Background Investigation Blogs

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) are first responders that heed the call to serve and care for all of us when the situation arises. In certain situations EMT's need to make decisions and access situations immediately and with such a huge responsibility there is also huge risk when dealing with someone’s life and the public deserves the best of the best.  In California, one of the most populated states in the country, one would think that EMT's would have to pass stringent background checks. On the contrary, the Contra Costa Times recently reported that not all California counties have a mandatory background screening and drug testing program installed which is troubling.  To remedy the situation Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is ready to sign CA Assembly Bill 2917 that would establish background investigations for EMT's. CA Assembly Bill 2917 is waiting in limbo until the state's budget is balanced.

A well rounded background vetting program for EMT's should start with criminal records searches, sex offender searches, education and certificate verifications, drug testing and past employment verifications.

With diligent background checks, Caddo Parish Police have discovered a few criminals among those seeking shelter from the latest hurricane hitting Louisiana. There is no substitute for real grass roots criminal record checks that contain information from primary sources such as local courthouses.

True background screening should never come from a for sale records database that might be out of date and contain wrong information on the web. If you are going to pursue background screening on the state and local levels, it would be prudent to seek out a professional background screening firm that utilizes court researchers at the court levels. Employment Background Investigation's Compliance Supervisor Greg Wieclaw stated that he "Insists on using court researchers located quite near local district courthouses as they can obtain the needed criminal record information faster. Having someone in the presence of a court clerk is a sound practice."

With over 60,000 evacuees trying to escape hurricane Gustav, The Caddo Parish Police should be lauded for their diligent use of criminal records in vetting storm shelters to keep the general public safe.

A recent report out of Ireland claims that there is a huge rise in addicts entering rehabilitation clinics for alcohol and drug abuse in that country.  Phil Prendergast, the Labour Senator from South Tipperary announced that "Drugs are an escalating social problem in Ireland, associated as they are with violence and gun crime, alcohol abuse and anti-social behavior."  With the Labour Senator from Ireland associating drug and alcohol abuse with criminal activity it would be prudent to utilize international background and drug screening from a reputable background screening firm if hiring abroad.  Another interesting fact that should trigger international drug screening is that less than half of the people entering rehabilitation programs finish their courses!

The passage of California Bill AB2918 would serve to hinder complete background screening in whole.  Credit reports are an intricate part of identifying a job applicants past. Background screening firms and anyone who conducts background checks should be concerned about the potential restriction of credit reports in background screening especially if a person will be working around finances.  Robert Capwell, CKO of Employment Background Investigations (EBI) stated that “Past action is a great predictor of a future behavior and credit reports provide us with just that, an in-depth look into patterns of behavior."  Let's hope that there is more discussion on California AB2918 and lawmakers do not make the wrong decision and hinder the background screening process by blocking the use of credit reports.  The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) is campaigning against the legislation and more information can be found at their Website.

A recent education verification investigation resulted in "diploma mill" accusations and has caused a row between a top NJ public school district administrator and a board of education member. The Asbury Park Press has reported that a high ranking public school administrator has been asked to resign if he does not reimburse the tuition to the school district who granted the funds to obtain a fraudulent doctoral degree from an unaccredited educational institution known as a "diploma mill." Education Degrees from unaccredited institutions known as "diploma mills" are used to illegitimately qualify persons for better and high paying employment based on false educational credentials.

Employment Background Investigations' background screening solutions and education verification solutions will verify that all of your candidate’s education credentials are valid and EBI will also check to see if an educational institution listed on a job application is an officially accredited school. To see how EBI can help combat education and resume fraud click here.