According to FBI reports, property crimes were down in the first half of 2015 over the prior year, but violent crimes increased in three of the United States’ four regions — with medium-sized cities taking the biggest hit. Violent crimes saw increases of 1.4 percent in the Midwest, 1.6 percent in the South and 5.6 percent in the West. In the Northeast, though, violent crimes dropped by 3.2 percent.

The FBI compiled the new numbers in the FBI reports based on data from thousands of law enforcement agencies.

In the country as a whole, rapes were up by 9.6 percent, and murders increased by more than 6 percent. Medium-sized cities were hit hardest by the increase — violent crimes were up by more than 5 percent in cities with 250,000 to 499,999 inhabitants. Violent crime decreased slightly in both smaller and larger cities for the period.

FBI Reports: Burglaries, Larcenies Down

Property crimes showed the opposite trend from violent crimes during the first six months of 2015, according to the FBI reports. Larcenies were down more than 3 percent, while burglaries dropped by nearly 10 percent. In the property crime category, the only increase was in thefts of motor vehicles, up by 1 percent.

Every city population group experienced a decrease in property crimes overall. The biggest drop — more than 7 percent — was for small cities with fewer than 10,000 residents. Of the four regions in the country, only the West had an increase in property crimes: 2.4 percent.

Most Dangerous Cities?

Another recent report provides additional details about the increase in violent crime in medium-sized cities. According to the NeighborhoodScout annual ranking of the nation’s most dangerous cities, East St. Louis, Illinois, and Camden, New Jersey, ranked first and second in the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents.

The ranking considers cities with populations over 25,000 and violent crimes including rape, murder, aggravated assault and armed robbery. The survey uses FBI reports data to calculate the rankings.

While the list includes some large cities like Miami and Washington, D.C., other major cities — notably Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles — didn’t break the top 100 in violent crimes. Both the recent numbers in the FBI reports and the NeighborhoodScout rankings are based on relatively short time periods — six months and one year, respectively. Time will tell whether the increase in violent crime in mid-sized cities is simply a blip or a long-term trend that warrants further analysis.

Source: https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-preliminary-semiannual-crime-statistics-for-2015

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

Diversity in the workplace is a good thing. When interviewing, you obviously need someone who fits the requirements of the job, but you have to be careful with the interview questions you ask so as not to approach any topics which could potentially lead to discriminatory behavior. Something which you might think is an innocent interview question to get to know someone could potentially approach a subject which is taboo. There are interview questions that employers and human resource professionals should definitely avoid.

Here are some interview questions you should avoid:

• Do you have any children? How many children do you have? Are your children in child care?
• Are you married?
• How old are you?
• What type of discharge did you receive from the military?
• What church do you belong to? What is your religion?
• Do you have any medical conditions we should know about?
• How many sick days did you use last year?

The gray area is the most difficult to deal with. You are asking the interview questions as part of a more casual conversation in the job applicant, but a potential answer that could be given could take things in a direction that could lead to a claim of discrimination.

“What’s your favorite book?” sounds like an innocent interview question but if they answer that they read the Bible or Koran every night, there is the potential for a discrimination claim if they didn’t get the job.

“What associations do you belong to?” is a similar question. If they answer something about the JCC or the Knights of Columbus, or even AARP or some cancer survivor organization, you’re just asking for trouble.

Stay away from interview questions that are associated with race, gender, age, religion, color, national origin, or disability, among many other topics. There are certain federal laws that protect employees and job applicants from being discriminated against. These laws are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

If all the all the questions are not directly related to the applicant’s ability to do the job, they are most likely, not appropriate as interview questions.

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

Performing background checks is an important part of any modern loss prevention strategy. Background check effectiveness can be achieved by developing a strategy with the help of an outside vendor. It stands to reason that any organization wants only qualified, suitable, and trustworthy people within its ranks. The alternative can mean, theft, inefficiency, accidents and any number of misfortunes that can hurt your bottom line. What’s more, companies that fail to properly vet their employees can become subject to litigation if those employees do anything which creates actionable damage to the public, their customers, or any other person or persons.

In 2013, the retail market spent an aggregate 0.42 percent on loss prevention. It is estimated that of that fractional amount, less than 5 percent was spent on background checks. Loss prevention spending increased to just over 1 % in 2014 due to a spike in awareness of the issue of employee theft in retail stores. At the same time, many retail stores adopted a non-reaction policy toward shoplifting. This was done as a result of studies that showed traditional security responses to shoplifting hurt a store more on Public Relations than did the actual theft.

Consequently, retail chains began to spend less on their security provisions meant to guard against shoplifting and more on those aimed at preventing employee theft. First and foremost, this means stricter hiring standards – and with this, background checking is a natural companion.

Today, subscription to an ongoing background check service is a commonplace method that employers of all kinds are using to ensure background check effectiveness.

It’s impossible to say exactly how many ways a quality background check can prevent avoidable loss, damage, and even tragedy in your offices.

Examples of benefits of background check effectiveness:

• Criminal records are a strong predictor of future behavior

While it’s true that many people are wrongly convicted or experience circumstances where they may have acted out of character and were convicted of a crime – by and large those who are convicted of a crime were so convicted because of criminal tendencies. It is a statistical reality.

• Knowing who you are hiring

Applicants can put anything on a resume, and sometimes the best interviewers are also talented liars. Background check effectiveness will help you to boost your trust in trustworthy employees and weed out bad applicants.

• Avoid negligent hiring lawsuits

All job creators owe the public and their clients the duty of hiring sane, safe, and competent staff. Failure to perform due diligence in hiring is a violation of this duty and can lead to negligent hiring claims.

The nominal price of background check effectiveness can save you and your firm from untold millions in preventable losses and misfortune.

Sources: http://www.csoonline.com/article/2845058/loss-prevention/cost-of-retail-crime-skyrockets-nearly-30-percent.html, http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/study-shrink-costs-us-retailers-42-billion-employee-theft-tops-shoplifting

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

While government agencies, educational institutions and many businesses have been screening employees for years, the way in which screening is conducted has changed with the times. Even so, the need for employee screening has never abated, as hiring an untrustworthy employee who has lied on his or her resume, has a criminal record and/or is not in the country legally can have serious repercussions. We present a summary of the top three employee screening trends in 2016 below.

The Top Three Employee Screening Trends in 2016

Social Media Employee Screening Trends

The number of organizations that use social media to screen job applicants has jumped by 33% in the last two years. Nonetheless, checking a job applicant’s social media accounts is still as risky as ever. Employers who use social media and Google searches to find out more information about job applicants are likely to stumble across information that would create a bias against the applicant. Rejecting a job applicant on the basis of information discovered in a social media search can result in a costly, lengthy lawsuit.

Post-Hire/Ongoing Employee Screening Trends

While transportation companies and institutions providing healthcare are already required by law to regularly screen existing employees, other companies are also jumping onto these employee screening trends. Many employers are realizing that employees change over time and that a one-time screening may not be sufficient to prevent problems such as fraud, theft, harassment and hacking. A 2014 survey shows that well over a quarter of all American companies use ongoing employee screening to maintain office safety and security, and the number of businesses using this form of screening is set to grow for the foreseeable future.

Ban the Box

Ban the Box refers to a drive to drop the box on employee application forms asking if the applicant has ever been committed of a crime. There is concern that many applicants are discounted as potential employees based on this one question. However, there is also a real concern that companies which are prohibited from asking about an applicant’s criminal record outright will use roundabout ways to find out if a prospective employee has ever spent time in jail or on probation.

While the importance of employee screening is clear, the way in which it is done is equally as important as ensuring that screening is conducted in the first place. A wise business owner will want to find a reputable company that can provide information in an effective yet legally compliant manner to avoid serious business and legal problems.

Source: https://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/staffingmanagement/articles/pages/2016-employment-screening-trends.aspx

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

Not all companies perform employee criminal history checks when they hire employees, but more businesses are starting to do so. Much of the reason behind that is a desire to make sure the business is properly protected, but these employee criminal history checks can also help ensure the safety of other employees in some cases.

Here are three of the main reasons that a business should perform employee criminal history checks.

1). Employee criminal history checks protect your business

Most businesses prefer not to hire criminals, but the definition of “criminal” may be something other than what is in a person’s actual record. For example, a bank may not hire someone who has a theft conviction, or anything else to do with money, but may be all right hiring someone with a petty charge from 10 or 15 years prior. The type of conviction and the length of time that has passed since that conviction often affect hiring decisions. Any company that will perform a criminal background check to look for these things must inform the employee that a background check will be performed and that the information in it may be used to make a decision about hiring or promotion.

2). Employee criminal history checks protect your employees

For companies that already have employees working for them, protecting those employees is very important. When a business hires a person without a background check, and that person harms another employee, that can be very devastating for everyone involved. It could also put the business in legal trouble, since a background check may have found that the person who was hired could have been dangerous. The employee who was harmed may sue the business for not doing a background check, which may have contributed to an unsafe work environment.

3). Employee criminal history checks level the playing field

When performing an employee criminal history check on a current employee, it’s very important that the company make the issue clear. A consent form should be signed by the potential employee and the company, and all employees need to be treated equally. If a manager or owner is suspicious of an applicant and wants to perform a pre-employee criminal history check on them, then all applicants must be checked in the same way. To do otherwise could be viewed as discriminatory and could be grounds for a lawsuit. Businesses should be careful to avoid those types of problems.

Sources: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0157-employment-background-checks

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

How did a registered sex offender who was recently convicted of exposing himself to a child end up working as the Easter Bunny at a North Dakota mall?

According to news reports, Daniel Sanderson landed the job in Minot, North Dakota, as the beloved children’s character just months after he pleaded guilty to the sex offense. He was hired by a temporary employment agency, Command Center, to work as the Easter Bunny for Cherry Hill Photo Enterprises at Dakota Square Mall.

An attorney for Command Center said Sanderson, 24, gave his middle name as his last name, presenting himself to the employment agency as Daniel Elwell. Company representatives said they did not realize the suspect’s last name was Sanderson — or that he was a registered sex offender — until he was later arrested.

No Criminal Background Checks Conducted

Command Center’s attorney noted in a statement that no criminal background check was conducted for Sanderson before he was hired as the Easter Bunny, despite the fact that he would work with children. He said that local employees for the company had been “counseled” and that company officials felt confident that such an oversight would not occur again.

It’s A Violation For A Registered Sex Offender Not To Register

A Minot police captain said that following a move, Sanderson had not updated his contact information as required to do for a registered sex offender. At the time that Sanderson was working as the Easter Bunny, officers were awaiting issuance of a warrant for allegedly violating his probation. Officers then received a tip on Sanderson’s whereabouts and were able to arrest him.

The Importance of Proper Pre-Employment Screening

Despite Sanderson’s alleged failure to update his registered sex offender contact information as required, a criminal background check would have turned up the critical information about the indecent exposure conviction, the police captain noted. Simply checking the website for the North Dakota courts would provide a record of criminal convictions.

Criminal background checks are an important component of the hiring process for many types of jobs. For individuals who will work around children, senior citizens, disabled individuals and other vulnerable populations, such pre-employment background screening should not be considered optional.

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

Despite an unemployment rate at its lowest level since 2007, hiring is becoming increasingly complex. For many years, employers have been subject to a variety of laws as they attempt to engage qualified candidates, and the wave of “ban-the-box” legislation sweeping the country is introducing even more regulations into the hiring process.

But in spite of the added complexity, employment screening (emp screening) continues to have a significant impact on outcomes for businesses of all sizes. What risks arise when employers don’t adequately screen potential workers, and how do recent legislation and existing laws impact the process?

The dangers of making bad hires

Even one ill-advised hire can significantly increase the risk of negative consequences, including compromising sensitive data, theft, reputation damage and even physical injuries to customers or other employees.

With unemployment low and talented workers becoming more difficult to find, speed and efficiency in the hiring process are critical. Pre-emp screening has long provided a trusted method for assisting employers with making critical decisions in hiring.

The effects of recent legislation

As of mid-2015, “ban-the-box” legislation was in effect in 18 states and 52 municipalities across the United States. The ban-the-box movement seeks to remove questions about past criminal offenses or convictions from initial job applications.

But for some employers — especially those in highly regulated industries — the new laws represent a Catch-22. Hiring practices also must comply with local, state and federal rules that may prohibit employment of workers with criminal histories in certain positions. And for companies operating in more than one jurisdiction, compliance with potentially conflicting laws can create increasing complexity in the emp screening hiring process.

The role of consumer protections

Additionally, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and similar state laws already affect the information that employers may gather during an emp screening. Under the FCRA, employers must follow a defined process that allows job applicants to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information that results in a decision not to hire. Some of the new ban-the-box rules conflict with those requirements, adding another challenge for employers.

An important role for emp screening

Failing to uncover pertinent background information for potential hires can have devastating effects for modern companies. At the same time, a complex regulatory climate is creating challenges for employers. Prudent hiring managers increasingly are working with knowledgeable professionals who can effectively navigate the nuances of emp screening.

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

Across the United States, more than 1 million private security guards keep a watchful eye over venues as varied as sports arenas, hospitals and retail stores. With no federal standards in place for licensing or security guard background checks, oversight authority is left to the states.

Several recent incidents involving security guards have drawn attention to screening, training and oversight procedures at the state level. Concern about training, licensing and security guard background checks also has helped fuel the recent introduction of some 90 state bills seeking tougher regulations.

Requirements for security guard background checks vary

Most security guards do not carry weapons, but those who do have raised regulatory antennae recently. In 2014, a joint investigation by CNN and the Center for Investigative Reporting uncovered a low level of accountability, along with insufficient oversight of armed guards. Nine states did not carry out criminal background checks on security guard applicants, the investigation found, and 27 did not check for applicants’ inclusion in a federal database that would prohibit them from carrying a firearm.

Several recent incidents have stoked sentiment for strengthening regulation of the industry. In Iowa, a security guard is accused of fatally shooting a woman, and a Kentucky guard allegedly took bribes to ignore thieves who stole more than $100,000 worth of whiskey from a distillery. A man in his 60s also died of a head injury following a violent confrontation with a contract security guard at a Virginia hospital.

Training and potential legislative solutions

Under current regulations, 41 states and the District of Columbia require licensing of security guards, but training standards vary. South Carolina, for instance, requires four hours of training plus four additional hours for security officers who carry guns. In Alaska, security guards must undergo 48 hours of initial training and another eight hours for those who carry guns. Nine states do not license security officers, although some cities within the states do require licensing. In 22 states, no training requirements exist for unarmed guards, and 15 require no training even for guards who carry weapons.

Dozens of bills have been introduced this year at the state level to beef up licensing and training requirements. None of the bills that would’ve added significant teeth to regulations has been enacted so far, however.

Implementing business safeguards

Many private security guards are contracted through agencies, while others are hired on by individual businesses. With requirements for security guard background checks, training and licensing varying so significantly by state, it’s wise for business owners to ask questions and implement their own systems for thoroughly screening background checks and training these key team members.

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

Improper pre-employment background screening can mean leaving a business vulnerable to a lawsuit or hiring people who are not a fit. With legal and regulatory changes making the pre-employment background screening landscape complicated to navigate, more and more businesses are taking stock of their current practices to ensure that they are in line.

The following are five best practices for businesses to consider when evaluating a pre-employment background screening program:

1. Designate an On-Site Expert

Ideally, there should be one staff member who is the go-to person on conducting pre-employment background screening for potential new hires. This individual should be well versed in current rules and parameters, proactive, and able to stay abreast of changes in the legal landscape so that the company can stay compliant.

2. Enlist Help from Internal Resources

While one person should be the designated go-to pre-employment background screening expert, others in the company should also be drawn upon to enrich and enhance the company policy. Persons from the legal department, the security team, management and department heads should be consulted as well as human resources in order to craft the best protocols possible.

3. Stay Connected

The pre-employment background screening expert as well as the individuals discussed above should do weekly checks to ensure that the company stays in compliance. Current EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) requirements pertaining to hiring as well as Federal and your current state laws should be strictly adhered to.

4. Make a Decision About Centralizing Oversight

If a business has more than one branch or location, they will have to decide if one screening system will be used comprehensively for the organization or if each separate location will be allowed to manage its own.

5. Use Professional Background Checks

Checking into the past of potential new hires involves a lot of variables, including laws and procedures that must be followed in order to do so legally. The courts and criminal background report system can be difficult to navigate, as can credit reporting agency documents and other financial records. Because of this, outsourcing background checks to a professional is an excellent way to help ensure that this step is completed efficiently, effectively and legally.

Poor or improper pre-employment background screening can leave a business open to hiring errors and costly legal problems. Businesses should strive to enact these five best practices when evaluating or creating a new employment screening program.

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.

Can a job candidate think in an innovative manner? Can they effectively assimilate coaching and feedback? Will they be adaptable to new environments? Will they work well within a team?

An investigation of employer trends in work evaluation shows that today’s biggest companies are looking beyond just technical skills when hiring. Instead of traditional methods, they are using more nuanced selection, interviewing and placement techniques throughout the hiring process.

These employer trends can assist and inspire businesses in other sectors as well.

While personality tests and skills assessments were widely used in the past, they are being replaced by more individualized screening methods, according to observers of employer trends. Companies like Google are now using the following techniques and methods for more effective hiring:

Behavioral Interviewing

Behavioral interviewing aims to determine future behavior and job performance by asking specific but open-ended questions about the candidate’s past. For example, instead of asking, “Are you a team player?” the interviewer might say, “Tell me about a time when you were on a team project and saw things differently from everyone else. How did you express yourself? What was the outcome?”

Cognitive Processing is Key

While the Google company prizes computer coding skills highly, the second most important attribute is effective cognitive processing. The ability to think on your feet and learn and process new information on the fly is valued more highly than intelligence or I.Q. It can be assessed by asking interview questions about how the candidate would handle a new challenge in a high pressure situation, or by giving timed testing requiring quick learning to solve a problem.

Leadership

Good leadership skills and abilities always bode well for a candidate’s future performance. Find out if they have had any leadership positions in the past and ask what they enjoyed most about them. Leadership positions could be management or supervisory roles at work, but the head of a fraternity or the captain of the math club also counts.

Humility and Ownership

Candidates should balance out their skills and leadership abilities with a healthy measure of humility and the ability to own up to mistakes. Ask candidates how they have handled mistakes at work.

Lastly, today’s major companies are well aware of the hazards and pitfalls of negligent hiring, which is why employer trends in worker evaluation point towards more comprehensive employment background check procedures. No matter how large or small the company, background checks offer a way to help safeguard against hiring a worker with a criminal past.

Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.