King County Metro Transit is in the spotlight after a 15 year old girl was beaten while waiting for a bus in a transit tunnel while three security guards from a private firm looked on. Guards from this firm have been relieved of their duties in the past after the sheriff’s office discovered they had criminal records. The name King County is perhaps not as recognizable to most people as the name of its county seat, Seattle, Washington State.
Folks using public transit expect to be safe doing so. It is reasonable to assume that everyone from the ticket sellers at the window, to the the drivers or conductors have been vetted and qualified to work with the general public in a safe and reliable manner. That is what the people that run these systems are charged with, and are paid to do.
Considering how prolific criminal background checks are these days for just about anything one wants to do, it is very surprising to hear about a private security firm that doesn’t check out their employees. Surprise turns to horror when you find out that this company is contracting with a large public institution, in this case King County Metro Transit, to provide security guards. What this boils down to is that you simply don’t know if you can trust the guards at all. If this might be a reflection of how carefully this transit system investigates all those who provide the services, it would not be unexpected for the public to feel unsafe using public transportation. All this incident does is cast a negative image on the Washington State public transit system and makes people think twice about using a very necessary public service.
See the detailed article and security footage of the assault in the Seattle Post Intelligencer:
Tunnel assault on girl sparks security debate
by Seattle Post Intelligencer
Shortly after, seattlepi.com reported that eight security officers were fired after the Sheriff’s Office discovered they had criminal records. …
Employment background checks should absolutely be a requirement for anyone that is serving the public in any capacity, and especially if the individual in question is to be in a position where they are providing security for the general public. Due diligence requires that anyone responsible for hiring for such a position use the most comprehensive service possible so that no potential red flags are missed because of shoddy data collection by an inferior background check service. Bestbackgroundcheck.org has tested each of the services that we recommend, and can tell you that they are among the most comprehensive available.
It should be noted, however, that when screening a potential employee, conducting a criminal background search alone is not enough. A thorough employment background check will, at a minimum, also include contacting former employers.
