RELIABLE BACKGROUND SCREENING INDUSTRY NEWS AND ARTICLES
Industry news, helpful tips, and valuable insight from the Reliable Background Screening Team.
Private Clubs’ Growth During Pandemic Spurs Membership Background Checks
The Covid Pandemic has affected the economy in disparate ways. One area that has seen steady growth is interest and membership in private clubs, be they country clubs, yacht clubs, golf clubs, investment clubs or an array of newly configured private clubs that are sprouting all over the country. The limited supply of open membership slots, coupled with the high demand for them has made membership background checks an increasingly important component of the membership application process. Even with barriers to entry such as expensive initial membership fees — often in the multiples of five figures, with some initial fees that are [...]
Changing Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Employers
Marijuana continues to be illegal under federal law, as it is considered a Schedule I Drug ‒ the most stringently banned category of drugs ‒ under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. However, 18 states plus the District of Columbia have thus far legalized marijuana for recreational use, while a total of 36 states have legalized it for medical purposes. It is not surprising that the federal government does not actively pursue criminal convictions for marijuana use, which is also known as cannabis. According to a research study from April 2021 by a highly respected market research company, 91% of U.S. adults [...]
The Importance of County Background Searches
Many employers assume that their pre-employment background checks include all criminal records associated with the applicant in question, but did you know that no criminal database exists that covers the entire country. Even the “FBI files” only have about fifty percent of all crimes in the country. Further, the original source of all crimes is typically the county courthouse criminal record. Of most importance, the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) requires that any record found in a criminal database be verified by the original source, i.e., a county criminal records search, before any adverse action can be taken. While certain crimes are [...]
The Impact of Removing D.O.B. from Public Records
REMOVING DATE OF BIRTH IMPERILS CRIMINAL RECORDS SEARCHES Did you know that certain states and counties are considering removing or redacting dates of birth (DOB) from public court records, which will make it nearly impossible to verify an individual’s criminal history? This is because criminal records typically have no social security numbers (SSN) attached to them. Without a date of birth as an additional identifier, it becomes extremely problematic to verify whether a particular criminal record, with a name match only, is your applicant's. This is placing companies and organizations at significantly greater risk. In Michigan, for example, a 2019 decision by [...]
