At the end of last month the Borough Council of Eatontown met to discuss an amendment that will require recurring background checks on all members of firefighters and first aid squad members. If passed, this ordinance amendment will require all of these first responders to undergo a fingerprint-based background check every three years that they are a part of the organization. Before drafting the amendment, the idea was discussed first with the first emergency responders who had no objections.

Currently, all firefighters and first aid responders are required to submit to fingerprint-based criminal background checks upon hiring, but there are no follow--up checks. Borough Administrator George Jackson states that "We have no way of knowing in the interim if they have any arrests and convictions. The possibility is that someone could be arrested or convicted in another part of the state and we'd have no idea." Since these first responders have access to people's homes, Jackson wants to ensure that they have no criminal activity on their records for as long as they are working for these emergency first responder units. This will not only bring peace of mind to the civilians, but also help protect these units from any potential liability. Jackson states that the council is also discussing if the amendment should include members of the borough's Office of Emergency Management and Community Emergency Response team. Unfortunately, their membership policies are not as clear cut as those for the fire department or the first aid squad.

Currently, there are no discussions on requiring recurring checks of other employees, such as police officers and civilian employees of the court or law enforcement. Like the firefighters and first aid responders, they undergo an initial criminal background check with no follow-up checks. Jackson states the borough would be aware of police officers convicted of crimes in other jurisdictions. It's unclear how they will become aware, though it's possible that the borough receives reports from other counties regarding their own police officers.

Although having a background check come back clean doesn't necessarily mean that an individual has never committed a crime, it does lend more credibility to these institutions. Currently, Eatontown is one of the first cities in the United States to discuss implementing a recurring background check. Most other cities only do an initial check, with many only doing a county check versus a state-wide and national. Many firehouses have taken it upon themselves to run a recurring background check on their employees and volunteers for liability purposes without pressure from the borough council. There is currently no national legislation requiring background checks on these first responders, and it is therefore up to the county and state to set rules.

Should your organization decide to extend screening to recurring checks, it would be easy to do so with the help of backgroundchecks.com. You can start with their US OneSEARCH tool, which will check more than 450 million criminal records across the nation, and subscribe to their Ongoing Criminal Monitoring solution. This service will alert you each month, should any new criminal records appear for your current employees. This is a convenient and affordable service that makes keeping tabs on the criminal behavior of your employees much easier than ever before.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) and cofounder of the Expungement Clearinghouse - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.app.com/article/20130214/NJNEWS/302140042/Eatontown-may-require-recurring-criminal-checks

Author: Michael Klazema

A longtime swimming trainer working for the YMCA swim team in Somerville, New Jersey, has been dismissed after Y officials discovered he was convicted 17 years ago for having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old. Joe Weber pleaded guilty in August 1995 amid allegations he engaged in a sexual relationship with the young woman he was coaching at a school near Philadelphia the previous year. At the time, Weber was 28 years old. According to a statement released by the Somerset Valley YMCA CEO Paul Kieltyka, the parents of those on the swim team have been informed of Weber’s dismissal.

Kieltyka said the decision to let Weber go was “very easy” and that “protecting our kids and their safety” is the organization’s top priority. He also said that Weber’s past is “not in sync with” their “values” or beliefs. There was no comment from Kieltyka on why the conviction was overlooked during the process of the customary background checks performed on new hires when Weber was hired six years ago. He did say however, that a decision was made not to renew the contract for Weber after consulting with the branch’s staff leaders and volunteers. Of the decision, Kieltyka said that regardless of how long ago the conviction occurred, a vendor such as Weber was not “consistent with the kind of people we want around our kids.”

Weber was working for the Y through a business called Mindsport, a firm specializing in mental and physical wellness. Weber has served as the head of that firm since 2003, according to his LinkedIn account. Weber has also recently conducted a swim training program for area teen swimmers during the 2010-2011 school year, and was providing “mental and physical advice” to the young swimmers according to a past article regarding the program. There is no indication whether or not the Somerset Valley YMCA will be reviewing or strengthening their background check policies due to this incident.

Does your business routinely hire outside vendors to perform services for your company? If so, do you always perform background checks on these outside contractors? Many businesses who check the backgrounds of employees forget about doing the same for vendors, which could prove to be a costly mistake. Don’t be held liable for the actions of an outside vendor. By using a reliable company such as backgroundchecks.com, you can be assured you are getting the best and most thorough background check screening techniques available. With special contractor screening solutions and access to countless criminal databases nationwide they have many options available, several with instant results. Their US OneSEARCH gives you instant information from more than 430 million criminal records from counties, Department of Corrections (DOC), Administration of Courts (AOC) and State Sex Offender Registries covering 49 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam. Or try their Ongoing Criminal Monitoring tool, which allows you to automatically run a continuous background check against a name and date of birth. You will be notified via email of any new information that may appear on their record. They will run the name for one year and remind you when it is time to renew the monitoring, plus you can remove the name from being monitored at any time.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20120801/NJNEWS/308010052/YMCA-fires-swim-trainer-over-1995-sex-conviction?odyssey=nav|head

Author: Michael Klazema

In the state of New Jersey, emergency medical technicians and emergency responders applying for jobs are not required to undergo background checks – a fact that has caused some to question the safety of their emergency responder forces within the state. Although applications may ask whether or not they have been charged with a crime, the only way employers can know for sure is if someone speaks up. In a recent high-profile case, Robert Melia Jr., a former police officer from Moorestown, NJ, renewed his EMT certification while facing charges of sexually assaulting three minors. Melia was able to work as an EMT for two years after being fired from the police department, until the state was alerted by a member of the public. Four months ago, Melia was convicted on the sexual abuse charges and several other crimes related to his 2008 arrest.

While ambulance companies and health officials within the state say that only a small number of New Jersey’s certified EMTs would be disqualified due to crimes or violations they have committed, lawmakers and healthcare advocates are pushing for a change in law. In the last 12 years, at least 104 EMTs and emergency responders have been disciplined by the state, with charges ranging from sexual assault, theft, and death in unrelated off-duty crimes. CEO and president of the advocacy group the Health Care Quality Institute, David Knowlton, said that since background checks are performed on “police and firefighters,” that EMTs should also undergo the same scrutiny.

In response to the public safety concern, the state Legislature passed a bill requiring background checks for emergency responders, but it was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie over concerns of costs and how it would impact volunteer squads. The bill has again been introduced and is in the committee phase. Up until the 1990s, most of New Jersey was served by volunteer emergency responder squads, which were replaced in many communities by private ambulance services. The remaining volunteer squads are opposed to a universal inspection, training and hiring plan, which was part of the original bill. The volunteer squads are represented by the New Jersey First Aid Council. Nancy Pinkin, a lobbyist for the Council, said that the requirements outlined in the bill would threaten the existence of the squads, due to funding issues. Most private ambulance services and hospitals within the state already conduct background checks on EMTs.

When it comes to the safety of your business and customers, you owe it to yourself and the public to perform a complete background check on potential employees at the time of hire, and ongoing checks thereafter. By using a reputable company like backgroundchecks.com, you can be assured you are getting the best and most thorough background check screening techniques available. With access to countless criminal databases nationwide, they have many options available, several with instant results. Their US AliasSEARCH is a multi-faceted search that combines US OneSEARCH with the known aliases provided from a SSN trace. All information derived from this search is run through the US OneSEARCH instant criminal database, assuring all possible aliases are found. You can also try their National Wants and Warrants search. This search will give results within one to two days, and is a nationwide search of local, county, state, and Federal extraditable warrants, and may include misdemeanors or felonies. Most law enforcement agencies contribute to this database.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) and cofounder of the Expungement Clearinghouse - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/08/no_background_checks_allows_so.html

A routine background check uncovered that Passaic, New Jersey’s Department of Recreation director was charged with theft while employed as a Passaic city police officer in 1998. On the same day that Eriberto “Eddie” Carrero received a raise and a promotion from the city, he was also ordered to complete a criminal background check as part of the hiring process for his new job. Carrero was already the superintendent of the recreation department, but his department also recently merged with the Cultural and Senior Affairs departments. Passaic mayor Alex D. Blanco believes Carrero should be allowed to keep his new post, regardless of what the background check shows. Blanco said that Carrero is “doing a great job” and is “entitled to a second chance.”

Carrero, a well-liked employee of eleven years and coach of the recent third-place national championship winning Passaic Indians city baseball team, said that he has never had any disciplinary problems, and has “proven [him]self.” At the same city council meeting where Carrero unanimously received a $10,000 raise and promotion from the city council, he was also praised for raising $15,000 in donations for the baseball team and leading them to third-place victory. Gary Schaer, City Council President, proclaimed, “Hats off to Eddie Carrero.” Carrero agreed to the background check, saying that he didn’t have a criminal record. Of the previous misconduct and theft charges, he said they were “all dismissed.”

Carrero was fired in 1998 from his city police officer job when he pleaded guilty to official misconduct and theft. The state charged that he and four other Passaic policemen accepted payment for a security detail in Passaic public schools without actually working the security detail. Carrero agreed to return $1,040 and give up his badge in a plea bargain deal. In 2001 he was rehired by the city’s municipal court, and then the recreation department a year later, eventually rising to superintendent. Carrero’s large raise in salary was attributed to an anticipated increased workload. The ordinance dictating the merger of the recreation, cultural, and senior services departments also states that “all adults” working with minors in the city recreation programs must receive background checks. According to the ordinance, anyone found with convictions that “negatively impact the health, safety and welfare of children” will be dismissed from the department.

Do you know what your employees may be hiding in their pasts? Don’t allow someone you can’t trust to be allowed access to your business and your customers. By using a reputable company like backgroundchecks.com, you can be assured you are getting the best and most thorough background check screening techniques available. With access to countless criminal databases nationwide they have many options available, several with instant results. Their US AliasSEARCH is a multi-faceted search that combines US OneSEARCH with the known aliases provided from a SSN trace. All information derived from this search is run through the US OneSEARCH instant criminal database, assuring all possible aliases are found. Or try their National Wants and Warrants search. This search will give results within one to two days, and is a nationwide search of local, county, state, and Federal extraditable warrants, and may include misdemeanors or felonies.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) and cofounder of the Expungement Clearinghouse - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Passaics_new_chief_of_rec_activities_subject_to_criminal_check_has_troubled_past.html?page=all

In order to ensure that all coaches for recreational sports teams have background checks, the borough council members of Glen Rock, New Jersey, are considering sharing the cost with the recreation commission of the borough. The council’s request for all coaches to have background screenings was rejected by the recreation commission, unless volunteer coaches wouldn’t have to pay the estimated $42 fee. Chair of Parks and Recreation, Joan Orseck, said that when she presented the idea of having all coaches screened to the commission members, they weren’t willing to shoulder the cost. According to Orseck, the group said it was “difficult enough getting people to volunteer as it is,” and they would need to ask volunteers to pay for “the required Rutgers (safety) course” in addition to their background checks. Orseck described the general consensus among the commission as a “pretty resounding no.” Mayor John van Keuren has proposed splitting the costs 50-50 between the borough and sports teams.

According to Mark Barone, borough Recreation Director, a Rutgers University Safety Certification course must be successfully completed by volunteer coaches, which costs $30. He said that the costs of the background checks “vary depending on the type of test or scan involved…and the vendor,” but estimates it would be about $42 per person. Although the number of volunteer coaches needing to be screened depends on the number of teams registering each year, Barone said that number could be as many as several hundred. He said the commission has been checking with other communities to see “what their policies and procedures are” concerning background checks for coaches.

Mayor van Keuren contends that the issue is important and shouldn’t be dropped because the cost is being questioned. He believes the city council and the recreation commission should be able to work out a compromise if it just comes down to cost. Other council members, including Michael O’Hagan agree. O’Hagan said it could potentially be a liability issue for the borough, and that it is important to find the money to pay for the checks. Van Keuren said that borough residents would most likely support the use of funds for background checks, and that it would make sure that kids who played sports would be as safe and “secure as possible.”

More communities around the country are requiring background checks for those working with children. As seen in the recent article Audit Shows City Rec Department Is Not Following Proper Hiring Procedures , there are often unqualified people who turn up when background checks are not performed. Don’t let your business be held liable for an unfit employee. By using a reputable company like backgroundchecks.com, you can be assured you are getting the best and most thorough background check screening techniques available. With access to countless criminal databases nationwide they have many options available, several with instant results. Their US OneSEARCH gives you instant information from more than 430 million criminal records from counties, Department of Corrections (DOC), Administration of Courts (AOC) and State Sex Offender Registries covering 49 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam. Also included are national and international terrorism sources, more than 11 million photos, and their proprietary database of previously completed reports. Or try their US Offender OneSEARCH, which focuses on sex offender information from 49 states (plus Washington D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico) with photos.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/163625176_Glen_Rock_council_may_share_cost_of_background_checks_for_sports_coaches.html?page=all

In an effort to keep their kids safe, the Lyndhurst township in New Jersey is creating a new ordinance that would require crossing guards to have background checks before being hired or reappointed.  Crossing guards there are already required to give notice of any criminal convictions, but there were no procedures in place to confirm whether or not their records were clean.  The township also plans to stop the accrual of sick days and the clothing allowances crossing guards previously enjoyed.  They decided to review their current position after budget concerns became an issue and before state mandates force them to make similar changes.  And Mayor Richard Dilascio says it’s simply, “a safety issue.”

Crossing guards there are required to be moral and upstanding citizens of New Jersey that do not have any criminal convictions showing moral turpitude.  The background checks will be just one more step to confirm that their guards are actually held to the high standards they have set.  With 37 different crossing guards having daily access to kids, Traffic Officer Nick Coviello believes it’s an obvious move, saying, "The reason is they are working with children. It's common sense to me."

The ordinance will prevent those with criminal histories “involving danger to a person, against family, children or incompetents…arson, burglary, theft, controlled dangerous substances offenses and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, offenses against public administration, perjury and other falsification in official matters, obstructing governmental operations, misconduct in office and/or abuse of office.”  These are all crimes the township has defined as involving moral turpitude.  Any current crossing guards who are found to have any of these offenses on their record will not be reinstated in the coming year.

This employment process of verifying information provided by applicant is getting more and more common these days.  Any organization who employs people who will work with children might want to consider following in New Jersey’s footsteps.  They can partner with backgroundchecks.com, which would give them access to multi-jurisdictional database searches covering over 355 million records from over 600 sources.  This information comes from national databases like US OneSEARCH, which checks records in all 50 states, and US AliasSEARCH, which even checks records under alternate names.  When it comes to the safety of our children, we really can’t be too careful, and submitting employees to background checks is just one more way to keep our children safe.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) and cofounder of the Expungement Clearinghouse - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services.  Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/149954095_Crossing_guards_to_undergo_background_checks__lose_pay_out_for_accrued_sick_days.html

In a move that follows many other schools, the Parsippany, NJ Board of Education has made the decision to consider performing background checks on volunteers who have the chance to work closely with children. New Jersey recently made it law to require all members of the Board of Education to undergo background checks and it seems as if the momentum is continuing down the line to include volunteers. The volunteers who would be covered under this requirement would be both those who work in the classroom as well as those who work in after school activities like sports coaches.

Though many are supportive of these changes, others have concerns like cost. The cost of these background checks would have to come out of the schools budget. Another consideration is parents not wanting to go through the hassle of getting a background check done. Some feel that it could deter parents from interacting with students in school which is needed for not only support of the school, but for building relationships.

Should the school decide to go through with this, companies like backgroundchecks.com are able to provide services for full background checks and can also offer products like US Offender OneSEARCH which can search offender databases all over the US.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services.  Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://parsippany.patch.com/articles/boe-again-takes-on-issue-of-background-checks

Some small towns in New Jersey are taking background checks seriously. Marlboro Township is a great example of this. A new city ordinance, which was introduced January 1^st, 2012, requires that all volunteers and employees in the township, no matter what their role, needs to go through a background check. This will also include coaches, employees in the office and overall, anyone who works for the township in any capacity. Anyone who works for Marlboro Township will also be required to carry an ID card. This will include volunteers like coaches. Background checks will be done periodically on all volunteers and employees throughout their service and employment.

For companies who are interested in starting a similar program at their own business, third party background check companies like backgroundchecks.com can be extremely helpful. This company not only offers traditional background checks, they have specific products, like continuous criminal monitoring, that can notify management if there are any new crimes that appear on the records of any of their employees. Through backgroundchecks.com, this feature can be added on to one or more of their instant products, like US OneSEARCH, which will instantly look at more than 400 million criminal records throughout the country.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services.  Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://marlboro.patch.com/articles/new-background-checks-recreation-volunteers-and-employees

In a surprising decision to those who believe anyone who works around children in schools should have background checks done, the Marlboro, NJ school board voted 5-2 to not require student observers to have background checks. Student observers are those who are attending college to become a teacher. They are typically in a classroom for less than 20 hours and are not the same as a student teacher, who takes on a more active role in interacting with students. A student observer, however, is in the classroom and has access to children.

Though these student observers are not actively teaching, their access to the students have some parents and community members concerned. The school board says that student observers are not left in the classrooms alone with students, others say that it happens often. For a teacher, a student observer can act like an assistant. Though they are not supposed to be teaching or spending time alone with kids, many of them are invited by the teachers to actively interact with the class.

One of the main reasons that student observers are not required to go through background checks are cost and time. The policy of the Marlboro school board is to require those who have contact with students, like teachers, volunteer and staff, to go through a criminal background check and to be fingerprinted.  Though it has been suggested that the student observers or university be required to pay for the fingerprints and background checks, the school board still states that it will take extra time and paperwork for the district and it may not be worth it for a person who will only be in a classroom for less than 20 hours.

If it is found that any student observer who may have a criminal record and who was not background checked had been allowed in a classroom, the distinct could be in legal hot water. This is important to remember for all companies who may perform background checks on some employees, but not all employees. This is especially true for schools or any company that caters to children, the elderly or other service organizations.

Companies like backgroundchecks.com offer excellent products that will allow companies to get a complete criminal background check on their employees. One of these products is called US OneSEARCH and it will pull criminal records from all 50 states. Using companies like these can help protect the reputation of a company and make a company safer for all.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services.  Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://nt.gmnews.com/news/2012-01-25/Front_Page/No_criminal_check_for_student_observers.html

The day has arrived where New Jersey Board of Education members must step down if they have not gone through a background check. A law was passed in 2011 that states all members of schools boards in the state must undergo a background check before serving. Out of the over 5000 members of school boards in the state, 184 of them did not get their background checks done and they have been asked to resign. If they do not resign, they will be removed from their positions.

The background checks that the members had to go through are identical to those teachers and volunteers must go through in order to work with children in the state. Many school boards nationwide have enacted similar policies, but New Jersey is the first state to do this for all of their schools.

Getting background checks done on anyone who works with children is an excellent idea and companies like backgroundchecks.com make it easy for employers to get the information they need on present and future employees. They offer products like Single State OneSEARCH that will instantly give employers all the information they need on a potential employee, for instance, from several state reporting agencies.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services.  Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/nj_orders_200_school_board_mem.html