6/1/2006 State of Nebraska fees increase
The state of Nebraska has decided to raise the State Access Fee for Statewide Criminal Repository searches from $10.00 to $15.00 beginning June 1st, 2006.
8/24/2005 Minnesota Driving records increase
Effective September 1, 2005, the State fee for Minnesota Driving Records will increase from $2.50 to $5.00. Invoices will reflect the change as of that date.
6/30/2005 Mass – New Releases form changes – July 2005
Please be advised Massachusetts has changed its criminal release form again this year in 2005. This new form must be used or the request can be rejected. All forms are fillable now & can be printed either blank or filled in first. They, however, can not be submitted electronically.
8/11/2004 ASP Sponsor
Besthire.com is proud to sponsor the Association of Shareware Professionals, a group of business owners dedicated to the advancement of software for businesses.
3/11/2004 INDIANA STATEWIDE REPOSITORY SEARCH
Effective March 11, 2004 – Indiana Statewide repository surcharge has increased to $15.00. This surcharge will be included and noted on all future invoices.
3/1/2004 VERMONT COUNTY CRIMINAL SEARCHES
Effective March 1, 2004 – The Vermont House Bill 472 as enacted February 13, 2004 will impose a $10 court surcharge in each Vermont county to access Criminal Records. This surcharge will be included and noted on all invoices.
2/1/2004 STATEWIDE CRIMINAL REPOSITORY SURCHARGE
Two states were inadvertently omitted with the last update of State Repository surcharges. The following is the corrected list. We are sorry for any inconvenience. AR-$5.00 CO-$5.00 CT-$8.00 DC-$0.00 DE-$15.00 FL-$23.00 GA-$7.00 HI-$10.00 IA-$15.00 ID-$10.00 IL-$10.00 IN-$15.00 KS-$15.00 KY-$15.00 MA-$30.00 MD-$10.00 ME-$25.00 MI-$10.00 MO-$15.00 MT-$10.00 NE-$15.00 NH-$8.00 NJ-$15.00 NM-$7.00 NY-$52.00 OK-$15.00 OR-$8.00 PA-$10.00 PR-$35.00 RI-$10.00 SC-$25.00 SD-$15.00 TN-$5.00 UT-$5.00 WA-$10.00 WI-$13.00 WY-$11.00
12/1/2003 Prosperous New Year
All of us at Besthire wish our customers a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & Happy New Year. Please remember your local business as they too look forward this New Year. Besthire is a proud member of the Tolland County Chamber of Commerce.
11/28/2003 NEW HAMPSHIRE STATEWIDE CRIMINAL
Effective immediately, New Hampshire Statewide Repository searches require the original release signed, notarized and mailed to us for processing. There is a $10.00 state surcharge that will be included in the price and noted on all invoices.
10/9/2003 UTAH DRIVING RECORDS
Effective November 1, 2003, the state fee for Utah Driving Records will increase from $5.75 to $7.25. This increase will be reflected in all invoices.
9/24/2003 ARIZONA DRIVING RECORDS
Effective October 1, 2003, the state fee for Arizona Driving Records will increase from $4.00 to $4.25. This increase will be reflected in all invoices.
9/9/2003 ILLINOIS DRIVING RECORDS
Effective October 1, 2003, the state fee for Illinois Driving Records will increase from $6.00 to $12.00. This increase will be reflected in all invoices.
9/1/2003 MARYLAND STATEWIDE DATA BASE SEARCH-
Due to the unwillingness of the Maryland Department of Corrections to allow access to data subsequent to 2000, and the inconsistency of some data that we have received prior to 2000, we feel that at this time the information on our Maryland Statewide Data Base search does not meet our standards of information integrity and quality. Therefore, we are removing Maryland from the list of Statewide Crim-Data Base locations until further notice. In our effort to provide you with the most comprehensive information available, we have added Maryland to our Statewide Criminal-Repository coverage. The information that will be searched is as follows: Both Felony and Misdemeanor initial charges and misdemeanor dispositions will be returned within first 24-48 hours. If a case was transferred to Superior Court where a disposition was received, that information will also be retrieved with the exception of the following counties: Calvert, Charles, Worchester, Somerset, Dorchester & Queen Anne’s. If there is additional information in one of the exception counties, you will be informed as to which county needs to be searched at thee county level.
8/28/2003 CONNECTICUT DRIVING RECORDS
Effective September 1, 2003, the state fee for Connecticut driving records will increase from $10.00 to $15.00. This increase will be reflected in all invoices.
8/4/2003 Mass Cori Fees Increase
Today we were notified the surcharge for CORI searches (Massachusetts Statewide Repository Criminal Search) has been increased to $20.00. Effective July 1st 2003. We apologize for any inconvenience that this increase, by CORI, has caused.
8/1/2003 Terrorist Registry – New Employer Screening Tool
TERRORIST REGISTRY SEARCH The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) administers a series of laws that impose economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign countries, terrorism sponsoring organizations, individuals and international narcotics traffickers to further U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives. In response to the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and The Pentagon on September 11, 2001, George W. Bush by executive order required that all property and interests in property of those designated persons that are in the United States, or that hereafter come within the United States, or that hereafter come within the possession or control of U.S. jurisdictions, are blocked or frozen. Our Terrorist Registry Search is a tool that correctly identifies blocked entities. OFAC posts new entities whenever a new individual or organization has been identified as a threat to the United States. Within twenty-four hours of posting, we make any and all updates available for inclusion into our Terrorist Registry Search. This search complies with the USA Patriot Act, and can be found on your menu of services on the system. To add this to your account, Contact our Help Desk at 800-539-0055 for further information..
7/1/2003 BestHire becomes Founding Member of NAPBS
Besthire is proud to be a founding member of the “National Association of Professional Background Screeners”, www.Napbs.com. Providing a professional atmosphere and a higher goal to strive in service. http://www.napbs.com/.
5/1/2003 Employers Need Background Checks
BestHire is a nationwide leader of criminal background checks. Our clients are Fortune 500 companies using our latest addition, the Data Plus. 38 states are checked for Criminal convictions. Completed in 24 hours as 1 merged Report. Call Customer Service at 800-539-0055.
4/1/2003 FDLE – Florida Dept of Law Enforcement
FDLE, also known as Florida Dept of Law Enforcement, Statewide Criminal Records are available and returned with 24-48 hours. A minimum of 7 years searched. Final report covers Felonies, Misdemeanors, Sex Offenses, arrested, adjudications and much more.
4/1/2003 New Instant – Saliva Test for Drug Screen
BesthireTM.com nows offers an instant 6 Panel Drug Screen. Easy to use. Results in under 10 minutes. Complys with most state Labor laws. Half the price of the urine drug test. Contact Carl Slicer, 800-539-0055 at Besthire.com. Or Email Info@Besthire.com
3/31/2003 HILLSBOROUGH, NH DELAYS – MARCH 24, 2003
We are experiencing severe delays in Hillsborough County North, NH. This is a county whose policy only allows court clerks to process requests. The court states that they are short staffed and are doing the best they can. We are proposing the court adopt a plan to complete the processing of requests on time. Stay tuned.
2/24/2003 MAINE COUNTY CRIMINAL RECORDS
The State of Maine is dangerously close to shutting down name request searching of civil and criminal public records at the county level. On January 8th, 2003, the Maine State Court Administrator James T. Glessner issued a memorandum to all Maine Clerks of Court mandating a maximum turnaround timetable for record retrieval. For example, clerks may take up to 30 working days if a list is submitted with 6 to 10 names and 60 working days if a list is submitted with 16 to 20 names. Requesters may not submit multiple smaller lists (for example, 4 lists of 5 names each) to get around this provision. Also, the clerks may extend the timetable if they feel they have other responsibilities of higher authority. In the meantime be prepared for ongoing delays. We will advise you of further developments as we get them.
1/2/2003 Interpol Criminal Records Offered at Besthire.com
BesthireTM offers the criminal search for Interpol. The ICPO, International Criminal Police Organization, based in France. Cover criminal records from 180 countries. Reports returned 24-48 hrs. Great for International traveled applicants. An excellent book can be found “Racing Against Evil” by David Race Bannon. His site is http://www.davidbannon.net/?source=Besthire.com. This ex-Interpol Officer has 20 years of expierence in this well-known Crime Fighting bureau.
1/1/2003 QED Alcohol Saliva Tests – DOT Approved
Contact Carl Slicer, 800-539-0055 for further information. Or Fax us for an order form 877-919-0292. Orders are 1o tests per case. Testing level .150. DOT Approved. Takes 5 minutes to perform test. Easy to use. No mess. Volume pricing available.
1/2/2001 FTC Facts for Consumers March 1999
” Q. How long can a CRA report negative information? A. Seven years. There are certain exceptions: Information about criminal convictions may be reported without any time limitation. Bankruptcy information may be reported for 10 years. Information reported in response to an application for a job with a salary of more than $75,000 has no time limit. Information reported because of an application for more than $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limit. Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer.” Refer to the FTC web site. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcra.htm
3/1/2006 New Report available for Healthcare Industry.
H.E.L.P. is here. Heathcare Exclusionary List Plus. Now organizations can make easier risk management decisions depending on the individual or entity, BestHire now offers three levels of screening. The three levels vary in the depth of the sanction search provided. Level 1 conducts a search of the sanction information as taken by the OIG, the GSA and other federal agencies. The information reported in this level meets the government’s minimum requirements for sanction screening as set forth in the OIG’s Compliance Program Guidance. Level 2 combines the Level 1 search of the federal agencies with disciplinary action information from multiple agencies and one state of choice. Level 3 is the most robust search option, allowing you to conduct a search of disciplinary actions taken by federal agencies as well as those taken by licensing and certification agencies in all 50 states. This is the most comprehensive search method available. Recommendations: Level 1 – Low risk employees and contractors or those who are not involved with patient care. Level 2 – Moderate risk employees and contractors such as administrators. Level 3 – High Risk individuals and contractors or those who are directly involved in patient care such as physicians, nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists, etc.
1/25/2006 Refusal to Comply With Background Check Grounds for Firing.
An accounting clerk’s refusal to submit to a company background check amounted to insubordination, despite the fact that she had worked for her employer for several years without incident and had not been informed when hired of the possibility of a future background check, a Commonwealth Court panel has ruled in an apparent case of first impression. / The judges’ decision in ATM Corp. of America v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review is in line with the holding of the matter’s referee, who concluded that Rachel Petock’s actions were grounds for her to be dismissed without the possibility of unemployment compensation. / The UCBR reversed, arguing that Petock had been justified in refusing to sign an authorization form for a background check that would have needlessly intruded on her private life. / President Judge James Gardner Colins and Judges Robert Simpson and Mary Hannah Leavitt disagreed. / “To follow the board’s conclusion that the authorization form was unreasonably intrusive would require this court to find that preparation of consumer or investigative reports on employees is unreasonable as a matter of law, even though they are expressly contemplated for employment situations,” Leavitt wrote on behalf of the panel. “This we cannot do. [Petock] had access to confidential information and to large sums of money. If a background check of the type identified in [Pennsylvania’s] Fair Credit Reporting Act was too intrusive on [Petock], it is difficult to imagine for what employment positions it would ever be appropriate.” / Kurt Miller of Thorp Reed & Armstrong in Pittsburgh, who represented ATM Corp. in the matter, said he believes the decision is one of first impression. “I think it’s a very favorable decision for employers and background investigation firms,” Miller said, adding later, “Under the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review decision in this case, employers were in a bit of a quandary when seeking [background check] authorizations from existing employees.” / Department of Labor & Industry spokesman Barry Ciccocioppo said his office is reviewing the opinion, and has not made any decision about an appeal. According to the opinion Petock had been working for ATM Corp. for four years when her employment ended in February 2005. The fall-out began early that month when ATM Corp.’s head of human resources informed workers that background checks were to be performed on certain employees, including all 25 members of the company’s accounting team. / ATM Corp. told the relevant employees to fill out forms authorizing the company to perform background checks on them and return the completed forms to human resources by mid-February. / Petock later testified that she had never been told that a background check would be required as a condition of employment, according to the opinion. An ATM Corp. official acknowledged during testimony that the company’s written work rules, though containing a reference to insubordination as grounds for dismissal, did not specifically mention background checks, and that employees were not given written notice that refusing to participate in the process might lead to a firing. / Petock testified that she had a number of reservations when first told of the proposed background check, according to the opinion. She felt that her driving record and personal debts were not relevant to her ability to perform her job, and had heard a rumor circulating around the office that a bankruptcy filing would be grounds for dismissal. / Petock further argued that though one of her duties was to process — and sometimes sign — checks worth large sums of money, ATM Corp. kept such close track of those checks that any embezzlement attempt would be futile. A company official testified that ATM Corp. had financial controls in place to prevent misappropriation of funds, according to the opinion. / When the deadline date for returning the completed background check authorization forms had come and gone, according to the opinion, Petock was contacted about her failure to do so by a company official, who gave Petock one last chance to fill them out, telling her that she had been a good employee and that the company did not want to lose her. / Petock still refused and was fired. “[ATM Corp.] asserts that its decision to do a background check on [Petock] was reasonable, first, because of her access to sensitive and confidential information, and second, because those checks were required by both [its] customers and its business partners,” Leavitt wrote. / Citing the Commonwealth Court’s 1982 opinion in Simpson v. UCBR, in which an employer was permitted to search workers’ lunch boxes before they left for the day, Leavitt noted that employment relationships sometimes lead to diminished individual rights, such as privacy. / “It is beyond peradventure that [ATM Corp.] has a legitimate need to protect the confidential information of its customers to which accounting department employees, including [Petock], have daily access,” Leavitt wrote. “A background check on those employees is a reasonable way to protect that confidential information, particularly where demanded by [a company’s] financial partners and customers.” / In a footnote, she called attention to the fact that if an employee were to misuse an ATM Corp. customer’s confidential information, the company could be held liable under the theory of negligent hiring. ATM Corp. attorney Miller said the decision showed the Commonwealth Court has recognized the advent of a “new era of identity theft and security concerns.” But Miller said he would caution employers to put language about possible background checks in writing in employee handbooks in order to avoid a situation like that found in ATM Corp. / He also suggested that upon hiring employees, companies have new hires sign background check authorization forms that are prospective in nature, even if companies are unsure they will need to have any performed. [There is a License Agreement between Besthire, LLC and ALM Media, Inc. allowing reprint of this article.] BH.
2/17/2005 Chicago Fox Channel 9
Drug Detection Serves after hours Drug Wipe It’s 7:30 on a Friday night, and many of the employees of Liberty Tax Service have left for the evening. “We’ll hit the most prominent areas.” But Phil Hemmeler is here, searching for their most private information. “I am going to test the inside where the hands would be.” Here at this suburban household, it’s the middle of the afternoon, and all the kids are in school. But Hemmeler’s digging through their bedrooms as their father watches by the door. He’s looking for information which at one time, he could have never gotten without their knowledge. Information that could affect the rest of their lives. “This test will test for cannabis, amphetamines, meth, coke, opiates, ecstasy.” Hemmeler doesn’t need or want urine samples to get his results. Those can be tampered with. And blood tests, well, they’re expensive. “With the fabric we can’t rub. We want to dab.” He can get the information he needs simply by swiping a surface. And within minutes, pinpoint the presence of drugs down to the nanogram. “A test will go positive if there is residue on the surface. That residue will be left by a person during the period that the drug is in their blood stream, it’s coming out in their sweat, or if that person had come in contact with a significant quantity of the drug.” The product is called DrugWipe , a wand-like instrument that’s so reliable, it’s used by the DEA, FBI and U.S. Customs. And unlike other drug testing methods, no one even has to know you’re doing it….
9/14/2005 Courts effected by Katrina
Below are the results of a survey and phone research about affected counties & parishes in Louisiana and Mississippi. Louisiana: Six Parishes are not operational: Plaquemines Orleans St Bernard St Charles St Helena Washington All but Orleans and St Bernard should be opening sometime soon. Mississippi The following courts are believed not to be operational or with limited access: Franklin Forrest (limited operations) Greene (limited operations) Hancock (30-90 days down) Harrison (30-90 days down) Jackson (County court to open 09/19, no word on Circuit) Jones Perry (limited operations) Pike Smith (limited operations) Wayne (limited operations) If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call us at 800-539-0055.
6/22/2004 Baylor College recommends backgrounds for Athletes
Baylor may check backgrounds
BAYLOR recommends background checks for athletes Houston Chronicle – Houston,TX,USA All student-athletes transferring to Baylor University should undergo criminal background checks and allow access to records of disciplinary actions at …
7/22/2004 2004 Study Shows Drug-Positive Rate Still High
Quest Diagnostics “Positivity Rate” is 400% times higher in the “For Cause” or reasonable suspicion catergory than the next highest rate, “Random testing”. 28.2% of 5.8 million employees tested in 2003 were found positive for drugs. Full report at: http://www.questdiagnostics.com/employersolutions/DTI_07_2004/dti_index.html
6/21/2004 Los Molinos board discusses background checks for volunteers.
LOS MOLINOS A request for permission for Los Molinos High School students to spend the night out of town in conjunction with a basketball tournament led to a board discussion about background checks for those who have access to students. Los Molinos board discusses background checks for volunteers
6/17/2004 Summer Camp Operators must run checks.
Nuciforo backs bill to help summer camp owners Berkshire Eagle – Jun 17 11:43 PMBOSTON — Summer camp operators would be allowed to “conditionally” employ counselors and volunteers while a state-mandated criminal background check is ongoing, under legislation advancing on Beacon Hill.
6/15/2004 Background Checks on Comm College of 500 Employees
Palm Beach Community College’s board of trustees is expected to approve tonight the conducting of criminal background checks on about 500 employees — one-third of them faculty — hired before such checks were started in August 2000. PBCC trustees expected to OK background checks
Palm Beach Post, FL – Jun 14, 2004
5/3/2004 Stealth drug testing
Employers have a new way to test for illicit drug use in the workplace, and it doesn’t involve taking blood, urine or even hair samples. DrugWipe, a new thermometer-like device developed by New York-based Global Detection & Reporting Inc., can detect drugs in amounts as small as a nanogram, with a mere swipe across the forehead or any other surface with which an employee may have come in contact, according to Roger F. Dietch, chief executive officer. The patented product has been used by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Customs Service, according to a brochure Mr. Dietch was distributing at RIMS. It is not known, however, whether anyone at the conference was able to verify the accuracy of this new test for drug abuse.
3/1/2004 World Travel Intelligence Now Available
Over 150 countries to choose from. Online & download instantly. Updated monthly. Vast, various & great detail. Buy now at Amazon.com Amazon.com
1/1/2004 Ultimate Data- Multi Statewide Criminal Records Search
Besthire’s Ultimate Data Criminal is returned in minutes. A Multi Statewide Criminal Searches & Sex Offenders: This search also runs the apllicants name as well as any former, probate changes, alias’s, maiden, phynated or alias names. All at one Low price: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA*, CO, CT, DC, FL+ , GA, ID, IA, ID, IL~, IN, KS, KY, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH>, NJ, NM, NV, NY#, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV,(CA* 4 Counties & approx. 3 million records), (FL+ Corrections & 75% Counties records), (IL~ Corrections & Cook County Courts) (NY# Corrections & 13 Courts) (>Sex Offender Registry Only) OVER 100 Jurisdictions checked. Includes the “Tenessee Bureau of Investigation”.
3/1/2003 DEA report of DrugWipe and Black Cocaine Effect
In February 1998, law enforcement officials discovered a new cocaine concealment method used by Colombian traffickers. Cocaine HCl is mixed into a red/black powder substance, leading officials to dub it “black cocaine.” The unique quality of this substance is produced by a combination of elements that create a reddish-black color and render most drug detection test kits (the ones based on color) useless. DEA’s El Paso Intelligence Center reports that drug-detection canines also are not alerting on the presence of cocaine. According to German forensic analysis, the presence of iron thiocyanate prevents or masks a positive reading for cocaine during color reaction-based tests (i.e., Becton Dickinson test kits). However, the “Securtec Drugwipe-Test” is one field test that is still effective…. Entire report at:4/7/2008 Cost of doing cheap background checks.
Cost of doing background checks . The New Haven Register, New Haven, Conn., www.NHRegister.com, wrote an article on April 3, 2008. I thought about this position over the weekend felt compelled to respond. The City of Milford, Conn. Director of Recreation said he’s found an inexpensive way to criminal on hundreds of volunteers and employees that come in contact thru City-led sports. I agree. The director has found an inexpensive way to do the criminal checks. I concur because the “Merriam-Webster” dictionary defines inexpensive as cheap. Yes, he found cheap. On Ebay I searched for “Life jacket”. I found 2875 Life jackets ranging from $4.00 to $399. So not all life jackets are created equally. Industry facts. People do not live and die in the same state anymore. Location: Some parents live in Connecticut and others move in and out of Connecticut. Last names are not constant. Some people get married and change their name. Some people hyphenate their name and some people divorce and re marry. You may not know that “Jane Doe” once lived in Arizona was convicted of a sexual crime, moved to Connecticut and changed her last name. No cost: The US Dept of Justice, www.NsOpr.gov, offers a “Name Only” search of sex offenders in all 50 states. A good start. The Connecticut State Police will process a criminal record check for $25.00. Let the parents decide. I think you will find most parents will what is best for their children and pay for the criminal record check on themselves. Who is going to be responsible to clear a coach and later find out they have a conviction for endangering children ? That question is priceless. Carl Slicer, owner, www.BestHire.com
3/16/2006 Dept of Health & Human Services; DHS fines
March 16, 2006- Ohio alcohol & Treatment center fined $43,324.90 by HHS for claims it submitted to Medicare & Ohio for services provided by an excluded nurse. * June 24, 2004- Ambulance Service fined $28,322 for false or fraudulent claims. The US OIG alleged the ambulance service employed an individual that knew or should have known had been excluded from participation in Federal health care programs. // Source Refer to Federal HHS: http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/enforcement/administrative/cmp/cmpitems.html .