Moving Beyond the Grapevine
The local volunteer fire department represents everything that’s right about America — Love for our communities, service to our neighbors, sacrifice to save others. The vast majority of volunteers are good folks, who just want to help. But predatory individuals looks for implied respectability — because they have no integrity of their own, they hide behind the cover of a respected position or organization such as the local church, youth sports league, or volunteer fire department. A consistently applied, thorough background check program serves as a barrier to keep these bad guys out.
A background check has two parts; verifying identity and checking records for information about the applicant’s character. That wasn’t such a big deal a few decades ago. You simply asked Aunt Martha to ask her neighbor’s sister’s second cousin by marriage on her father’s side, (God rest his soul,) and you’d have everything from personal habits to sock size by lunchtime. Today, folks move constantly, leaving their bad reputations in the dust behind them. If you want background information, you’ll have to dig for it.
A Quick and Dirty Overview of the Background Check Process
During the process, you’re looking primarily for discrepancies between the information supplied by the applicant and the data you collect during reference checks, verifications and validations, and public records checks. You need to note any additional information you find, particularly:
- Other counties where the applicant once resided (to check criminal records)
- Other states of residence (to check criminal records and the sex offender database)
- Other names, nicknames, or aliases
Notice and Authorization
An applicant must grant permission for a background check and supply the information you’ll examine. You’ll need forms for all current and prospective volunteers and employees with a prominent ‘return by’ date printed on top.
Social Security Validation and Verification
Love it or hate it, unless your state allows fingerprint checking, the social security number is essential for verifying identity. Each number is unique and assigned to one person only. When a person dies, the number is not reassigned—ever . Anyone telling you different is either a crook or highly misinformed. Validation: Means only that the social security number is a valid number. Validation does not mean the number is legitimate—only that it was issued to someone, somewhere, at some time.
Verification: Means the Social Security Administration verifies that a specific number was issued to a specific individual. By calling their toll free number, the Social Security Administration will verify a number by first name, last name, middle name, date of birth, and gender.
Personal References
Reference checking pains the backside and no one will tell you any different, but there’s good reason to call anyway—people spill things over the phone they’ll never share in person or on paper. Folks tend to lower their defenses when visual cues such as body language and facial expression are missing. Con artists love the telephone. The longer they keep someone talking, the more money they make. The same principles apply when calling for the legitimate purpose of checking qualifications and character before placing someone in a position of trust and assumed authority. Request three references and check at least two. Ask open-ended questions requiring more than a yes or no answer.
State Criminal and Felony Records
States come in two varieties; open record and closed record. As the name implies, open record states have more relaxed laws concerning the checking of criminal records, but even in closed record states, exceptions are sometimes made for selected groups. For example, a state might allow day care centers, volunteer fire departments, and school districts access to records.
The following states allow searches with availability in 3-5 days. Some require a written release:
Alabama
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wisconsin
Statewide databases are only as accurate as the compliance of each individual county. City and county governments can be notoriously slow about complying. Add that to the fact that participation in statewide repositories is not mandatory. Therefore, while the statewide criminal record search can be a screening tool, it cannot stand-alone. County records are necessary for a thorough criminal check.
County Criminal
Requirements and fees vary for each county. Some have computer access; others check records over the phone while you wait. Others still require a letter of inquiry. Almost all allow hand checking of records at the courthouse. This is the least expensive option and also the most accurate.
Driving Records (also called Motor Vehicle Reports or MVR)
For privacy reasons, most states require written permission from the applicant to check driving records with forms available online. Records go back 3 to 10 years depending on the severity of the offense.
Educational Verification/Professional License Verification
Colleges and universities will generally verify years of attendance and degrees earned over the phone. Each state has agencies which license various professions from nurses to nail technicians. Calling the state courthouse switchboard will get the phone number for the state agency you need.
Sex Offender Database
There’s no publicly accessible sex offender database covering the entire United States. Each state must be checked individually. Consider whether routine checking of neighboring states is good policy for your circumstances. Frequently, you’ll discover other states of past residence during unrelated record checks, so perform this last.
Compiling the Completed Record
After all record checks are complete, everything must be cross-checked for discrepancies or red flags pointing out areas for concern. The information is compiled into a report and saved either on computer or as hardcopy. Finally, someone has to decide whether the applicant is accepted, accepted with conditions, or rejected.
Final Note
A background check is an excellent screening tool for volunteer fire departments. Starting a background check program can be a major undertaking and expense, but whether you hire someone or decide to keep the process in-house, understanding the process saves funding and produces a more accurate report.
Connie Brzowski is past president of Bona Fide Services, Inc. which specialized in background checks and pre-employment screening for non profit groups and small businesses. She’s the author of Rebuild the Walls Background Check Manual. You can read more articles by Connie at www.bonafidebackgroundchecks.com