95 percent of all hiring employers conduct background checks on potential candidates. Yet, the cost, length, and inaccuracies are often cited as obstructions in conducting these screenings. For candidates or companies, screenings can cost anywhere from $20 to $60. A background check, only examining state-level records, may not give a full picture of a candidate, and an employer ends up hiring a less-than-desirable candidate. Or, because background checks can take several months, an employer hires an individual who ends up committing a crime on the job.
Is there any way to get around these bumps in the road? The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana is testing a solution — the Civil Live Scan System. According to the Shreveport Times, this program is designed to efficiently scan and transfer fingerprint data to the state police, who conduct an investigation of a candidate. The candidate and law enforcement, in this process, are less involved, and the employer can access results in 24 hours.
Nevertheless, the Civil Live Scan System doesn’t appear to be perfect. The background checks conducted only address state-level crimes, and an employer, as a result, may not get a full picture of the candidate. Also as a result of the speed, the background check has a greater chance of coming back with inaccuracies. Cost, as well, doesn’t appear to be lower than that for an ordinary background check.
Although for certain occupations, a background check from the Civil Live Scan System may be efficient, it may not be for others, particularly care worker and teaching positions that often require national-level FBI background checks. Yet, for businesses that need to run a general background check on each candidate, the system could prevent wasted time and inaccurate hiring decisions.
In the case of the Civil Live Scan System, could quicker be better for employers?