Lying on Job Application Nets 40 Arrests

When New Jersey's Security Guard Act of 2005 goes into effect in September, certain ex-convicts who are working as security guards in the state will be arrested on a disorderly persons charge. Previously, these ex-convicts merely would have been fired if their criminal backgrounds had been discovered. The act has two aims: to deter ex-convicts from applying for jobs as security guards, and to jolt the private sector into taking appropriate actions to determine if their security guards have been screened properly, says New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey. Applicants for security guard positions are required to sign a notarized affidavit that they have clean criminal backgrounds. To call attention to the act, state authorities launched "Operation Sentry," arresting 40 ex-convicts between May 23 and June 9 for allegedly lying about their criminal backgrounds when applying for jobs as security guards. The 40 men and women who were arrested had convictions that included selling drugs, theft, fraud, and manslaughter, and police charged most of them with falsifying public records, which falls under a disorderly persons offense. The act also calls for security guards to receive training and certification, including training on homeland security, ethics, law statutes, and first aid. A database of security guards who have been certified will be created, and security companies and private detective agencies who employ security guards will have Internet access to the database.

Source: SecurNEWS July 2005

Click here to return to the E-zine and/or close this window