Charge Emerges During Background Check

A Newport News man's interest in law enforcement has led to a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The charge against 20-year-old Oliver Shea Wright emerged during a routine background check after he applied to become a police officer.

Police say the charge stems from an inappropriate relationship Wright had with a 15-year-old from Newport News. Police said the relationship was consensual.

Diocese Gives Precedence to Background Checks

A potential predator will “think twice” before attempting to gain a paid or volunteer position that calls for him or her to work with children at parishes in the Diocese of Joliet, said Franciscan Sister Judith Davies, chancellor of the diocese, speaking about background checks that are mandatory for staff and volunteers who deal with youngsters in church or school settings.

“They are good deterrents,” the church leader, who serves as safe environment program coordinator for the diocese, told the Catholic Explorer Nov. 8.

Article 13 of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People states: “Dioceses/eparchies are to evaluate the background of all incardinated and non-incardinated priests and deacons who are engaged in ecclesiastical ministry in the diocese/eparchy and of all diocesan/eparchial and parish/school or other paid personnel and volunteers whose duties include ongoing, unsupervised contact with minors. Specifically, they are to utilize the resources of law enforcement and other community agencies. In addition, they are to employ adequate screening and evaluative techniques in deciding the fitness of candidates for ordination.”

Initial Approval Given for Student Background Checks

Some North Dakota university students would have to be fingerprinted and pay $55 for a criminal background check, under a plan given preliminary approval by the state Board of Higher Education.

Schools already can seek background checks using state or private firms, but they are not always as extensive as FBI reports, board members said. The plan discussed Thursday would require FBI criminal history reports for students and employees who are designated by the university chancellor.

Sitter Gets Expensive Lesson On Check Schemes

An Omaha college student cashed a check for baby-sitting services, only to learn she was caught up in a wire transfer scheme.

Stephanie Schaefer, 20, said she lists her baby-sitting services on SitterCity.com. The page is a resource for parents who need help watching their children.

Chairman Advocates to Strengthen Gun Laws

The chairman of the Virginia Tech panel of investigation for April 16 spoke at a meeting Monday with the Virginia Center for Public Safety, a gun control advocacy group.

W. Gerald Massengill spoke supporting the strengthening of background checks for purchasing guns, an issue that has been brought forth by many in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Background-Check Bill Advances

The Utah Department of Workforce Services wants to be sure that children getting care from family, friends and neighbors are in a safe environment.

A legislative committee agreed with that stance on Wednesday, passing out a bill that requires background checks for those child-care providers if they are getting state subsidies.

Background Check Boom

Already this year, 25 million Americans have had background checks by the federal government, a number that's risen every year since 2001.

Experts say more civilians are now checked each year than criminals. And checks on the vast majority come back clean, even as states allot more money for screening operations.

Background Check for Coaches on Way

A new policy requiring volunteer coaches in the Recreation Department to undergo criminal background checks will likely be submitted to the city attorney for review by the end of next month, officials said.

The announcement came as the Park, Beach and Recreation Commission on Wednesday once again discussed the issue of revamping the application process for coaches with tougher standards.

Former Guard Accused of Robbing Bank

Kelly Murphy, 46, is accused of robbing a Grand Forks bank in March. Murphy had worked at the Grand Forks County Jail. He was fired after authorities learned he had provided a false middle name for a background check.

"We ran a criminal history check on him and everything came back fine," says Bret Burkholder, Grand Forks Co. Jail Administrator. "At that same time, we did take finger prints, and we ran fingerprints on him. They take about a week to get back, to ten days, that`s when we discovered the problem with Mr. Murphy.

Murphy has a criminal record in Colorado that includes harassment, stalking and assault.

Defense ID Selected as Finalist for 2007 Best New Product of the Year

Access Control & Security Systems Magazine has announced that Mobilisa's Defense ID is a finalist for the 2007 Best New Product of the Year contest.

Defense ID is an advanced ID card scanning system that uses a mobile, hand-held computer to conduct a quick background check of a visitor or vendor.

Investigators Launch Nanny Background Check Site

Adding to their their ever-growing areas of expertise, web-based investigators Jim Stewart and Jay Alberts have launched a new site dedicated to providing parents with background checks for prospective nannies or babysitters.

NannyBackgroundSearch.com, officially launched on Tuesday, October 30, offers parents and childcare establishments the opportunity to check out the history of their applicants. Among the searches offered are standard background search fare such as criminal history, sex offenses and violent offender database search. But this sleuthing duo also makes the point that it isn't just the kids that are susceptible to criminally-minded nannies.