Dear Liberty...Your Questions, Answered

Liberty received a great email the other day from a concerned employer:

"My current vendor for pre-employment background checks gave me an All-Clear on a candidate I screened in May 2009. The person has been employed at my company since then, but was recently arrested, ON SITE, for their active warrants!! When I contacted our vendor about it, they said the type of investigation we elected to implement didn't include the outstanding warrant! Of course, our company had no choice but to discontinue service, but my question to you is: How is it possible this wouldn't show up??"

There are many types of pre-employment criminal investigations, and they are not created equal. The type of search performed on your employee is not comprehensive and that is how records can be missed.

Many companies, especially in this day and age, choose these types of searches, called database searches, because they are less expensive. Be wary, often, when you're paying for less, you're getting less.

Liberty utilizes these database searches as well, but for very different reasons. Our QuickCheck search is a national criminal records search, but Liberty uses it as a pre-screening tool, a stop-gap measure that has the possibility to eliminate candidates in a matter of minutes.

Candidates that clear through the QuickCheck are sent on to perform a deeper more comprehensive background investigation that thoroughly searches criminal records from counties the candidate has resided in, and looks under any alias name we can find on the candidate.

Of course, that deeper investigation costs a legitimate amount more than our QuickCheck, but our clients know what they've got as soon as we do: peace of mind.

submit your questions here.

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Liberty Screening and E-Verify

Liberty's E-Verify service goes above and beyond the free government program. We offer support for hard questions. Sure, it's easy to verify authorized employees, but there are stringent laws employers are faced with when they are unable to confirm the candidate's authorized status. By the same token, the candidate themselves are protected under federal law. Many clients we've registered, for example, had no idea that E-Verify is never to be used a pre-screening tool. It is intended for use after-hire, and there is a small three day window in which to verify the candidate's status. Likewise, the employee cannot be terminated if E-Verify is unable to confirm their authorization. They have a time-frame to prove their authorization.

Liberty's service is step-by-step. We provide our clients with the documentation they will need to provide to the candidate, informing their new-hire of their rights and effectively reminding the hiring agent of the new-hire's rights as well.

In conjunction with our E-Verify service, we offer Electronic Form I-9's, an essential element to remain in compliance, and a total saving grace when it comes to government audits. Form I9's are filled out, signed, and stored electronically, a completely paperless and error-proof system. Any new-hire put through E-Verify must have the corresponding I9 documentation to support their status and an actual employee of the company. Liberty's services can help save companies thousands in legal fees and fines if they are ever audited.

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Fake Job References on the Rise

As if there weren't enough side effects of the current economic climate, new companies are cropping up to help job applicants lie and get away with it. With the rise in unemployment, a more competitive job market is to be expected.

But new companies like Alibi, HQ are making it extremely difficult to weed out the falsifications. The company charges an extraordinary amount to provide professional references, employment verifications and other "discrete" services.

The success of these companies is unknown, but it isn't surprising that the market is headed this way. Many people are out of work and desperate for jobs. Desperate times lead to desperate measures.

Liberty is doing everything in our power to insure accuracy of our verifications.

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Answers to Growing Questions about Illegal Immigration

Many people argue that illegals come to this country for good jobs, jobs no American wants to do. Still, others say they are stealing good jobs out of deserving American hands simply because they will do them for less.

E- Verify may provide some answers to the perpetual argument. E-Verify is currently required to be used by federal contractors. The program, operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration, uses federal data to electronically insure that potential employees are who they say they are. Liberty's offering of the service provides step-by-step instructions, along with archivable Form I9's.

The program is about 95% accurate and that percentage is due mostly to people failing to update the government when they change addresses or change their name after they are married. The appeal process can be somewhat complicated, which is why Liberty teamed with Form I9 for their E-Verify services. The simple notification to the employee informs that person of all their rights and obligations.

As statistics begin to roll in, perhaps Americans will see some answers to age-old immigration questions. Perhaps, those answers will lead us toward solutions.

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When Your Background Report Contains False Information

Every system is prone to error, and the US court system is no exception. On occasion here at Liberty, we receive distressed phone calls from applicants whose failed background checks cost them their new jobs but they have not committed any crimes.

The woman in the video below, Julia Hernandez, experienced the same situation. Watch the video for information on how to clear the record, and to see the negative effects of such an error:

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Drug Testing Facilities Need Regulation

Starting a drug testing company is easy. There are no federal regulations and most mis-read drug test results are due to an error in reading at the lab level. Liberty Screening sends nearly all positive results to our MRO who reviews the findings at the lab, but for those who rely solely on the drug testing lab, watch out, nobody is looking after those who operate it.

In a recent report by KFDX3, Steve Cooper, Vice President of S&A Services, vowed to bring legislation to the courts to demand regulation. S&A is voluntarily certified by a federal trade organization. “A person can be working at McDonald's or Walmart today and decide to open a drug testing business tomorrow – and there's nothing to stop them,” Cooper said.

Watch the report here.

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Senators Demand Review of Government Terrorist Watch List

Three US Senators believe that the Maryland State Police Department entered the names of 53 peaceful protesters into the federal databases that watches terrorist activity, and they are demanding a list of those databases.

Benjamin L. Cardin (MD-D), Barbara A. Mikulski (MD-D), and Russell Feingold (WI-D) are the senators involved. "We want to make sure the individuals that are impacted are cleared," said Cardin. "We're not sure what has been done with the federal data bank and we're not sure what procedures are in place to make sure that this doesn't happen again."

Maryland police say they intend to purge their internal files as well as the files from the drug-trafficking database, and are adamant that the names did not reach the no-fly list or the other databases, "at no time was any individual placed on a terrorism watch list," said Maryland State Police spokesman, Greg Shipley.

Though citizens may be aware that list such as these exist, they may not realize the far-reaching impact of them. Liberty's Quick Check search actually utilizes many federal terrorist database lists in an effort to reduce workplace violence and crime.





Washington Post article

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EVerify - Employment Eligibility and Your Obligations

Many states have passed recent laws mandating that employers process all new employees through the EVerify system, which is government mandated and maintained by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.



The beurocratic red tape surrounding the new mandates are overwhelming at first glance, however, are quite simply created to protect not only the employer from hiring illegal workers, but for employees themselves to be granted the right to prove they are legal and free to work in the US.





However, many employers are finding it difficult to comply with the rules. A person may be run through the EVerify system after they are hired, but must be terminated immediately if they are found to be in violation. If the employer knowingly retains the employee, legal action and penalties against them can be harsh.





That is not the most confusing part. The "Tentative Non-Confirmation" is where it gets sticky. Some employers are rashly terminating the employee and breaking from protocol by doing so. The non-confirmation is just that, unconfirmed status. Perhaps the applicant used a different spelling of their name than what is on file with the SSA and that is what returned.





Employers obligations in these cases are the continue employing the individual until the matter is resolved. Only at the time the employee receives a "Final Non-Confirmation" is it appropriate to terminate.





Employees have rights and EVerify works to help protect both sides of the coin. Used properly, it is the most effective tool available to verify the eligibility of your employees.





Liberty Screening is partnered with Form I9 to provide the service to our customers.

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Liberty Screening Braces for Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike, measuring nearly 500 miles across the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico is predicted to make landfall directly on the island of Galveston, only 40 miles south of Houston, TX, the headquarters for Liberty Screening Services.

There is a palpable buzz in the city of Houston right now. Citizens are gearing up for what could possibly be the largest storm the city has seen since 1900 when the entire island of Galveston was left devastated and 8,000 people lost their lives. Mandatory evacuations of low-lying and coastal regions across the gulf coast are in effect, with residents on higher ground being encouraged to shelter where they are.

Liberty Screening Services is located in the heart of the projected path of the storm. The map image below shows the path as projected by the National Hurricane Advisory, putting it across the highway from Liberty Screening with projected wind speeds of 100+ miles per hour:

So, what is Liberty doing to prepare for the storm? Business as usual! Our service depends on electricity, and right now, the high winds pose the biggest threat to our servers. Liberty is gearing up for a switch to our emergency servers located far out the reach of Hurricane Ike so that in the very likely event that the Houston office loses power, our customers won't. Preparations are being made for key employees to gather and post records, our biggest effort is to keep our customers hiring in the timely manner they've come to expect from Liberty.

The energy generated by Hurricane Ike in the citizens of the Gulf regions of Texas is incredible. Living and working in a city of 5 million people making preparations for a major storm is unreal as gas stations and grocery stores slowly run out of products. However, after the disasters of hurricane's Katrina and the non-threat (to Houston) that was Rita, the city is much more prepared to handle the storm, just as Liberty is.

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