April 5, 2004—Don W. Walker, CPP, chairman of Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., and a past president of ASIS International (ASIS), testified recently in support of S.1743, the “Private Security Officer Employment Authorization Act of 2003.” Walker is urging its quick adoption by the U.S. House of Representatives.
“We badly need this legislation to ensure that persons who are convicted of serious crimes are identified before they are deployed to protect our citizens and their property,” Walker told members of Congress. ASIS strongly supports this bill.
The bill would permit employers to request criminal background checks on applicants for security officer positions. The requests would be made through state agencies, and the checks conducted through the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information System. Employers requesting the checks would pay for them. The bill was passed by the U.S. Senate last November and now needs House approval to become law.
Currently, the private security industry collectively employs nearly 2,000,000 security officers worldwide. Many who work in the U.S. help guard the nearly 85 percent of the nation’s critical infrastructure that is owned and operated by private industry, including utilities, refineries, chemical plants, and major public venues. However, only 40 states have laws on their books regulating security officers, and less than one-half of the states require an FBI fingerprint check. It is possible for a security-officer applicant to apply for a position in one jurisdiction while concealing a criminal record in another.
Walker urged that S. 1743 be passed because:
- It permits security companies to request a criminal background check on prospective employees.
- It protects an individual’s privacy by requiring an applicant to provide written authorization to an employer before such a background check may be initiated. The form and content of the information given to an employer will be consistent with state laws and regulations governing the qualifications of individuals to be security officers.
- The bill does not impose any unfunded mandates on the states, as employers may be assessed a fee to handle these requests.
For more information, contact ASIS.
