs have subsequently been filled.

The information leaked from Miron's personnel file shows he scored well on the written and oral exams, as well as the recommendation by a psychologist who interviewed him and recommend he be hired, although expressing "strong reservations.''

McNeil's suspension and two-rank demotion, considered "very unusual," according to McCauley, comes a few weeks after more than 70 police officers converged on Town Hall to show support for the president as he went behind closed doors for the disciplinary hearing.

McNeil was accused by town officials and police brass of having a role in leaking Miron's background information to the press and Town Council members, or that he knew who did.

Some union members, including McNeil's brother, police Detective David McNeil, said previously they believe the union president was "railroaded" and "made a scapegoat" in the investigation.

David McNeil claimed that top police officials threatened to fire his brother.

"They have even tried to get him to implicate the former union president and a council member in the leak, and threatened his job if he didn't cooperate," said David McNeil, a 19-year department veteran. "My brother doesn't know who leaked the file, and they are trying to get him to lie."

Joseph McNeil took over in May for former Union President Shawn Farmer after he resigned from the department. A statement released by the union at that time said, in part, that in his capacity as union president, McNeil was the target of a "witch hunt" after he "quickly discovered irregular and highly improper conduct involving senior members of the Town of Stratford Police Department. Since McNeil began questioning those improper activities, a deliberate campaign has been orchestrated against him, the union said.

"With respect to the background investigation regarding the mayor's brother, Christian Miron, Capt. McNeil emphatically denies he released said report to any member within the Police Department, to any member of the media, or any member of the general public," the union states.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

New Jersey job applicant falsifies law enforcement letters that enabled his employment

A 53-year-old Ocean County man has been charged with forging letters from law enforcement officials, authorities said yesterday.

Silvester Colonna of Manahawkin was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of criminal impersonation and three counts of forgery, Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said. Bail for Colonna was set at $40,000.

Investigators in the prosecutor's office said Colonna was hired by a Hillside company that specializes in international trade. The company performed a background check on Colonna before he was hired, which revealed several criminal convictions. Colonna denied he had a criminal background and, in an attempt to hide his past, forged several letters, authorities said. One letter was ostensibly from the Middlesex County prosecutor stat ing that the Silvester Colonna employed by the company was not the same Silvester Colonna with the criminal convictions, authorities said.

Noticing several inconsistencies and grammatical mistakes in the letters, company officials contacted the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, which denied knowledge of the letters and referred the case to Union County.

Colonna was arrested after a two-month investigation.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Bucknell University contemplates instituting faculty background investigations

By Lily Beauvilliers
The Bucknellian

The University is considering conducting background checks on finalists for faculty positions.

Human Resources (HR) suggested the move after examining trends in peer schools, said Marcia Hoffman, executive director of Human Resources.

Four checks are being considered: criminal background, national sex offender registry, education credential and employment verification.
The University has been conducting background checks on all staff since April 2001 and began a pilot program testing senior staff, including the new chief information officer, provost and dean of students, in April 2007.

“We were trying it out on them,” Hoffman said.

The process to implement faculty checks was halted after HR spoke with the Faculty and Academic Personnel Committee (FAPC) last spring.

“Members of our committee are concerned that background checks are expensive, and it seems unlikely that they will do much to make Bucknell safer,” said Geoff Schneider, associate professor of economics and chair of FAPC, in an e-mail.

Schneider also raised concerns that the University couldn’t compete with other employers if it began background checks.

“Many faculty care very deeply about academic and personal freedom, so we are concerned that we might turn off the best applicants ... by instituting an overly intrusive background check policy,” he said.

Currently, the University does not officially verify an applicants’ education before offering employment.

A search committee consisting of members of the department and someone of a different ethnicity or gender reviews the applications, Hoffman said.

The committee writes a “short list” approved by the Affirmative Action Officer Linda Bennett and deans.

These applicants are interviewed, and a recommendation is made.

“The hiring official does talk to references. Those conversations check the academic credentials, but there is no official check,” said Tom Evelyn, director of media relations.

Background checks would be conducted after an applicant is already chosen. “If discrepancies arise in the background check reports, HR would provide a copy of the report to the individual, and then notify the search committee chair the respective dean, and the provost for their consideration and deliberation,” Hoffman said.

The University considers the nature of the convictions, how many there have been, the date and how a conviction impacts the duties of a position.

“You might find the time served was sufficient punishment, but might also look into their background to see if there is a larger issue,” University General Counsel Wayne Bromfield said.

All convictions would not be treated equally.

“If we had someone that came up in the National Sex Offender registry, we would not put them on our campus. Minor traffic violations? Not a major consideration,” Hoffman said.

Before background checks are implemented, HR and FAPC will clarify language added to the background check policy and faculty application.

“It is likely that this issue will eventually come before the full faculty as a committee report,” Schneider said.

Current chair of the faculty Tony Massoud, associate professor of political science, declined to comment due to lack of information.

Martin Ligare, associate professor of physics and former chair of the faculty, expressed his concern over the possibility of background checks.“Broadly targeted background checks on a routine basis are antithetical to the ideals of an academic institution,” he said.

According to Ligare, the University should not act as an arm of the law.

“It’s not our job to punish people,” he said.

Andrea Stevenson Sanjian, associate professor of political science, feels faculty should be informed about the decision process.

“I am generally uncomfortable with [faculty background checks] so far, and nobody has made any effort to change this. And I haven’t talked to anyone else who thinks this is a great idea either,” she said.

Hoffman is confident background checks will be conducted soon.

“We are hopeful that, with the additional language, the FAPC will support this effort, and that a more formal approval process will not be necessary,” she said.

The University views background checks as part of a responsible hiring process and a common trend among our peer schools.

“The basis for all of this is to give us all the information possible, so we can make a better decision before hiring,” Evelyn said.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Tyra Hearns points out the necessity of background investigations is stronger now more than ever

The purpose of personal background checks is to get a feel for the applicant’s character. Personal and professional references are a good starting point, however, experts in the investigative field caution employers on using this method solely. Prospective employees are obviously going to give references of people whom they trust will provide a good character reference for them. Those references may not necessarily be fabricating information regarding the applicant; they simply may not know pertinent information about him or her.
Another method employer’s use is obtaining a credit report on the prospective employee. While privacy advocates argue the necessity in reviewing credit reports, many employers find them to be full of important information. An employer can determine what types of credit accounts the applicant has open and their history of paying bills on time. For some employers, this is a good indicator of how responsible of an employee he or she will be. Employers also may draw a correlation between credit history, job performance and employee retention. Though these conclusions are heatedly debated, according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, employers do have the right to investigate much of a person’s credit history as a pre-employment tool.
Credit reports also contain pertinent job and address information. Some employers and private investigation firms use credit reports as a means of cross-referencing information supplied on the employment application. Though credit reports contain much needed personal information, they should be used in conjunction with other personal background check methods in order to have a well-rounded view of the applicant’s character and ability to perform the job duties.
This type of consumer report also contains information that may be valuable, although legally questionable, to the employer. Age and marital status are data that are often reported. Employers should already be familiar with privacy and equal opportunity legislation and be careful not to discriminate on the basis of these facts. The purpose of performing personal background checks is to ensure the safety and security of the company and violating Federal laws is out of the question.
Identity theft, criminal prosecutions, outstanding debt and bankruptcies are all examples of information that can be acquired through a personal background check. As an employer, it is your responsibility to only gather what information you need; information gathered should be directly related to the safety and quality of the company and more specifically, the job performed. For example, if a company needs to hire a receptionist, it might not be necessary to know whether or not he or she has filed bankruptcy recently. Other than using that as a tool to judge character, some information gathered through personal background checks may not be relevant to the position.
If an employer should require a more extensive background check, things such as who someone has dated, use of alcohol or drugs or personal lifestyle can also be obtained. Usually when a firm investigates a person’s background, they may interview neighbors, friends, associated, former co-workers and others to gain a picture of the person as a whole. Some of the information may be of interest to the employer and some may be irrelevant. It is important when hiring an investigator, to let them know specific information you are looking for.
When investigating a prospective employee’s background, it is vitally important to be honest about your intentions. Federal law requires employers to provide separate consent forms for each type of investigation to be conducted; it is also good business practice to be forthcoming about these matters. Background checks on employee’s can save companies money by avoiding potential lawsuits, theft, and costly employee retention. It is usually best to outsource the work to a private firm, if the information is very detailed. For some employers, searching at the local or state level is much more cost-effective and may produce the results they need without outsourcing.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Some school bus drivers with criminal records in New Jersey are working

By Larry Higgs and Paul D'Ambrosio
Gannett New Jersey

Dozens of school bus drivers with criminal convictions transport children to class each day, many with the state's approval, a Gannett New Jersey investigation has found.

Offenses for the persons convicted range from manslaughter to drug distribution to theft.

Of the 35 drivers found by Gannett New Jersey, three have had their bus driving endorsements revoked by the state Department of Education after the Press forwarded its list to authorities.

None of the banned drivers worked in Middlesex, Monmouth or Ocean counties.

The three drivers include a man convicted of manslaughter and two women convicted of endangering the welfare of a child.

The gap in background investigations for school bus employees is so wide that one man with two prior drug convictions was hired as a bus aide by a Keansburg company to transport Middletown students. State officials said they were never told about the hire, and, as a result, no background check was ever run.

The aide, Parrish L. Jones, is now serving a 10-year prison term for giving a near-fatal dose of methadone to a 15-year-old on a school bus in 2006.

Of the 32 remaining bus drivers whose permits were not terminated because of prior convictions, state officials said none had offenses that would warrant taking them off school buses. The convictions included simple assault, gambling, weapons possession and official misconduct, according to a review of state court records.

Still, state education officials said that those with serious offenses shouldn't have escaped detection and that measures are being taken to close the loopholes that let Jones and others get on a school bus.

"The safety and security of our children are DOE's highest priorities, which is why we do these background checks in the first place," said Kathryn Forsyth, Department of Education spokeswoman. "It is simply unacceptable to us to have anyone slip through the cracks, and when we find that someone has, we move quickly to make sure they are disqualified and fired."

Gannett New Jersey also found that 148 convicts received school bus driver licenses after their convictions, but that their permits have since expired, according to a review of bus drivers and state criminal court records for the last 15 years.

The drivers worked for both private bus companies and school districts that operated their own bus service.

State education officials, who are required by law to keep certain criminals from driving school children, said that the three terminated bus drivers fell through the cracks because of changes in the state's fingerprinting system.

"In these instances, we are obligated to take action," said Carl Carabelli, manager of the criminal history review unit for the education department. "Disqualification notices went out on Aug. 21, which said they are disqualified (from school employment) and should be terminated, and we sent notices to MVC (Motor Vehicle Commission) to revoke their school bus endorsement."

School bus drivers are supposed to be fingerprinted and go through criminal background checks every two years, when they renew their bus driver's license. But those safeguards, designed to reassure parents, don't always work, said Dr. Alan Ross, founder of the National Coalition for School Bus Safety, Connecticut.

Federal law prohibits individuals from driving a school bus who have been convicted of first- or second-degree crimes, such as murder and aggravated assault, and some third-degree theft offenses.

Middletown school bus aide Jones is a recent example of how a slip-up can cause a near death. Jones had two prior drug convictions in Monmouth County, but got a job as an aide for the Aberdeen-based Milu Bus Service.

Jones, 37, of Keansburg, was convicted of drug distribution in Monmouth County in 1992 and again in 1996. He was given a 364-day jail term in 1992 and a three-year prison sentence in 1996, according to public records.

Jones pleaded guilty to giving methadone a synthetic narcotic to a 15-year-old Middletown North High School student in October 2006. The boy nearly died from the overdose. Jones was sentenced last June to five to 10 years in prison.

Jones was hired for school employment despite his two prior drug convictions because his name was never submitted for a background investigation to the state by the bus company, Forsyth said. An education department audit revealed that the company also failed to submit other employees' names for background checks, she said.

"His name didn't go through the system. They were cited for noncompliance. They have to perform a corrective action plan," she said.

Education officials are putting together administrative procedures to fine any bus company that fails to submit workers names for background checks, Forsyth said.

"It is a shame that what happened in Middletown happened. I thank God the child was okay, it's one heck of an awakening for the township," said Maria Wheaton, parent of a student who graduated from Middletown North High School last year.

While Wheaton said she was satisfied with how the district handled the situation, she said she supports a bill introduced by state Sens. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, and Shirley Turner, D-Mercer.

The bill would require more frequent fingerprinting of all school employees and mandate that those fingerprints are kept on file. In June, it was approved by the Senate education committee and is waiting to be posted for a vote by the full Senate.

"That bill is a great idea, it should pass with flying colors," Wheaton said. "I think that any adult who works with school age children should definitely go through a thorough background check."

The three school bus drivers state officials said were disqualified are:

Cora Outlaw, 42, Newark, convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and sentenced to three years in prison in 1992. She was last approved for school employment in May 2007 in Essex County.

State education department officials said they initially found no disqualifying crimes on her record. Her endangerment conviction has since been verified, disqualifying her from driving a school bus.

Marba L. Morris, 50, Teaneck, was convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and placed on two years' probation 1999. She was last approved for school employment in 2005 in Bergen County.

Bobby G. Allen, 54, of Vineland, convicted of manslaughter in 1992, was sentenced to 270 days in jail and four years' probation. He was approved for school employment in August 2006 in Vineland. Education department officials said the conviction wasn't on his record. After a new review of records, he was disqualified from school employment.

None of the drivers could be reached for comment.

The drivers can challenge the action by filing an administrative appeal with the department within 30 days, said Carabelli, of the education department's enforcement bureau. None has filed an appeal as of Thursday, Sept. 11.

How did those three drivers and others make it through the system?

In several cases, individuals uncovered by Gannett New Jersey slipped through the criminal background safety net because their fingerprints weren't kept on file by the state Bureau of Identification, Carabelli said.

In 12 other cases reviewed, the crimes weren't considered by the department to be disqualifying offense at the time they were convicted, Carabelli said.

All first- and second-degree offenses, such as homicides and major drug crimes, are disqualifying. A theft charge depends on the severity and the value of what was taken, Carabelli said. Some third-degree theft offenses also are considered disqualifying offenses, he said.

State officials determined that 10 drivers on the Gannett New Jersey's list would keep their license because the offenses they were convicted of weren't disqualifying under the law. They included weapons possession, interfering with custody of a child and witness tampering.

Four drivers on the list were convicted of lower offenses, such as disorderly persons and drug possession, which were not considered a disqualification at that time of arrest. But such offenses would bar them from obtaining a school bus driver's license now, Carabelli said.

The state criminal history review unit handles 70,000 background checks a year for all school employees and disqualifies an average of about 1 percent, Carabelli said. There are 25,000 school bus drivers authorized to drive students in the state, he said.

One problem identifying drivers with records is that until February 2003, the state Bureau of Identification didn't retain the physical fingerprints from background checks, said Forsyth, the spokeswoman for the education department.

"If they committed a crime, we didn't know unless we found out anecdotally or through the newspapers or if the police or prosecutor let us know a crime was committed," Forsyth said.

That database is "much more complete" and state education officials will know immediately if a bus driver or school employee is convicted or has a record, she said.

Legislation in the state Senate would require all school employees and applicants to undergo fingerprinting and criminal background checks every two years.

The bill, S110, also would require the education department and state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which tracks individual wage data, to compare databases to determine if a school employee has not undergone a criminal background check, or has been disqualified yet still works with students.

"The (education) department not only strongly supports this bill, we helped write it," Forsyth said. "As the people who administer the system, we knew where the problems were and what had to be addressed legislatively. We think this bill will significantly tighten the safety net."

"It expands our ability to make sure people don't fall through the cracks," Forsyth said. "All these pieces are filling holes."

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper in unathorized background investigation scandal

By Brad Schrades
The Tennessean
Long before he was accused of running unauthorized background investigations on private citizens, a joke made its way around the Tennessee Highway Patrol about Ronnie Shirley.He could parachute over the old Soviet Union, the joke went, and if you telephoned the Kremlin an hour later, Shirley would have schmoozed his way so far within the corridors of the communist state, you'd hear his West Tennessee drawl on the other end of the line.

The joke illuminates a truth about Shirley, a 6-foot-4 trooper full of charm and backslapping political skill, but it also reflects a long-held belief about what it takes to get ahead in the THP: Politics and cozying up to the powerful too often determine the course of a trooper's career."He makes friends," said former THP Lt. Col. Steve Browder, who is from McNairy County, where Shirley grew up, and helped Shirley get hired as a trooper in the late 1980s."He's kind of a self-serving guy. Whoever is in charge, he will find a place at the table."Browder said he's concerned the latest allegations surrounding Shirley — that he ran unauthorized background checks through a criminal justice database on up to 182 Tennesseans — give a black eye to the state's other troopers.

For years, many have said Shirley, 42, could one day be commander of the patrol because of his skill in courting those in high places in state government.He has enough political clout to land plum assignments in the patrol: serving on Republican Gov. Don Sundquist's security detail, and later serving as bodyguard for House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.It was shortly after the Boston trip that news surfaced that Shirley had fixed a speeding ticket for then-Deputy Gov. Dave Cooley — at the time, the most powerful person in Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen's administration. It later came out that the patrol's leadership had concocted a fake punishment for Shirley to throw off the press and public.Could be a politician.

Whenever Shirley came into General Sessions Court Judge Paul Simpson's courtroom, he was polite and as straight as an arrow, the former judge recalled."It really surprises me he's in a controversy," said Simpson, contacted by phone in Denver, where he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. "I think I know him, I don't think he'd ever do anything criminal. I think he's a law-abiding officer; he's been ever since I've known him."A longtime Democrat and Selmer's current vice mayor, Simpson was one of the people Shirley listed as a reference on his job application with the Highway Patrol. Simpson said Shirley is still a friend, and he would have recommended him without any hesitation."He wants to help everybody," said Bryan Farmer, a former trooper from East Tennessee. "In my 25 years in the Highway Patrol, sometimes you have to say, 'No, I can't help someone.' I don't know that Ronnie has the ability to do that." Farmer said he's surprised by the scandals Shirley has been connected with. If Shirley hadn't been in a THP uniform, Farmer said, with his personality, he'd easily be running for political office — with success.His willingness to help may include a deputy governor with a speeding ticket or a trooper who needs help moving furniture on the weekend, Farmer said. "There's consistently temptations to do things around the general orders" — the THP's internal rulebook —"or around the law because you are in a higher rank," Farmer said. "You just have to be able to say no. You never know a man until you work with him," Farmer said. "That's just something I've always lived by and come to realize. If you work with someone on a day-to-day basis you get to know the ins and outs and how he operates."

The THP leadership has given Shirley good marks on his performance evaluations, including one that was completed more than a month after the unauthorized background checks were reported to the THP.On July 30 — almost a month into the criminal investigation into allegations against Shirley — his direct supervisor, Maj. J.R. Perry, signed Shirley's annual performance review, giving him "exceptional" ratings across the board, the highest possible marks.State Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell and THP Col. Mike Walker signed the review the same day, approving the evaluation.Walker on Friday said he didn't conduct the evaluation, which is based on the entire year's performance."We don't base it on what's happening right at that time," he said. "You look at the year as a whole. I didn't sign his evaluation. I was the reviewer on it. I was not the evaluator. I simply read it and sign off on it."Shirley's full-time posting is another plum assignment — serving as the Safety Department's liaison to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, a position he's held for about two years.Shirley, is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Wisconsin town enforces new background investigation policy

By Brad Bryan
Anyone wishing to work for the town of West Salem, even on a volunteer basis, must now consent to a full background investigation.That decision comes after last week’s West Salem Village Board meeting at which trustees adopted village ordinance No. 427. No one attended a public hearing regarding the ordinance, held prior to the regular meeting on Aug. 5.

Language in the ordinance states: “Submission of an application for employment, paid or unpaid, appointed positions with the village, volunteer positions, all liquor license applications and/or renewals shall constitute consent to a background investigation (including a criminal history and traffic history) by the village.”

In an interview conducted prior to the meeting, Village Administrator Teresa Schnitzler said the village has always done full background checks in such instances and the requirement to adopt the ordinance came from the Crime Information Bureau, which the city uses to conduct background checks.

She added that past violations turned up by background investigations aren’t an automatic denial in all instances.

The motion to pass the ordinance was approved by a vote of six to one, with Trustee J. Terry Hanson dissenting.

Hanson questioned the cost to enact the ordinance. No estimate was provided at the meeting. Schnitzler said the cost would be considered in the upcoming budget.

“We have ideas on how to fund it,” Schnitzler said.

“I’m going to vote against this because I’d like to see how it’s funded,” Hanson said.

“We don’t have a choice, Terry,” Schnitzler said. “We need this ordinance to conduct the background investigations.”

West Salem Police Chief Charles Ashbeck said the ordinance was necessary to comply with existing Crime Information Bureau policy.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Residents of New Hampshire town reject police chief candidate over background investigation results

By PAT GROSSMITH
New Hampshire Union Leader

Nearly 200 citizens have signed a petition urging selectmen not to hire a retired Hillsborough County deputy, who was accused of assaulting his wife, as the town's police chief.

The petition, signed by 183 residents, states:

"We the undersigned citizens of Salisbury urge the Selectmen not to hire Frank Jones as Chief of Police of Salisbury. If Mr. Jones has been sworn in as Chief we ask that you terminate his employment and begin a search for an appropriate candidate."

Former selectman Ken Ross-Raymond dropped off the petition this morning to town officials. He said the 183 signatures represent about 95 percent of those asked to sign the petition.

Messages left by UnionLeader.com for Jones and town selectmen concerning the petition were not immediately returned.

Jones, 49, of Bow, who has been in law enforcement for 26 years, was offered the job on July 23, pending a background check and other conditions.

The next day he was arrested in Meredith on a simple assault charge accusing him of grabbing his wife's arm. A judge dismissed the charge last week.

The dismissal came after Priscilla Jones gave police a "revised" statement in which she denied her husband assaulted her and maintained her son called police to get even with Jones who, years earlier, made a 911 call that ended with the son's arrest in Bow. The son was never convicted.

Jones was not among the original police chief candidates interviewed by selectmen and a committee. He submitted an application before the deadline and was interviewed separately.

The committee recommended the town hire part-time officer Daniel Ball, who is also a full-time officer with the Boscawen Police Department. Selectmen instead offered Jones the job.

UnionLeader.com filed a Right-To-Know request with the Merrimack County Sheriff's Office for documents related to the selection of the police chief. The matter was referred to the Merrimack County Attorney's Office which released about 30 documents.

Among them was an April 16, 2008 letter Capt. Craig Saltmarsh of the Merrimack County Sheriff's Department sent to selectmen. In it, Ball was recommended as the top pick for police chief.

No letter of recommendation regarding Jones is among documents released by the county attorney.

Margaret I. Warren, administrative assistant to the selectman, sent a letter dated July 3 to Saltmarsh indicating town officials marked his July 2 letter concerning the "chief of police background investigation" as "confidential for our files."

A second letter to Saltmarsh dated July 22 informed him that a report from Merrimack County Deputy Paul Montray on the background investigation of Jones was also marked confidential.

Warren's letters requested Saltmarsh mark his file copies of both pieces of correspondence as confidential as well.

Last week, selectmen said they would be meeting with town counsel before making any decision on the job offer to Jones.


Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Background Investigations on prospective law enforcement officers seen as subpar by critics

By Jacob Quinn Sanders
Arkansas Democrat Gazette

The Mississippi County sheriff’s office hired Nathan Taylor in May as an auxiliary police officer not knowing he had been charged with second-degree murder and acquitted — also in Mississippi County — in 2000.

The sheriff’s office also did not know that Taylor, 31, admitted during the investigation to using methamphetamine, something he failed to acknowledge on his application.

The information was easy enough to find. The state Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training turned it up the same month after a routine check of the Arkansas Crime Information Center’s database after receiving Mississippi County’s paperwork on Taylor’s hiring.

But many small agencies have trouble performing background checks on new hires, standards commission Deputy Director Brian Marshall said. They don’t have the resources, he said, and often have officers who are tasked with other duties fit the checks in during down time. And those officers, he said, are often unaware of an Arkansas law requiring them to check with the standards commission as part of any background check.

To combat the issue, Marshall will soon add language to the standard initial law-enforcement hiring form, called an F-1, reminding agencies statewide of Arkansas Code Annotated 12-9-602. A subsection of that law mandates contacting the commission before making any hire that requires a state law-enforcement certification.

He described it as a superficial change, more of a service than an admonishment.

“In a smaller city, a mayor might be doing the background check himself on a new police chief or something like that and might not know about this law,” Marshall said. “In other circumstances, the officers doing the checks sometimes just don’t have the right training and so aren’t aware they have to take this step.” Marshall said he notifies agencies of information that might disqualify a potential new officer a couple of times a month.

“The folks in Mississippi County, for example, had no idea about this until we told them,” he said. “The captain I talked to was very, very thankful.” In Taylor’s case, the Mississippi County sheriff’s office fired him June 4 after finding that he made false statements on his application, records show. The sheriff ’s office recommended stripping Taylor of his certification, and the standards commission voted Thursday to hold a hearing on the matter.

Sheriff Leroy Meadows did not return a telephone message.

Sherwood Police Chief Kel Nicholson, a member of the standards commission, said thorough background checks were not open to compromise.

“It’s a burden, absolutely, but it needs to be done,” he said. “One of the ways we keep our communities safe is to make sure we’re hiring the best people we can.” Larger agencies such as the Little Rock Police Department have officers assigned specifically to perform background investigations, Marshall said.

But there are no guarantees an agency is getting all the necessary information.

When former Perry County Sheriff Ray L. Byrd was considering hiring a former Russellville police officer in 1997, he said, Russellville police failed to tell him the officer had severe emotional problems that led them to place him on a suicide watch for three consecutive shifts.

“The only thing they shared with us was that he could be pretty standoffish at times,” Byrd said in a telephone interview.

Byrd hired the officer as a deputy. Five years later, after having demoted him once, Byrd fired him after the deputy made a copy at home of a sex tape that had been stored as evidence. Byrd began to learn of the deputy’s emotional problems only after he went to the deputy’s home to fire him.

“I had to physically pry the man from around my legs,” Byrd wrote in a letter to the standards commission at the time.

Only at the deputy’s decertification hearing — six years after hiring him — did he learn of the problems in Russellville.

“I know we in this business don’t like to say something bad about a fellow officer,” Byrd said in an interview, “but sometimes there are just things people need to know. I have no idea why nobody told me about him.” At least Byrd asked the right questions, Marshall said.

“Not everybody checks,” he said. “And that’s the situation we’re trying to remedy.”

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Border Patrol Training Academy criticized by Union for background investigation flaws

By Arthur H. Rotstein
Associated Press

The Border Patrol agents' union is criticizing hiring and training shortcuts they say the agency is making as it seeks to double in size before President Bush leaves office.

The union says the Border Patrol has dropped minimum educational requirements and is deferring background investigations for new hires, among other changes they say are hurting the agency.

The National Border Patrol Council said in a report released June 24 that the patrol recently dropped educational requirements that called for applicants to have at least a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate.
"This relaxation of standards is a matter of concern," the report said.

President Bush announced a crash hiring program to add 6,000 more Border Patrol agents in 2006, with the goal of bringing the number of sworn agents to 18,000 by the end of this year.

The council's report noted that there was anecdotal and other evidence suggesting a small percentage of new hires had only middle-school reading comprehension and writing abilities.

It deplored that as "completely unacceptable," particularly where documents that are poorly written could end up "in miscommunication of critical information and botched prosecutions."

Border Patrol spokesman Lloyd Easterling in Washington said the agency takes agents' concerns seriously, but also said neither criticism is a major issue and suggested that neither was correct.

He said the Border Patrol never has had a high school diploma or equivalency requirement. The requirement was purposely taken out after World War I to allow returning soldiers to apply, he said.

He said only 32 of more than 16,000 agents currently do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent, while nearly 12,000 have taken some college courses or graduated, he said.

T.J. Bonner, president of the union, said the agency's academy in Artesia, N.M. is no longer testing candidates' writing skills.

"We have had some of the instructors share some of the work product, some of the memos that new recruits have given; it's appalling," Bonner said. "They can't put a coherent sentence together and we say we're going to rely on this individual to write an arrest report and rely on that for a prosecution? Good luck."

Easterling said recruits go through the academy to learn law enforcement, physical, report-writing and other techniques. "More times than not they're inexperienced," he said.

"Report writing, sign-cutting, things like that, those are things they're going to learn in the field with job experience" and from senior agents.

The council also took the agency to task for deferring background investigations of applicants and settling for a criminal history check and polygraph.

Easterling also said that detailed background investigations are begun before candidate agents begin going through the academy.

The union report said thorough background investigation of new hires' character and history should be done before hiring.

"This is usually one of the first areas where shortcuts are taken when law enforcement agencies undergo rapid expansion," the report said. "Unfortunately, the Border Patrol has also succumbed to that pressure."

The report also said the agency has been using contractors to do the reviews for the past decade, rather than FBI special agents, leading to some corrupt agents sipping into the ranks.

Easterling defended the process and the contractors. He said the initial background investigations for the Border Patrol are the same as for any national law enforcement candidate. Even more detailed checks are done as the agent goes through the academy.

"You never can eliminate the possibility of error in any portion of the employment process," Easterling said, acknowledging that a few bad apples have made it through the academy and into the field before being discovered.

Bonner also said that several of the people involved in gathering information for the report had "a far-reaching discussion" with Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar in March.

"He promised to look into some of the concerns we brought up," Bonner said.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Serious Problems found in police applicants background investigation

By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer

One was arrested as a teenager for armed robbery. Another was allegedly involved in an arson. A third admitted having sold marijuana.

The 15 recruits dismissed by the U.S. Capitol Police this week had some serious problems in their backgrounds, according to new details provided by police and congressional sources. The fact that the recruits were hired anyway, and only removed after they had completed several weeks of training, has roiled the force and led to congressional inquiries.

The recruits are contesting their dismissals, a congressional source said. Some are maintaining they only committed minor offenses, such as stealing a street sign while attending college. Officials have said they will fire recruits who do not resign or appeal.

Capitol Police have yet to explain how the recruits could have been hired and sent to a training academy in Georgia despite failing employment criteria such as background investigations and psychological exams. The reasons for the lapse are under investigation.

The U.S. Capitol Police labor committee was so upset by the revelations that it debated holding a no-confidence vote Thursday night on Chief Phillip D. Morse. The committee, part of the Fraternal Order of Police, decided to hold off and instead conduct a poll during the next week on officers' opinions of the chief. The recruits are not union members.

"Clearly, something went wrong when a police department doesn't know about possible felony violations in someone they just hired," said Michael J. Detorie, an officer who brought up the no-confidence motion. He said that while the chief had been strict about holding veteran officers accountable for mistakes, he "has yet to acknowledge an error or accept any responsibility. . . . It just rubs everybody the wrong way."

Morse said in a statement that he valued his relationship with the labor committee's chairman, Matt Tighe. "I find him to be someone I can work with to overcome challenges in order to meet our shared goal of moving the U.S. Capitol Police forward and ensuring the best for our officers," Morse said, adding that he planned to meet soon with the union leader.

Legislators have expressed dismay over the hiring blunder, and the Senate Rules Committee has scheduled a hearing next month to examine the case. But key lawmakers and congressional staff appeared to still have confidence in Morse.

"It seems they're taking appropriate actions to deal with the mess-up," said Rep. Michael E. Capuano (D-Mass.), chairman of the House subcommittee on Capitol security, which has held two closed-door sessions on the issue.

Terrance W. Gainer, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, who helps oversee the Capitol Police, said Morse is "a dedicated professional."

"He loves the department, and he's trying to do the right thing," said Gainer, who once led the force.

The Capitol Police human-resources director, Jennifer McCarthy, has been put on administrative leave for her part in the hirings. While she had been under pressure to resign, she apparently has not done so.

Capitol Police have declined to give details about what disqualified the recruits, but according to police and congressional sources, some had committed serious offenses. One recruit, for example, was arrested as a juvenile for armed robbery, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue. The record in the case is sealed, and the outcome was unknown, the sources said.

Three others admitted criminal activities for which they had not been arrested, including setting fire to construction equipment and selling marijuana, the sources said. The sources did not provide names or further details.

Labor attorney John Berry, who is filing appeals for seven of the dismissed recruits, said that under Capitol Police regulations, the chief is supposed to review candidates' applications and disclosures before they are offered jobs. It "begs the question of whether or not he did his job," he said.

Berry said some of his clients had committed minor infractions.

One of the recruits, for example, was part of a group of 15 college students who stole a street sign, Berry said. The student was charged with a misdemeanor that was later expunged from his record, he said, adding that the recruit had acknowledged the incident before being hired.

The same recruit told Capitol Police officials that as a 13-year-old, he had been with a cousin who was getting high by inhaling the gas in a whipped-cream can. The young man tried to mimic his cousin, "but was too clumsy to do it," Berry said, adding that the recruit had never used illegal drugs. The incident was listed in the recruit's dismissal letter.

"If every person were held accountable for their actions as 13-year-olds and disallowed from job opportunities because of those actions, there would be a paucity of employment in the world," Berry told The Washington Post in an e-mail.

Some recruits were dismissed for non-criminal issues. They included failing a psychological evaluation and providing false or misleading information during the hiring process, officials said.

Gainer said Capitol Police applicants' names are typically run through several databases to check for criminal records. In addition, officials do background checks, examining the applicants' school and work records and interviewing neighbors, he said.
For the original story posted here at this blog, go to HERE

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Police recruits dismissed over flawed background investigation plan legal action

By Jordy Yager

At least five of the 15 recently dismissed U.S. Capitol Police recruits are planning to challenge the department’s decision to remove them. The recruits were asked on Monday to resign because of a departmental hiring process error in which criminal background investigations, psychological evaluations and complete reviews were not fully conducted.

The five recruits have asked John Berry, former general counsel to the Capitol Police’s union, to represent them as they appeal Morse’s decision to terminate their probationary employment. “The reality is they gave up their jobs and they’re not going to get another job in this area because someone’s going to view them as tainted,” Berry said. “It’s almost impossible. And all because people were incompetent.”

Several weeks into their training program, the recruits were asked to return to Washington, D.C., from the training center in Georgia after it was revealed that Capitol Police’s human resources department had hired the individuals without complete background investigations. Deputy Chief Matthew Verderosa replaced former human resources director Jennifer McCarthy earlier this month, and oversaw the proper vetting of the new recruits.

Fifteen did not meet the department’s hiring standards. The reasons for the recruits’ terminations vary, but include juvenile criminal records and minor traffic offenses, according to a Capitol Police source. Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer, a member of the Capitol Police Board, said the problem was not that the recruits attempted to hide their pasts. It was that the human resource department bypassed information that should have been scrutinized.

“There’s nothing the department learned during the course of its investigation that wasn’t known in the file. What is obvious is that people in [human resources] didn’t follow the rules,” Gainer said. As a result, the 15 recruits were dismissed Monday by Morse. His decision was upheld by the Capitol Police Board, but was condemned Tuesday not only by Berry, but by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

“I have great skepticism about hiring people, making them quit their jobs and then saying, ‘Whoops,’ ” Norton said. Berry pointed out that under U.S. law, Capitol Police Chief Philip Morse cannot hire or terminate any employee without first getting the approval of the Capitol Police Board, the House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules Committee.

“The Senate Rules Committee and the House Administration Committee can say, ‘No, we do not approve your recommendation and I’m sorry, they need to start work,’ ” Berry said. “The members of the Security subcommittee have been kept apprised of the situation, and have confidence that the chief will take the appropriate actions,” said Salley Collins, spokeswoman for the House Administration Committee’s GOP leadership.

Gainer said the recruits were dismissed because of information that came up in the new background investigations. “[The recruits] may have initially been untruthful about their information and then eventually become truthful or they acknowledged things that should have been automatic disqualifiers or they had problems in their psychological background which should have prohibited their hiring,” Gainer said.

Gainer said Morse is trying to give the recruits a second opportunity by giving them a chance to appeal his decision. Gainer said Morse is doing this because the mistake originated within the department. “What the chief is trying to do and the [Capitol Police] Board supports is listen, this is a very unique set of circumstances, people did make life-changing decisions and they’re going to be left hanging here,” Gainer said.

“Chief [Morse] gave the recruits an opportunity to counter or refute or offer something in mitigation which might change his mind and the circumstances upon which he made his decision.”

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Background Investigation of Missouri police applicant uncovers child pornography

Leonard J. Cook, Jr. pleaded guilty to on federal charges of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway, Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney Courtney George and Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse has said.

“People who collect child pornography create a demand for these images,” said Hanaway. “This office, with the help of Prosecuting Attorney George and Chief Kearse, will continue to find and prosecute people who victimize children.”

Chief Kearse stated that this investigation began when Cook applied for a police officers position with his department and during the background investigation the RPD discovered the possible child pornography issues.

“We then asked for assistance with the MSHP and (all the other agencies that got involved). I’m very happy with all the cooperation between the agencies that were involved to get to a guilty plea,” Kearse said.


“It would have been very unfortunate to law enforcement if he would have made it through the process and became an officer. Also a special thanks to U. S. Attorney Hanaway for following up and prosecuting this case,” he said.

“This kind of behavior is not tolerated in our community and it absolutely will not be tolerated by law enforcement officers sworn to serve and protect our citizens,” George said.

On Sept. 24, 2007, Cook allowed law enforcement officers to seize his home laptop computer and hard drive. A forensic examination found child pornography stored within the computer hard drive, including within the Dell laptop computer. Some of these images depicted minors under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and some involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.


Cook, 31, of Rolla, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one felony count of possession of child pornography. He appeared Thursday before United States District Judge Carol E. Jackson. Cook now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000, when he is sentenced on Aug. 29.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.

In February, 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Applicant process explained for many civil service openings

By Test Ready Pro

Background investigations typically happen after you've applied, been screened during the application process, are interviewed and are then assessed. This often where applicants with a lack of volunteer involvement, post secondary education or work consistency get turned down. If you're competitive enough you will be put through to the background investigation portion. Some services will just put you through their background when you're successful with interviews however, some will first assess your application/resume and make a decision from there compared against other applicants who are also waiting for their background investigation. If selected to move on to the background investigation, a specific investigator will be assigned to your check, they will check with your school, volunteer, work and personal character references. Now, keep in mind you've offered these references but at anytime you could receive a call saying that you need to supply extra references as the ones you've provided could not be contacted or any variety of issues that could occur. Also this is the time when your pre-background questionnaire is drawn upon for reference against traffic accidents, tickets, criminal charges etc. Typically they take four weeks but can take as little as two weeks. Problems with the length of your background investigation occur if you were not born in Canada, have studied outside of Canada or lived abroad.

Letters of reference are great for this process because you know exactly what the person who wrote the letter feels about you. Letters of reference can even be from your friends/personal character reference. Letters of reference are great to bring along with your during your early interview stages, put them in your portfolio along with your OACP COR, other certificates/awards. I highly recommend having letters of reference written specifically to the job you're applying for, either "I have no hesitations in recommending ______ for a career with the _________ Police Service."

A quick note about references: Don't just assume that because someone agrees to writing you a letter of reference or agrees to be a reference that they will give you a good reference. Letters of reference in sealed envelopes intended only for the recipient can be bad news if you're not sure that the reference writing the letter is absolutely happy with you. Also, make sure you references are available, because they write a letter doesn't mean they're off the hook.

If you don't have any letters of reference, dig up your old bosses, current bosses, teachers etc. and have them write something simple. Make sure they include the date, their name, mailing address and a phone where they can be reached. If they're having a hard time writing one or don't know what to do, use google to search reference letter form generators or simply "how to write a letter of reference."

Background checks include credit checks and it's important that you take the responsibility to use the resources out there to check your credit score and determine if it needs to be improved upon.



Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

New Zealand writer enlightens readers on needs for background investigations

By Gill South

In a tight labour market, it can be tempting to hire someone who can start as soon as possible, without doing a thorough background investigation of their references, says Peter Sherwin, New Zealand spokesman for Grant Thornton, which recently published a survey on undiscovered fraud in New Zealand private companies.

Some people are lax when they take someone on. "It's, 'Oh yeah, I know that firm, when can you start?"'

And some of us may have grown up with the idea that it was fine to "massage the facts" when writing our resumes. Once we had our foot in the door, it wouldn't matter any more; we'd just work hard and prove they were right to hire us.

But these days, embroidering details of your employment history is not a smart move. Increasing numbers of companies are using what are called pre-employment background screening organizations - companies that are trained to root out the anomalies in people's employment histories. As a result, you are unlikely to get offered the job - and may suffer some embarrassment as well. If there's a suggestion that you have blatantly lied about a key factor, like your qualifications, it can even lead to police investigation, as in the admittedly extreme case of Immigration Service head Mary Anne Thompson.

New Zealand companies are, like others around the world, taking recruitment more seriously in a market where human capital is so precious.

What they want to check is: has this person delivered in their previous jobs and what will they deliver in the future? Hence the increasingly common use of psychometric checking and professional reference checking. As well as employment history and qualifications,these companies look at people's integrity and honesty, and financial backgrounds. Have they ever been bankrupt? Perhaps not the best life history for a chief financial officer.

And a tip for job-seekers: make sure your past employers really are fans of yours. When checking references,quite frequently the employer will say: "They're not that great."

You might assume that background check companies are used just for top management but they may actually be working right across the board, from the receptionist to the general manager for some companies.

Even if the person is reasonably well known to the management, they are still using background check companies. executive boards don't "want any surprises". That's why there is a procedure in place.

Companies prefer to find out about a problem, rather than have a journalist discover the issue.

Be warned about changing your story or reinventing yourself when you go for a new job. The problem in New Zealand, of course, is that if you have blotted your copybook, you can never escape. Background Investigations are very important for people who have "access to the cheque book", such as chief executives, chief operating officers and chief financial officers.

Some common problem areas, such as the person's behaviour in the workplace, are often not to be found anywhere on a resume and those are the things that can make someone a poor fit. Do they use intimidating tactics in the office? Do they regularly slope off home at 4.30 to go to a "meeting"?

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Background Investigations: What you need to know

by Chad Terhune
Business Week Magazine


Most jobs nowadays, from cashier to a senior executive, require a background check. And more employers are vetting longtime employees, too. These investigations are done increasingly by outside screening companies. Here's some things applicants and employers need to know:

JOB APPLICANTS
Check prior background reports. Under federal law, you are entitled to a copy of any background report that had been done on you, for a minimal fee of $10 or less. In three states, California, Minnesota, and Oklahoma, they're free. You need to know which screening firm out of the nearly 2,000 nationwide did the report. A previous employer can tell you and then contact the screening company directly.

Know who's checking your past. Examine the consent form that gives an employer permission to conduct a background check. It should list the screening firm doing the work and the scope of the investigation, whether that includes criminal records, credit history, driving record, or reference interviews.

Act fast if something's wrong. If you're rejected for a job based on your background report, an employer must tell you this and hand over a copy of the full report. Federal regulators have said employers have to wait only five business days before hiring another applicant while you dispute information in your background report. Contact the screening firm immediately and demand, in writing and by phone, a reinvestigation.

EMPLOYERS
Know what you're getting from a background investigation. The quality and depth of background investigations vary widely in an industry where many companies are startups offering low prices to win business. Be wary of Web sites offering instant checks. They may not be familiar with compliance and federal law. Some background companies search for criminal history in only one or two counties where an applicant has lived primarily, possibly missing information elsewhere.

There's no national database of all criminal records. Despite some marketing claims to the contrary, no master file exists of all state and federal criminal arrests and convictions. Searching criminal records remains a fragmented task across 50 states and thousands of courthouses. Diligent searches require screening firms to send workers to pull court files by hand for accuracy.

Know how reference checks are done. Some screening firms grant anonymity to friends and former bosses and co-workers in exchange for unvarnished opinions about applicants. Others identify all sources to guard against unsubstantiated gossip and innuendo. Ask how a screening firm checks references and whether you can provide specific questions to be asked that pertain to the position being filled.

Posted by Tyra Hearns of www.pebiservices.com

Palm Springs Cerebral Palsy Center closed after lack of background investigations discovered

State officials said Monday that a series of health and safety code violations, uncovered during the investigation of a autistic girl's death, forced the closure of the United Cerebral Palsy Dennis James Center in Cathedral City.

The California Department of Social Services shut down the center Friday. The move followed an investigation prompted by the death of 5-year-old Anyah Raven Glossinger.

A public safety report filed Friday alleges that the center employed a number of unqualified staff members to work with disabled Coachella Valley children.

Anyah drowned in January while participating in hydrotherapy at an indoor mineral pool in Desert Hot Springs run by Angel View Crippled Children's Foundation Inc. She was under the supervision of three United Cerebral Palsy employees.

A notice of the suspension was mailed to parents and guardians whose children attend the center, said state department spokeswoman Shirley Washington.

Anyah's mother, Emily Wereschagin, said she was notified of the action Friday by phone.

"There is definitely a little comfort in this," Wereschagin said. "It's not something that can be fixed or something that'll go away. We're absolutely heartbroken, but it is comforting that people do recognize the severity of the situation and the importance of keeping disabled children safe."

The report alleges the United Cerebral Palsy Dennis James Center:

Failed to provide care and supervision necessary to meet the needs of Anyah on Jan. 23.

Failed to obtain required criminal clearances on or before March 12 for 10 facility staff prior to the date of their employment.

Employed seven unqualified staff persons who did not meet "training and educational background requirements to be teachers in a child care center."

Failed to employ a qualified child care center director.

Failed to comply with staff personnel requirements for three staff members, "including health screening documentation to show these staff persons are in good health and physically and mentally capable of performing assigned tasks."

United Cerebral Palsy Dennis James Center officials have 15 days to appeal the suspension. An administrative hearing would then be held within 90 days, Washington said.

"This will go through a lengthy process," Washington said, "and the facility will remain closed until an administrative law judge administers a decision."

The Desert Sun was unable to reach a representatives of the United Cerebral Palsy Dennis James Center on Monday, but according to a voicemail message, center CEO Jeff Snyder is expected back in the office March 24.

"It's the first step in a long fight, and we appreciate the state's involvement and all the investigating agencies," Wereschagin said.

Other probes related to Anyah's death are continuing.

An investigation of the United Cerebral Palsy Dennis James Center by the California Department of Developmental Services is ongoing.

A criminal investigation also is being conducted by the Desert Hot Springs Police Department. Police have deemed the death accidental, but Det. Sgt. Radames Gil said investigators are looking into whether negligence played a part.

And an investigation of the Angel View facility by the Riverside County Environmental Health Department is continuing.