HR director may lose job after hiring 15 ex-cons
September 3, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Assessing the right candidate, In This Week's E-Newsletter, Job screening tests, Latest News & Views
The tricky thing about background checks: You actually have to pay attention to the results you get.
That dilemma’s at the heart of a controversy surrounding the police force in Washington, D.C., which may lead to the force’s Human Resources director losing her job. Here’s the skinny:
The Capitol Police have a policy against hiring cops with prior criminal convictions and conducts background checks to make sure all applicants are clean.
But recently, a batch of 60 officers-in-training were hired — and it turns out 15 of them had criminal records or “other irregularities” and lied about them. Apparently the convictions appeared on the background checks but the applicants were hired anyway.
How’d they slip through the cracks? No one’s sure yet, but a thorough investigation is planned by the D.C. government.
In the meantime, the force’s HR director has been put on administrative leave. Many government officials and members of the public have called on the force’s HR director to resign, or be terminated.
Tags: Background checks, Capitol Police, criminal records, hiring tests
September 8th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Any time there is an irregularity on a new hire’s background checks, I provide this information to their immediate supervisor. Depending on what the issue is I may also provide this information to my Executive Director. It is then up to Management to determine what, if anything, needs to be done. Why do the background check, if you ignore the results?
September 9th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
I agree and do the same. Why do it if you don’t use it?
It’s also important and required to let the candidate know their rights and correct any deficiencies. At a prior employer, we conducted a background check on a candidate we made an offer to for a security guard position. It came back unfavorable and we informed the candidate of his rights and time to provide us with any information if it were incorrect. Needless to say, he did and there was an error in the report under the wrong SSN. (Scary!) We ended up hiring him.
September 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Can someone share with me what company/agency/website etc they use to conduct these background checks? I have looked into a few and haven’t found a reliable source at an affordable price.
September 11th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I also agree…especially when it comes to public employers. It is so very important to consistently conduct thorough background checks on all candidates. It helps to keep in mind what a possibly nasty headline with your company’s name associated with a criminal you approved to hire would look like in the newspaper (or on evening news) – yikes! That possibility always helps me to be consistent and thorough…
September 11th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Jill: Check out Intelius Business Services (intelius.com). The customer service is great and the website has been great for us.
September 14th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
We use Kroll (www.baionline.net); prices seem pretty reasonable and they offer a wide variety of search choices. Also, you may want to see if your state has their judiciary records online…Maryland does. Though, with any background search you do, you will want to make sure that the information ties back to the correct person.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
It is very iportant to note that no background check will e accurate if the applicant has a false social security #. First have it verified through E-verify to determine if it is accurate otherwise you could hire a criminal who has someone else’s social security # and it will incorrectly come back clear. This happened to someone I know and his company hired an ex-con with a major record and it caused a huge mess and bad publicity. The company that did the background check said that they verified the info with the social security that was given.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:57 am
Carla: First off, E-Verify can ONLY be used after an applicant has been hired and NOT for pre-employment purposes, therefore it would be illegal to use E-Verify to “determine if it is accurate”.
Secondly, this example is somewhat flimsy in making the point that employers need to actually read and act upon the results in the background investigations. The bigger problem is actually finding records. Most private companies prefer to use a “one stop shop” for a “nationwide” criminal search. They should really read what they are paying for as most of those searches are nothing more than DOC records and publicly available court records from select counties and states.
http://WWW.backgroundcheckcentral.com is a great source for employee screening.
888-677-9700
October 1st, 2009 at 10:08 am
Jill, I work for a hospital HR department and we use a company called TrustScreening (http://www.trustscreening.com) that specializes in employee screening background checks, drug testing and assessment tests. They have been very reliable and have provided outstanding customer support and training to us. Also their prices are reasonable compared to other companies.
When you’re looking at a background check firm make sure that you know exactly what you are getting in the background check. We learned the hard way with a previous company we were using that we needed to ask exactly what was included in the check. There are Federal and state laws that limit what can be reported in a background check.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:39 am
The vetting process when selecting a new hire is not simply running a background check. Unfortunately, as this article depicts, this is often the case. Research shows that most background check companies don’t, or in most can’t provide accurate answers to questions about items which come back on a completed background check because they lack qualified personnel to do so. At Compliant Background Screening Partners, LLC our staff are former federal & state investigators, human resources and compliance professionals. We answer all questions with regard to any “hit” which may be returned on a background check. Having a screening company with staff who has the experience and knowledge to interpret these “hits” is a must. Can your screening company answer your questions?
October 1st, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Dan: You are absolutely correct about the E-Verify. IT IS ONLY FOR POST HIRE.
When pursuing a background check provider, you should make sure to to ask yourself this question, “Does this sound to good to be true?” The general rule of thumb is if it does, then it probably is. This is one area you do not want to cut corners to save a few bucks. Properly conducted background is one of the best ways to keep your company’s turnover rates down which will in turn keep overall company cost down.
Carolina Connections, Inc (www.carolinaconnectionsinc.com) is a background screening provider that always does what they say they are going to do and will work closely with their clients to provide the proper background screening program. And yes, you should be aware of any company that says they can give you a National Criminal Record that covers all states. IT DOES NOT EXIST!
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:26 pm
We use Quick Search in Dallas to do background screening here in Dallas. When working with a background screening it is critical you know what you are getting. Do not rely just on a database for your results.
October 4th, 2009 at 9:36 am
What about 1099 contractors? Should I be concerned about not running background checks on them?
What is my exposure or liability if they are self employed contractors? I am interested in getting some feedback on this. Let’s say if I were to bring on some 1099 salespeople for instance. Should I spend any time and/or money on screening these individuals since they aren’t actually employees? I assume I am legally able to if I choose to, aren’t I?
October 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Hi Brad, we screen all 1099 contractors. Yes you should be concerned. You need to look up the legal term “negligent entrustment”. The employee screening/background check company we use (mentioned in my previous post) set us up with the ability to have our contractors pay for their own background check and we receive a copy of the results. You are legally able to screen them but they must sign a consent and authorization.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Brad – Mark is correct. Even though they are 1099, they are still representing your company. Any legal issues could result in your ‘negligent’ hiring practices. It is best practice to screen them as you would any other employee. You could use a different screening package for your Sales force vs. Warehouse folks or administration folks, but they should still go through a screening.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
How about a topic on undocumented workers?