Streamlining Background Checks a Must
Thursday, January 10th, 2008There are few things more precious than time. For someone to offer their time in the name of charity, it becomes a gift with a lasting impact.
As many volunteers have found out over the years, giving of their free time comes with a hitch that was likely unexpected when they volunteered with all the best of intentions. A police criminal background check has become something of a routine - a safeguard which aims at protecting the most vulnerable in society.
The need for police checks is unquestionable: the process is a relatively unobtrusive means of verifying someone’s good record if they’re going to be dealing with children or other vulnerable people in a position of trust. From hockey coaches and babysitters to volunteers in homes for the aged and counsellors, there is a need and subsequently a demand on police, for a process to have a check system in place.
Over the years, the requirement has become a regular process for people who donate their time to different causes in the city: stop in the police station with a letter of reference, fill out a few forms and wait a week to pick up the completed, authenticated document. But for police, what began as a few checks per week has quickly snowballed into around 3,000 per year, forcing the law enforcement agency to significantly change its approach for 2008: a requirement that volunteers attend the police station on one of four days throughout the year to receive a no-cost, same-day check or pay a $20 fee otherwise.
It may, at first glance, have the appearance of a cost-cutting measure by the department, but taking a step back may help to put the scenario into perspective. For instance, there were now a number of services, many specialized, that are provided by the city police department on a regular basis that weren’t part of the force’s mandate just two decades ago - from handling Freedom of Information requests and conducting RIDE checks to the canine unit and tactical squad, the list goes on.
Consequently, police have to find the most efficient method to administer the most vital programs, which is always done under the watchful eye of a thrifty city council. “We’ve been doing criminal records checks for years, but it’s just been the last five years where it’s really had a huge increase and we had to do something,” said Sgt. Beth Harder, adding the change “isn’t carved in stone” and police are considering extending the expiry date of the criminal checks from three months to six to further accommodate volunteers.
“We’re just trying to find a more efficient way of doing it,” she said.
Last Saturday’s inaugural volunteer day - which was deemed an overwhelming success - was organized in time to cater to those volunteering in upcoming seasons for spring and summer recreational sports such as soccer, indoor hockey and baseball.
(The event was also being used as a springboard to showcase the service, with a number of specialized units setting up displays, tours of the Children’s Safety Village.)
There was a small group of people working in the not-for-profit sector who expressed concerns regarding the change, but the policy could be changed in the coming months to better suit organizations. Police are making a sincere attempt to best accommodate the bulk of background check requests by streamlining the process. And, it’s a time-consuming procedure shouldered by police, and subsequently paid for by the taxpayer.
So it’s in good faith they make an attempt to better serve the public, and in the process make the work more streamlined internally, and we applaud that.
And while they’re not the final answer in vigilance against predatory practices by people who gain and subsequently abuse our trust, these checks are good and necessary, no matter the inconvenience for a Saturday afternoon.
Source: http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=849331