Can a parent trust a preschool, even a registered one, has no criminals or sex offenders amongst its staff? Yesterday, Fox Chicago News revealed an eco-friendly preschool in the West Loop area was unwittingly harboring a sex offender. Investigating a tip, the local news station found Eric Ellis, who is listed as a Registered Sex [...]

Like many adults, you join a dating website to meet others in your area, and then an individual contacts you. To feel each other out, you chat a bit online and then decide to meet up in a public place. Although, with online dating now far more common than it used to be, this scenario [...]

Is your company looking for an easy way out when it comes to background checks in hiring decisions? The time and care taken to analyze results and consider each applicant, rather than using criminal history as a be-all-end-all factor, ends up having long-term positive consequences. What can happen from careless application of criminal background checks? [...]

2011 might not be the year the economy or the real estate market turned around, but it may be remembered in history as the year with the most gun-related FBI background checks, according to Reuters. A story published recently revealed the FBI saw 16.5 million queries from firearm sellers – a 15-percent increase from 2010 [...]

95 percent of all hiring employers conduct background checks on potential candidates. Yet, the cost, length, and inaccuracies are often cited as obstructions in conducting these screenings. For candidates or companies, screenings can cost anywhere from $20 to $60. A background check, only examining state-level records, may not give a full picture of a candidate, [...]

Should potential owners of certain dog breeds be subject to background checks? The Animal Control Board in Cumberland County, N.C., met a few weeks ago over the issue and decided to limit pit bull adoption through background checking all who want to own the dogs. Presently, the shelter is full and holding several pit bulls, [...]

Many states require care workers – those working with the elderly, children, or the disabled – to have clean criminal backgrounds. Minnesota is one such state, but the Star Tribune revealed recently that 15,000 waivers have been granted to former criminals looking for such jobs. Taking additional steps away from safety, the state does not [...]

Some claim background checks for volunteer positions go too far, but this week, it was discovered that Jerry Sandusky, the former assistant Penn State football coach, applied for such a role at Juniata College in May 2010 and did not pass the background check. According to the Associated Press, Sandusky was recommended for the position [...]

For more than the past year, the gun show loophole has been a popular state law issue. In most states, background checks are required to purchase firearms – except for at gun shows. Criminals not purchasing firearms at gun shows is a common argument against screenings at these events, but is such a statement even [...]

Isn’t the first step of obtaining employment sending out your resume? The first true step, however, is actually having a resume. And while an individual should take applying for a job one step at a time, make sure you connect the beginning with the end. And, in employment, this means thinking about your background check [...]