Accurate Public Records Put People To Work Faster

Ensuring workplace safety

Business in the U.S. is booming. Unemployment continues to decrease and employers are looking to fill more jobs. In this environment, hiring the best candidate in a timely manner is imperative to employers. The cost and time associated with onboarding a new hire is valuable – both to the employer and potential employee. Not to mention, if the hiring process takes too long, employers may lose the best talent to the competition. It’s critical to get it right the first time.
 

Ensuring workplace safety is the primary reason 96 percent of employers conduct background checks, according to a recent survey conducted by HR.com, but more than half of employers also conduct checks to improve the quality of their hires. For employers and employees, fit is paramount. The number one challenge employers reported they face when it comes to screening is the length of time to get results. It’s clear that employers use background checks to help them find the ideal candidate, and speed is paramount.
 
The accuracy and timeliness of any background check is dependent on access to personal identifiers like complete date of birth (DOB). One may assume that this information would be available to background screening companies, especially since the subject of the check already provided them with this information. However, that is not always the case. DOBs are systemically unavailable in the federal record keeping system known as PACER.
 
This makes it extraordinarily difficult for professional background screeners or consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) to conclusively determine whether or not a criminal record belongs to a particular individual, especially when the individual has a somewhat common name. Imagine how many Jane Does are living in the United States. Some of them may have committed federal crimes like drug trafficking or identity theft, while many others are law-abiding citizens simply looking for a job. Without identifiers like DOB, how could you determine which Jane Doe a criminal record belonged to? 

False negatives can arise where a CRA does not report criminal record information because they cannot positively link the record to the consumer when the only identifier available is the name, potentially compromising the safety and security of others.
 
While PACER was originally intended for internal court use that would not require DOB, the reality is that it is a vital source for CRAs conducting criminal record checks and including identifiers is immensely important. Federal crimes include weapons offenses, terrorist threats, kidnapping, embezzlement, wire fraud, bomb threats, and financial and internet crimes, and the inability to properly identify criminal records puts the safety of Americans at risk. Not only that, it can cause unnecessary delays in the hiring process, which harms employers and jobseekers alike. 
  
The National Association of Professional Background Screeners wants to ensure employers across the country can continue hiring the best candidates and jobseekers can continue to be placed in the right jobs. Fortunately, we can remedy this dilemma with a simple fix. Lawmakers should encourage Congress and the Judicial Conference to take steps to fix the problem and ensure access to dates of birth in PACER. You can help with this effort by heading to NAPBS’ Take Action page where you can send a letter to your representatives asking them to take steps to reform PACER through legislation.

Author Bio

Melissa Sorenson is NAPBS’ Executive Director. Prior to being retained by NAPBS as the Executive Director, Melissa worked in the industry for seven and a half years. During that time Melissa also volunteered with NAPBS on the Conference and Best Practice committees and most recently served as a regular board member for 3 years. Melissa holds a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law, received her Bachelor’s degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Minnesota State University, Mankato and is admitted to the Minnesota bar. Visit www.napbs.com  Connect Melissa Sorenson