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Background Checks

Kroll Sold to Altegrity

Kroll, the world famous background checking and Security Service has been sold just six years after insurance giant, Marsh & McLennan, bought the company from its original owner, Jules Kroll.   According to the Telegraph, M&M suffered an $800 Million dollar loss in the sale.   According to the article, the insurance brokerage wants to down size in order to focus primarily on its insurance business.

Thee buyer, Altegrity, was originally called the United States Investigative Services, or USIS.   This company used to be a background checking wholesaler within the industry, but has since become a retail only background checking service.    USIS, under Altegrity, bought HireRight, another background checking service about  a year ago.   Altegrity’s purchase of Kroll is designed to broaden the company’s capabilities.

General Atlantic and the Carlyle Group were reported the other bidders.   Of course, with a purchase of this scope, some wonder why the actual sale was significantly shy of M&M’s initial asking price.   And there is always the issue

As for Jules Kroll, founder of Kroll in 1972,  he is currently is currently developing a new credit ratings agency.

It will be interesting to see how this merger plays out and how Kroll will be coordinated with the other respective background checking agencies.

Categories
Background Checks

Hawaii to Raise Its Driving License Fees

Hawaii will soon join the other states who have raised their Department of Motor Vehicle or DMV fees.   In order to pull motor vehicle driving records or MVRs, a necessity for the trucking and transportation industry as well as for employers who have employees who drive on the job, it will cost more.  Some states have raised the DMV fees by as much as three hundred percent.

Nevertheless,  employers need to conduct motor vehicle  driving records  as background checks on their employees and employment candidates.  MVRs also indicate behavior patterns, substance abuse issues, other indicators that are good to know upfront.  The driving records serves, overall, as an excellent background check.  It has a fast turnaround and, still, it is cost effective.

Anyway,  effective July 1st, 2010 Hawaii  will increase its state fee for  Abstract Driving Records from $10.00 to $23.00 per record.

Categories
Background Checks

Changes in Oregon Sex Offender Background Checks

Background Checks involving the sex offender registry can also be more complex that it first appears.  In some states a young man over eighteen have consensual sex with his girlfriend, who is, say, seventeen, can suffer the misfortune of having irate parents press charges, which results on his being placed on the sexual offender list.   I would consider this not only a tough break but unfair, considering the circumstances.

But then there are the other people on the sexual offenders registry who have committed all kinds of criminal acts, ranging from rape to child molestation.   These are truly felonious acts of severe misconduct and employers should be aware of these past criminal records when considering hiring a job applicant.    Sex offenders can prove toxic to the work environment.  To be kind, they are viewed with disdain at best with very few fellow employees having the tolerance to deal with them as peers.

I blogged about sex offenders last month when I wrote an article about a census worker who was discovered to be on the sexual offenders registry.   The article was entitled,appropriately enough,  Census Worker Identified as Sex Offender.   Not a pretty story.    And if you have children, not someone you want in your home under any pretext, yet alone when he is working for the federal government.   But I digress.

As a background checking service for some inexplicable reason we have noticed that sex offender his on the various background checks appear to come in waves.   As I noted, there is no rhyme or reason, but there will be no sex offenders in the background checks and then suddenly there will be a flurry, stemming from different clients in different parts of the country.  It’s odd, but true.  At least for us.

In all, we can understand that some people have been listed unfairly on the sexual offenders registry.  But I would rather see a fallible sex registry than one where sex offenders are not properly identified.   But as I said, the sex offender registry is not always as simple as it may appear.   Each state has the prerogative to list what it believes to be sex offenses.  Some states are more lenient than others.

With that in mind, Oregon State has modified is sexual offender background checks.  The following information should prove useful to employers conducting preemployment screening for their job candidates.

Please be aware that the state of Oregon no longer releases information on sex offenders that are ON supervision; the latest dataset obtained only contains offenders OFF supervision.

OR Statute ORS 181.592 prohibits the Sex Offender Registry from releasing information on persons under supervision for their first sex crime conviction or adjudication, during their supervisory period.

Categories
Background Checks

State GOP to Conduct Background Checks on Candidates

Here is something that makes a lot of sense.  The Washington State GOP is planning on running criminal and civil background checks on every one running for Congress or for State Political Office.   Historically, this has been the job of opposing political parties, but it would seem the current strategy is to wait until their opponents are committed before releasing damning information.   In order to avoid this embarrassing speed bump, the Washington State GOP is thinking, check out your own first, before the other guy digs up the dirt.

There are the usual requisites for political candidates, such as being able to raise campaign money, being involved in the party, etc.  But by running background checks, there is less chance of a political candidate sneaking on board with any untoward baggage.

According to the article in SeattlePI.Com,  the party  “could take such actions as denying access to party mailing lists — hitherto done with candidates who violate the party’s “11th Commandment” by denouncing fellow Republicans — and blackballing a tainted contender from party-sponsored debates.”

This is no small matter, conducting background checks on political candidates.   This is something that the national committees of both major political parties should take into serious consideration.   Background checks may well help eliminate the embarrassing moments that create headlines and the ensuing public mistrust.