New Program Makes Background Checks Easier in Ohio

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray recently announced that the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) are teaming up to offer convenient, low-cost criminal background checks at local deputy registrar offices throughout the state. The program will use WebCheck, an electronic system that compares fingerprints and demographic data against state and national databases.

“More and more organizations and employers are finding these checks to be an invaluable safety tool,” Cordray said. “The range of Ohioans who must obtain these checks has become vast; from doctors to daycare teachers, from church volunteers to construction workers. Through our partnership with the Ohio BMV, people all across Ohio will be able to obtain a WebCheck close to home, at the lowest possible cost. And that cost will be consistent from one location to the next,” he added.

A state-level or BCI background check through BMV will cost $32, while a federal-level or FBI check will cost $34. Checks run through both databases will cost $61. BMV began offering the checks through more than 100 registrar offices in October, and anticipates adding more offices in the future. BCI used $300,000 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to train local deputy registrars and provide equipment.

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iPhone apps run background checks on your date

In a move that is sure to make playboys everywhere nervous, Internet company PeopleFinders has created two iPhone applications that let users perform background checks on their potential dates.

The apps, known as "Stud or Dud?" and "Are They Really Single?", utilize data culled from countless public records to give users a more complete picture of whom they're going out with. PeopleFinders President and COO Bryce Lane says his company collects data from "thousands of sources" across the country from "federal governments to the very smallest city governments." He says the company then uses algorithms to sort through the data and make comprehensive files that will give users a reliable picture of who the person is.

From there, the data is placed in PeopleFinders' database and is put up for sale. While both of the applications the company debuted today cost a mere $0.99 to download, users can only access records by either paying $9.95 per record or by paying an annual subscription fee of $24.95. In the case of "Stud or Dud?" users have the option of using simply by a person's first and last name, by their age and hometown, or by their phone number. From there, the program gives you a list of potential matches to choose from.

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Sarah Palin says McCain campaign made her pay for her background check

Sarah Palin says in her new book that after she and Sen. John McCain lost the 2008 presidential election, the campaign made her pay $50,000 to help cover the cost of vetting her for the Republican ticket.

In her memoir, "Going Rogue," she writes that in the months leading up to her resignation as Alaska governor in July of this year, her legal bills had mounted to more than $500,000. Part of that was incurred combating what she calls frivolous ethics complaints.

But what appeared to upset her most was that about $50,000 of the legal bills was her share of the expenses for being vetted to become McCain's running mate, Palin writes.

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