Background Checks To Be Required Of New York Guards

Mar 1, 2005 12:00 PM

Security guard companies and their client employers in New York who count on guards to protect their workplaces now have the assurance that applicants for security guard positions have not been convicted of federal crimes or crimes in other states.

Under a new New York state law, Chapter 699, which was signed late last year and will take effect on May 15, the fingerprints of applicants for security guard positions will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history check within five business days of receipt of the application.

Before a prospective security guard can be employed, he or she must apply for, and obtain, a registration card issued by the state's Department of State. This requirement is part of the Security Guard Act of 1992, which governs security guard company licensing, training, and registration. As enacted in 1992, the Act did require a federal record check, but lawmakers amended it in 1994 to eliminate requirements that were perceived to be unnecessarily burdensome. For the 10 years since that 1994 change, applicants who had been convicted of federal crimes or crimes outside the state have slipped through the net.

In addition to security guard companies themselves, the new law stands to affect those employers most likely to use guards: hospitals, schools, power plants, utilities, laboratories, and nuclear facilities.

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