60 Second Background Checks Help Florida Law Enforcement

The speed in which the results of a background check are returned makes a huge difference to employers. As cliché as it may sound, time is money. Every day that goes by without a staff position filled, means that the company in question is performing below their standard and less work is getting done. Employers know that the sooner an hiring decision can be made, then the sooner they can begin to profit.

This is why many employers in Collier County Florida could soon benefit from the fact that local Sheriff’s Office has changed the way the way they are doing background checks. The law enforcement agency has introduced a new electronic finger print device that yields results almost automatically.

The device that is allowing Collier County to now conduct instant background checks is called rapid ID. It enables the agency to use the print to discover if an individual has a warrant out for their arrest. It electronically scans two fingerprints, then sends then to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and enters them into the state’s database.

“We get a light signal to determine if we have a hit or not. The we go back to the laptop to determine what kind of hit it is,” said Don Hunter, Collier County’s Sheriff. “Very extensive criminal histories- including carrying concealed firearms, things like that. They are good things to know about the people you are dealing with.”

After a match is found, the agency has information delivered electronically with in under a minute. At this time, the sheriff’s office is not allowing others the use of this information, but employers could benefit from this move in the right direction.

Currently, Collier County is the only law enforcement agency in Florida using the Rapid ID system.