The Background Story

Spying for China: Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:04:00 +0000

If you are hoping for your typical spy book, where everything is all rosy in the end, well you can forget about it here. The Guys Who Spied for China is so different it is hard to describe. It just feels so real as the author depicts in fictional form his real experiences with uncovering Chinese Spy Networks operating here in the United States. Nothing about this novel is mainstream. Definitely not your usual stuff. The author had great writing style and the ability to make you feel like you are right in the middle of things. And, believe me sometimes it is spooky enough that you really get the creeps from it all. Other times the author is funny, if you have a dark sense of humor. But at the end of the day, this book has the ring of truth to it, and that’s what I liked the most. There is so much same-same spy genre fiction out there, that this one really stands out from the crowd.

Self Sabotage - Refusing to allow the Employment Background Check

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:05:00 +0000

ajcjobs wrote an interesting piece about background checks for employment screening.

Although regulated by state and federal laws, the general practice of conducting applicant background checks is both acceptable and common. Employers must have your permission, but if you don't give permission, they don't have to hire you.

Job candidates should be aware that background checks are commonplace and refusing to submit to one shows that you do have something to hide, despite the statement by the candidate that he didn't have anything to hide. With at-will employment, the employer doesn't have to hire you.

Background Checks are Preventative Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:40:00 +0000

Carolina News 14 has running an story about the Charlotte Mecklenburg School districts background checking program for educators.

Last week, a teacher at Bruns Avenue Elementary was arrested for doing drugs in an empty classroom, earlier this week a former CMS teacher and current Lincoln county teacher was arrested on drug charges, and last month a Garringer High School teacher was arrested for drug possession.

Drug Testing for all teachers is now necessary to protect students. Of course, all employers and school districts must comply with FCRA regulations when implementing a background checking program. We recommend researching potential vendors a business to business search directory such has portal boost.

business to business

Human Resources Directory

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Thu, 17 May 2007 21:07:00 +0000

As far as web directories go, 01webdirectory.com provides an essential service ton businesses and consumers by providing quality resources from around the globe. There are many business categories for all levels of busines professionals. 01webdirectorie's Human Resurces Directory provides a list of various Human Resources Outsourcing supplies for a full range of HR needs, including recruiting websites, software, employee training and testing and also websites for online pre-employment screening and background checks.

Check out 01webdirectory's Human Resources Directory and discover a vast array of supplies for your varied Human Resources needs. Human Resources Professionals are not only interesting in hiring key employees but also maintain employees and must analyze the potential factors involved with employee flight. One tool in maintaining key employees is providing quality retirement plan services such as 401(k) plans and Non Qualified Deferred Compensation Plans for Key Executives.

Why Public Relations?

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 14 May 2007 06:53:00 +0000

Public Relations is an invaluable strategic tool for any enterprise - business, government, or even a personal campaign. One of the best sources for strategic PR is NN Public Relations, based Orange County. Public Relations provides a non-traditional approach to advertising, seeking to maximize advertising dollars for market penetration.

Public Relations firms operate under a veneer of mystery and intelligence gathering techniques-including increasing a network of contacts, usually in the media, for promulgating their client's intentions.

Background checks lead to removal of bus drivers

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:42:00 +0000

CNN reports that eight school bus drivers have been terminated for having drunk driving convictions on the motor vehicle records in Ohio. The contractor had apparently not completed background checks on the bus drivers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Background checks prompted by a bus company lapse that forced the school system to cancel classes for a day have found eight bus drivers with drunken driving convictions, school officials said Tuesday.
"We've asked all bus contractors -- we have four -- to comply with contract provisions and remove drivers with prior drug-alcohol convictions from district bus routes," said Michael Fulwider, a district spokesman.
The school system told the companies to look harder at their drivers' records after one contractor found last week that it had not completed criminal background checks on drivers, Fulwider said.
The discovery by Cincinnati-based First Student Inc. followed the arrest of one of its Columbus drivers on a charge of cocaine possession, and it led the company to ground its Columbus fleet on Thursday. That forced the district, as well as private schools that depend on the buses, to cancel classes for the day.
Police said they found a syringe partially filled with a substance that tested positive for cocaine when they pulled over a bus. State records showed the driver had three convictions for driving under the influence.
First Student last week identified two more drivers with DUI records, and all three were taken off their routes, Fulwider said.
Three other companies also removed drivers with drunken driving convictions, he said.

If Truth Be Told - Online Dating Offers Many Opportunities to Hook Up -- and to Be Rooked. Here's How to Protect Yourself.

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:11:00 +0000

By LAUREN MORASKI
Jan. 12, 2007— Katherine Flansburg met her boyfriend through PlentyOfFish.com, a free online dating site. Several months later, they moved in together. Everything seemed to be going well until one morning when they were woken up by a loud banging on the door.
Flansburg, 26, a real estate agent in Santa Clarita, Calif., was shocked to discover that their unexpected guest was her boyfriend's wife. Moments later, a fuming Flansburg rummaged through her boyfriend's desk drawers and found recently filed paperwork for a legal marriage separation, as well as an IRS earnings statement that showed her boyfriend's salary was only one-quarter as much money as he'd told her.
"He was a piece of work," she recalled.
As long as people have been dating, there have been tales of liars, cheats and thieves. In the Internet age, with the anonymity offered by e-mail, and with people blogging about their bad experiences, it seems like there are more examples of nefarious behavior than ever.
In the pre-Internet days, if a woman wanted to find out about her beau's background, or if a man wanted to make sure his new girlfriend wasn't a gold digger, they would have to hire a private investigator, an expensive and time-consuming process. But 21st century daters have new tools that give them easy, inexpensive access to outlets through which they can run background checks on potential mates by tapping into databases and computerized records.
Digging for the Truth
Flansburg was just one of 16 million Americans who have logged on for love, according to a 2006 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. If she had run a background check on her boyfriend before they moved in together and gotten serious, Flansburg may have found out that he was still married or that he'd lied about his earnings. More and more online daters are doing background checks, and some are discovering lies about their mate's age, education, employment and ownership.
The Los Angeles-based Corra Group, for example, used to specialize in employment background checks. But recently it launched a separate Web site for dating-related searches.
By signing up online for as little as $39, along with the name and birth date of a significant other, you can get information about a person's address history, property ownership, as well as any bankruptcy claims, civil judgments or aliases. For $20 more, the search includes criminal records, and an $89 fee gets you a nationwide federal crime search.
Co-founder Gordon Basichis, 59, has 20 years of investigatiive experience and says that requests for background checks are on the rise, especially around Valentine's Day. While about 75 percent of his clientele is female — largely professionals in their mid-30s to 50s — the Corra Group also receives nearly 25 percent of its dating-related inquiries from men. "If they met someone online, they just want to know — 'who is this person?'" Basichis says. "People want to know if someone's full of it."
Many of his calls come from single moms who want to find out if their suitor has a sexual predator history. Other times, it's as basic as verifying a person's profession. And the information rolls in quickly. The company typically turns around a background check in one day.
Pigs, Not Seals
Skipp Porteous, 62, founder of Sherlock Investigations Inc. in New York, is also seeing an increase in online dating inquiries. Background checks for daters are "snowballing," he says, because "you don't know who you're really talking to."
Porteous, who started his investigative career in Los Angeles during the 1960s, will do anything from surveillance to simple background checks. Relationship investigations now make up 20 percent of his work, and he says that at least half the time, his research uncovers people who have told lies about themselves. That number is so high because most of his clients already have an intuition that something doesn't sound right about their sweeties.
"They're suspicious to start with, and we find that their suspicions are usually correct," he says. Porteous frequently digs up lies that involve age, marital status, earnings and education. But some go even beyond that. "Guys love to say they're ex-Navy Seals," he says.
Currently, popular dating sites such as Match.com or JDate.com provide online safety tips but don't mandate background checks to post a profile. Match.com tells users: "Because privacy is of the highest importance at Match.com, we don't require background checks." But some dating services — including True.com and The Badge.org — do.
In 2003, Herb Vest, 62, founded the Dallas-based True.com, a site that encourages "safer dating" by requiring background checks on everyone. Anyone who has been convicted of a felony or sexual offense is banned from the site. "If they do come on, and we catch them, at that point we turn them into their parole board and the feds," he says.
Vest ran a finance company for nearly 20 years before deciding to start True.com. After tying the knot in 2003, he decided to launch a dating site with his wife. "We both decided that we had something remarkable and wanted other people to experience the same thing," Vest said. After learning that an estimated 30 percent of online daters were married, according to a 2002 Marketdata study, Vest decided to enforce marital checks on anyone wanting to access True.com.
But it's not always easy to screen out people who are married. "Our program uses about nine billion hits of different databases," he says, referring to the complex computerized system used to identify if a potential user has a spouse. "We're serious about this." So serious that he's encouraging all dating sites to follow suit. Vest is trying to help pass legislation that would require online dating services to either conduct criminal background checks, or prominently disclose on their Web sites that they don't.
But Basichis says that if a dating site starts requiring background checks, it can send out mixed messages. "On one hand, the site is promising you the hero or heroine of you dreams, while on other hand, they're saying, 'let's check on them first.'"
So what's a single girl or guy to do? Liz Kelly, a 41-year-old Los Angeles dating coach and author of "Smart Man Hunting," recommends that online daters first go the Google and MySpace route. People will portray their real selves on a site like MySpace, but exaggerate certain things on their dating profile.
Kelly knows this all too well. Before her current relationship, she had been on 200 dates in just four years. Many of her online matches lied about their personal traits — and about 90 percent of them lied about their height.
A Screening Method
So, how do you get the truth before it's too late? "You're meeting a virtual stranger, so you have take precaution," said Kelly, who has developed her own online strategy for some of the love-seekers she coaches. Her suggestion: Share two e-mail exchanges, one 15-minute phone call and a one-hour coffee date.
"I recommend that you don't do a background check right away," she advises. "You want to leave some room for romance." Then, she says, if there's chemistry, people can run a background check if they think something sounds off.
Sometimes these searches, however, come up flat.
Despite her past experience, Flansburg, for example, isn't completely sold on them. "I've seen background checks. They're not clear," she says, referring to the lack of information some of the searches turn up.
Flansburg's unpleasant discovery about her ex-boyfriend hasn't deterred her from scouring the Internet for love. "I've met some nice people since then." However, she only uses paid services now. She thinks that more married people log on to free online dating sites because nothing will show up on their credit cards statements.
These days, Flansburg is much more inquisitive and aware, admitting that she has even considered looking through a guy's glove compartment or at his cell phone's "recent call" list. "You have to do your own research," she says.
Basichis agrees, and urges online daters to look for red flags. "Everybody's bigger than life — until you meet them," he says.
Safety tips for Internet dating (according to dating coach Liz Kelly):
Never give out a home phone number.
Use an anonymous e-mail (don't use your entire name as your e-mail alias).
Always meet in a public place and in a neighborhood you know.
Women, in particular, should always get the man's number first and use caller ID to block (*67) for the first call.
Don't share home addresses. Always give a general area instead.
Dating Red Flags (according to Corra Group's Gordon Basichis):
Listen closely for inconsistencies in stories involving ownership, family background and living situations.
If he or she asks you to cash a check.
Watch the way the person behaves around your kids.
If the person is telling you about him or herself and can't account for a long stint of time.
If he or she doesn't have any friends or never introduces you to his friends.
If the person says he or she owns property, or a boat, for instance, and you never see it.

Badea.biz adds Corra Group to Search Engine

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:14:00 +0000

Badea.Biz, a premier search engine has added Corra Group to its business services section inside the business category. Corra Group offers background checks and pre employment screening to employers and individuals globally. Background Checks are a good predictor of future behavior and orderings a background check on a prospective employee, business parter or dating partner is a wise and prudent move.

Corra Group's online platform allows for customizable packaging and instant background check results feedback. Contact them today for further information about background checks and pre employment screening.

background checks

Background checks on Students

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 17:45:00 +0000

According to an article on nbc17.com

Background Checks On UNC Students Urged
Only Five Of 35 U.S. Universities Surveyed Conduct Background Checks

A state senator wants to make the University of North Carolina system the first in the country to require all incoming students to submit to background checks.

Two UNC-Wilmington students were killed on campus within weeks of each other two years ago. It was later determined that the man charged in one of the slayings lied on his college application about his history of mental problems and violence.

The senator must believe that since businesses are conducting background checks, then why shouldn't universities? Part of the problem is that most college applicants with a record under age 18 will be protected by privacy laws. Background checks would only be effective on older applicants.

Background Checks: why you need them

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 21:41:00 +0000

Granholm signs law requiring background checks in nursing homes

LANSING -- New workers in hospices, home health programs and psychiatric hospitals will have to undergo criminal background checks starting May 1 under a law signed Friday by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Background checks currently are required in nursing homes, adult foster care homes and homes for the aged. The new law will expand the requirement to other health facilities.

The state Department of Community Health got $5 million from the federal government last fall to create a background check system, but was required to enact tougher new laws for workers in long-term care facilities.

"I'm pleased to sign legislation that will help protect our state's most vulnerable citizens in the long-term care facilities they call home," Granholm said in a statement. "By requiring background checks on new employees, we can ensure that people who shouldn't have access to our parents and grandparents don't."

The background check bills are House Bills 5168 and 5448, and Senate Bills 621-22.

Would you buy ice cream from a criminal?

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 22:00:00 +0000

It's good to see the world is starting to wake up and examine the need to for background checks, especially for any business or profession that has any contact with children. This is a smart plan, but the implementation might be suspect. Typically the application process administered by the government is lengthy, which will results in many unlicensed ice cream trucks. The big quest is, how much are willing to risk on a hot summers day to get that rainbow pop?

Ice cream truck vendors will need city licenses and undergo criminal background checks to do business starting Feb. 1.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the law proposed by Vice Mayor Steve Leal.

Leal said city staffers worked with vendors and a trade association to draft a law that would not unduly burden entrepreneurs in the city .

Under the law, ice cream truck vendors will be required to submit to fingerprinting and the background checks every year to get a license.

The city would deny a license if the applicant has been convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense in the previous five years or has ever been convicted of a felony sex offense. The concern is that vendors come into contact with many children.

Why didn't Fedex Get this right?

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 05:19:00 +0000

This story highlights the need for comprehensive employee background checks. it might be cheaper to use a database driven nationwide criminal search, but it far better to conduct a hand pulled county criminal search. If this type of embarrassing incident should happen to your firm, you will be paying dearly in legal defense fees, as well as damage to your public image and goodwill. Reduce your exposure from negligent hiring by investing in a comprehensive background check program like the type offered by the Corra Group.

According to a story reported by Bloomberg News, FedEx Kinko's hired one Paul Sykes, who turned out to have a criminal record as a convicted sex offender. FedEx claims, howvever, that their background check of Sykes did not turn up any criminal information.

While working for FedEx, Sykes solicited FedEx customers for his side computer repair business, eerily enough called, "Facts and Fantasy." Sykes has now been arrested and charged with allegedly molesting the eight-year old son of one of his computer repair clients (Sykes has pled not guilty).

The child's family is now suing FedEx for negligent hiring and supervision. "We're completely horrified by the alleged incident caused or done by our former employee," said Sandra Munoz, a spokeswoman for Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx. "However, we do disagree with the allegations charged against the company in this lawsuit."

background checks
Fedex

Crisis Management: The case for background checks

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 00:26:00 +0000

The old marketing adage "Any publicity is good publicity" doesn't always wash when one of your employees rapes a child. Don't be stuck paying for expert Crisis Management as well as hefty legal fees. Smart employers minimize lawsuits for negligent hiring by investing in a comprehensive background check screening program. A well rounded and consistent background check program will not only protect your company's reputation, but will lower shrinkage and improve productivity.

Parents of St. Paul School students were stunned last week when the school’s janitor, Kevin Karbownik, 21, of 534 Tollgate Road, was arrested for repeatedly having sex with a 13-year-old girl from Bristol whom he met in an online chat room.

According to arrest affidavits, Karbownik told police he had sex with the girl 11 times from August until October. When Karbownik broke off relations because she was too young, the 13-year old turned him into police according to police reports.

“It was a consensual relationship, but he was 21 and she was 13,” Berlin Police Capt. Larry Schubert said. “He was cooperative. We called him and told him to come in at 7 a.m. and he came right in. He didn’t deny anything.”

The girl is not a student at St. Paul School and Karbownik is not thought to have had any inappropriate relations with any students.

“It is unsettling that a person who worked at the school could be doing this,” said a parent of a St. Paul student who wished not to give her name. “You hope the school screens the people who work there carefully so it is hard to believe that it happened at St. Paul. It’s such a great little school.”

St. Paul School Principal Patricia O’Neil Tiezzi was also stunned by the news but cautioned parents that every employee goes through a rigorous check before being hired at the private school.

“We do Vertis Training, background checks, fingerprinting and many other safeguards to insure that all of our potential employees are qualified and outstanding in every way to work here,” she said. “He (Karbownik) is a former employee, was a part-time employee and college student at the time. He worked in the afternoon and after school so his contact with our students was minimal.

“We do the best job possible to screen potential employees but like any employer when the employee makes bad personal decisions it is hard for us to control. It is another illustration of the evils of the Internet. Besides working to screen employees we teach our children about the potential hazards of the Internet and taught a “Lures Program” at the end of the last year. That is a child safety program dealing with the Internet.”

Tiezzi learned of the charges Thursday afternoon and then there was no school on Friday due to the snowstorm. A Christmas Craft Fair was scheduled for Monday at the school so Tiezzi said she did not speak to students about what happened.

“I just didn’t think it was the right time,” she added. “We have sent a letter home to the parents and we will address it with the students for their own safety. It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to all of those involved.”

Karbownik was charged with first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. He was arraigned last Thursday in New Britain Superior Court and held when he couldn’t make bail of $50,000. The bail was originally set at $75,000 but reduced to $50,000 according to Schubert. His next court date is Dec. 22.

Police talked to Karbownik in late November when they acquired a warrant to search his car, a 1987 Camaro, and his computer. He asked police if they were there about the 13-year old girl but said he never had sex with her. He said they met on the Internet and would instant message each other. He also said he would even go to her house in Bristol.

The police told him all of his conversations with her would be stored on the hard drive of his computer. He finally told the police his side of the story, saying he “messed up” and blaming his heroin habit.

He detailed each of the 11 encounters with the girl, whom he would pick up near her house in Bristol. The two would then drive around looking for places to pull off the road to have sex.

One encounter happened off the road near a Connecticut Light & Power substation on Beckley Road. The Berlin PD confiscated Karbownik’s car, computer and two pairs of women’s underwear.

Karbownik told police that he had sex with the girl in Berlin, Bristol and Plainville. It is anticipated that Plainville will also issue a warrant for Karbownik’s arrest and Schubert added he thought Bristol had already issued a warrant for his arrest.

Background checks split matchmaking sites

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 05:46:00 +0000

Background checks should be not legislated for the online dating industry. However, if you are going to trust your heart to anyone you meet online, we recommend you run an online dating background check and includes a comprehensive nationwide criminal database search and a through review of their public records, aliases, real property as well as civil liens and judgments.

A debate among online dating companies over whether their websites should be required to say whether they do criminal background checks on clients has spilled over into state legislatures, a reflection of the websites' rising competitiveness.
True.com, a Dallas-based online dating service, started the ruckus in July 2004 when it began touting its criminal background checks and wrote proposed legislation that would force online dating sites to say whether they conduct such checks. The proposal has been considered by legislatures in California, Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Florida and Michigan, but none has passed it.

Medical Background Checks

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 04:40:00 +0000

Interesting development in the hazy world of overlapping federal law and states rights. I find it interesting that background checks have become such a part of the landscape that running them becomes SOP to even mention in the article

SAN DIEGO – Federal agents fanned out across San Diego County on Monday, executing simultaneous search warrants on 13 medical marijuana dispensaries that have been selling pot to sick and dying patients.

No one was arrested on suspicion of drug-dealing, officials said, but agents seized dozens of pounds of high-grade marijuana along with equipment, computers, patient files and other materials inside the storefront offices.

In most cases, the agents arrived unannounced with guns drawn. They handcuffed employees and ran background checks on both workers and patients. They used drug-sniffing dogs to seek out marijuana and carted away computers and other equipment in trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

A handful of people were arrested on outstanding warrants that were unrelated to the use or possession of medical marijuana, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said.

Officials characterized the law-enforcement action as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. But they declined to say if or when any charges would be brought against the dispensary operators.

"We're still in the course of our investigation," DEA spokesman Misha Piastro said.

The raids were conducted on dispensaries doing business in San Diego and San Marcos after undercover agents purchased marijuana without the paperwork required under state law, Piastro said.

In 1996, California voters approved the use of marijuana for patients who have a doctor's recommendation, despite the fact that federal law prohibits marijuana use under any circumstance. As a result, federal agents still make arrests in California, while cities and counties either follow the state law or the federal mandate.

In San Diego County, the Board of Supervisors recently refused to follow a provision of the state law and issue identification cards that would help medical marijuana users avoid arrest. Last month, they went a step further and said they would file a lawsuit to challenge the state law.

The supervisors voted against the identification cards even after being criticized earlier this year by the San Diego County grand jury. The jury's report said the supervisors had ignored the will of California voters and should take "all possible action" to promote access to marijuana for seriously ill patients.

Check out the police officer

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:32:00 +0000

There has been alot of press recently about lack of proper background checks for peace officers. Tennessee received the shakedown and now Orange County. What's more, this article seems to suggest a possible abuse of power and fraud. Consistent and thorough background checks of your staff and the civil servants in our communities keep us all safe. Conducting a nationwide criminal database index is fast and easy, and when coupled with a hand pulled county criminal records search, can be a good determinant of past behavior.

(12-10) 12:43 PST Santa Ana, Calif. (AP) --

Ten of the reserve deputies appointed by Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona who didn't have appropriate background checks or training are taking the academy courses required to get back in good standing with the state.

Sheriff's officials said that 15 of the 86 reservists removed from the state's list of peace officers because of background and training issues planned to attend a police academy to fulfill the 162 hours they need to be reinstated. But last week, only 10 showed up for the first day of classes, department officials said.

The five who opted out will be given the choice of resigning or reducing to a Professional Service Reserve, a rank that does not carry police powers, officials said.

The original group of 86 reserves included political allies and friends of the sheriff and his top assistants. They were deputized in 1999 shortly after Carona took office and days before the state stiffened training requirements.

Carona defended his actions, saying there were not in response to political favors and the public wasn't at a greater risk because of his appointments. Critics claim that the reserves abused their power.

All 86 were eliminated from the state's peace officer database in 2002 after the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training determined their background checks and training were incomplete.

___

Dont take this bus

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 01:50:00 +0000

KRQE reports:

ALBUQUERQUE -- A city bus driver was supposed to drive a disabled woman home, but police say before he dropped her off, he raped her.
Joseph Luceras is a city employee who drives a mini-bus tasked with transporting the disabled to their appointments and to work.

The 24-year-old woman told police she was on her way home from work on Thursday, riding the bus with her two friends.

According to the criminal complaint, when the woman was alone on the bus, Luceras started asking her sexual questions.

Luceras then stopped the bus on a side road, and allegedly raped the woman in the back of the vehicle. The woman says Lucecras later dropped her off at her home where she was able to get help.

The 21-year-old Luceras was in court Friday, charged with sexual penetration and kidnapping.

The City’s transit department says they contacted police after a call was placed to their crime hotline.

“We take these allegations very, very seriously,” says ABQ Ride spokesman Jay Faught. “As soon as we learned of these allegations we immediately contacted APD. We brought the driver in and we also sequestered the vehicle the driver was driving.”

Albuquerque ride says it started conducting background checks on drivers back in October of 2004. Lueras was hired that month, but the city is still investigating if a background check was performed.

While background checks don't save you from first time offenders, there are a good indicator of future behavior. Trouble is, so many times employers simply do not follow a consistent background check policy or program. While you may feel you are saving and money and time by hiring candidates and putting them to work without a complete background check, you may eventually lose. Running a consistent Background checks program protects you from negligent hiring lawsuits, saving your business reputation and coffers.

Corra Group suggests conducting smart backgrond checks on all job candidates, as well as ongoing background check-ups when key employees are giving the opportunity for promotion and thereby will be entrusted with more company assets and responsibilities. Conducting a nationwide criminal database search in addition to a hand pulled county criminal records will give you a pretty comprehensive portrait of the candidates background.

Background Checks - Hurry Up

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 06:48:00 +0000

DECEMBER 8, 2005 -- After pre-schools and daycares hire teachers, they have to pass a background check if they're going to stay on the job. The process is supposed to be quick so that teachers with trouble in their past can be fired before they do any more damage. But the state agency handling the background checks is badly backlogged. The result is long delays.

Sarah Flaherty is the director at Chesterbrook Academy. She says it's the fault of the North Carolina Division of Child Development.

"I think they are understaffed, overworked," says Flaherty.

The manager of the criminal record division told WECT the checks should come back within two weeks. We contacted several child care centers in Wilmington and across the state. They all say the checks take at least a month or two to come back.

That's leading some day cares to hire private investigators to perform their background checks. The information can come back as quickly as 24 hours later. But officials' best advice if you have a concern is talk directly to the day care director.

Corra Group gives you fast, thorough and customized employee background checks. We offer powerful instant nationwide criminal databases, which work well when combined with a hand pulled county criminal record examination in your candidates recent county of residenc. (See Corra Group for more details.)

What’s your date’s real history?

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 07:27:00 +0000

Is your date telling you the whole truth about their past? Do they have a criminal record? A bankruptcy? A spouse? Shouldn’t you make sure before you invite them into your home . . . and into your heart?

Order a background check from Corra. You can check out their criminal history, civil records, real property, and much more.

Find out the real story and make up your own mind.

Corra’s online dating background checks are powerful, fast, and confidential.

Background Checks don't chew gum

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 05:00:00 +0000

BRIDGEPORT, OH -- Teachers in the Bridgeport School District are now on week four of their teacher strike.

Monday, Bridgeport community leaders confronted the Bridgeport School District's superintendent, demanding background checks of security guards working outside the school buildings.

Since the start of the strike, security guards from the Michigan firm Huffmaster have been guarding the school property. Police say they've been getting complaints that guards are speaking offensively and making obscene gestures to students and striking teachers.

That's why Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Studenc and Mayor John Callarik say they've been asking for the guards' background checks since the beginning of the strike, and that's why they demanded the paperwork from Superintendent Mark Matz Monday morning.

"We can't wait until something happens, we have to do something about it now," said Callarik.

"It is continuing with the parents calling and complaining about offensive gestures, the taunting involving the children," said Studenc. "I just want to put an end to it."

The chief asked that local officers be put on guard duty if the background checks could not be produced.

Superintendent Mark Matz says the background checks were not on file in their office because the guards do not have any interaction with the students. He says their only assignment it to protect the property, but he told police that the guards have been cleared.

"We've been assured and we signed a contract with this company saying these are reputable security guards and background checks have been done," Matz said.

By Monday afternoon, Huffmaster did provide those background checks to the police department. According to the police chief, the backgrounds of the guards are clean, and he has been assured by the company that any of these alleged problems with the guards will stop immediately.

The district and its teachers will resume negotiations on Tuesday.

Jill Del Greco, NEWS9

That's interesting, so superintendant Mark Matz believes the security guards have "no interaction" with the kids in the school they are protecting. While it is true that security guards are assigned to protect property, it is also true that our children spend their days inside the schools and must walk past the security guards on their way home. Matz' comments are insensitive and border on incompetence. Perhaps someone needs to ask if Matz background check is on file. I wonder if his background check is missing, just like the FEMA director's.

One company, Corra Group, can screen job applicant backgrounds quickly and easily. They can run a nationwide criminal database search and couple this with a few county criminal records searches, as well a Retail Theft Database to determine any shoplifting. Also important is a Motor Vehicle Records search, which will uncover Drunk driving and DUI charges.

Employee Theft, Shrinkage, and the Retail Theft Database

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 23:50:00 +0000

Corra Group listed some interesting employment statistics about Employee Theft.

Nearly 80% of the workforce admit they would or at least would consider stealing from their employers

Employee theft costs businesses between $60 and $120 Billion, annually.

49% of the employees steal for greed, 43% steal out of vindictiveness, and 8% claim they steal out of need.

Employee theft is the cause of 30% of business failures

According to one survey, a business can lose to theft up to 20% of every dollar earned

While most employers conduct a minimal criminal history examination as part of their pre employment screening program, such as a nationwide criminal database search or a county criminal search, most are not aware of the significant of the Retail Theft Database, or the benefits of conducting a retail theft database search on your prospective job candidates.

Background checks will help you determine if your employees has a history of stealing from his previous employes. One of the most important resources for hiring employers is the Retail Theft Database, which provides you with access to a nationwide database of shoplifting and employee theft incidents from almost one thousand member companies. Most employee theft incidents are never prosecuted, meaning that the information in the National Theft Database is not available anywhere else. It contains exclusive information shared only between members. It is constantly updated with new incidents. Information in the National Theft Database is fully compliant with the FCRA.

Edge of Torrance

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Wed, 20 Feb 2002 07:45:00 +0000

Today I walked south from the edge of Torrance beach (below the Redondo Pier) to Malage Cove in Palos Verdes. I wore my canvas workout pants and my new sweatshirt. I walked alone with no radio. I parked my truck at the top of the bluff and walked down the narrow railed path to the beach. The offshore wind was cold and reminded me its still Winter. I took the pedestrian path south but quickly cut out to the sand to get away from the bikers and joggers. The sand felt good and honest. I was wearing my New Balance, well worn after walking across Europe, and I felt good crunching across the sand.
As I walked, Palos Verdes became more detailed. I could see nice houses on the green hills, and craggy coves jutting down to the sea. As Torrance beach petered out, the cliffs rose up to the rich mansions and I dodged between piles of seaweed and driftwood. Suddenly I had gone from sandard South Bay beachbreak to wild coastal coves, like something from northern california. It was weird. The coast curves around to Malaga Cove, and the sandy beach becomes a rocky shore. I walked the winding path up the cliff, passed the Palos Verdes Athletic Club. looked in saw some kids in the jacuzzi, they looked very cute and were probably very rich.
I walked up the cliff and found myself on the bluff across from a lovely park. Kids were playing baseball and a few junior high girls were watching them and gossiping. Where was I? I crossed the green grassy park and walked along a ridge of expensive mansions. Everyone drove a brand new SUV, Lexus, or Mercedes. Nothing old.
In town I was my first Palos Verdes local. He looked like a surfer, but real clean cut like some surfer from a 50s movie. Kind of like the pictures of my uncle as a teenager in Newport Beach way back when. Anyway, this guy is grabbing a newspaper from the machine and he sees me and stares at me. I stare back. He looks pissed. It was weird. I was gonna say, "What? I can't even walk through your fucking town?" The South bay rags are up in arms because some Palos Verdes locals beat up some Hermosa Surfers who charged their break. It's been this way for a long time, but finally it happened to an adult. The funny thing is the local cops didn't help the hermosa surfer. He was all bleeding and even his knee got busted, but the cops didn't take his story, and later the guy saw the cops laughing and joking with the surfers who beat him up.
Localism is a bad word now, and I can see why. I walked into a liquor store and bought a Gatorade. I felt like John Rambo walking through that small Oregon town; feeling unwanted. I walked through town and followed the green curving hill back to PCH. My car was somewhere near Redondo, and I wanted to find it before dark. I walked on the left side of the road, with no sidewalk, walking on grass and looking down at the ocean below me. A green hedge almost blocked my view and I was reminded of all the times I walked to elementary school, and how I intimitely knew every intersection on my way, every bush, every fence, and every dog. Suddenly I was back there, walking home from school.
Life slows down when you walk. I felt slow and small, but I felt free. The PV people were driving home in there new SUVs and Mercedes and I was walking back to Redondo, learning every intersection, every bush. Did they know them?