In today's society, background checks have become a necessary tool in ensuring public safety and preventing fraud. With the ever-growing number of people seeking employment, education, and access to various public services, there lies a risk of individuals with criminal histories or false credentials slipping through the cracks and endangering the safety of those around them. Background checks serve to mitigate these risks by providing insight into a person's background and thereby enhancing public safety and security. This article will explore the importance of background checks, how they help prevent fraud, and the role they play in protecting public safety.
Background checks are essential in today's society because they provide a comprehensive understanding of an individual's past, including criminal records, bankruptcies, education, and employment history. By conducting a background check, employers, educational institutions, and other organizations can ensure that the person they are hiring or providing access to is who they say they are and that their credentials are legitimate. This helps prevent fraud, which can have serious consequences for both individuals and organizations.
For instance, a company hiring a new employee without conducting a background check may later find out that the employee has a criminal record of fraud or embezzlement of money from their previous employer. Such behavior poses a serious threat to the company and its reputation, as well as the safety and trust of the customers it serves. Without a background check, the company would have no way of knowing about the employee's criminal history and would have unknowingly put itself at risk.
Similarly, in the education sector, background checks help prevent fraud and ensure the safety of students and faculty. In recent years, there have been several cases where individuals posed as students, enrolled in educational institutions, and committed crimes on campus. In such cases, a background check could have prevented the person from gaining access to the campus, thus minimizing the risk of harm to those on it.
Background checks also play a crucial role in protecting public safety. Aviation, transportation, and hospitality industries are a few examples where background checks are critical in ensuring public safety. For instance, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) conducts background checks on individuals applying for positions that require access to secure areas of the airport. This is done to keep passengers and airport personnel safe by identifying individuals who pose a potential threat.
Background checks can help prevent potential accidents in these industries by enabling employers to identify red flags that suggest a risk of harm. For instance, a trucking company may conduct a background check on a driver to ensure that they do not have a history of accidents or substance abuse, which could pose a risk to both the driver and other motorists. Similarly, in the healthcare industry, a background check can reveal if a job applicant has a history of drug abuse or professional misconduct, which could jeopardize patient safety.
Background checks can also help identify potential workplace violence. For instance, a restaurant chain may conduct a background check on a job candidate applying for a managerial position to ensure that the candidate does not have a history of violent behavior. Even in professions that may not seem physically risky, such as office work, a history of violent behavior is still a cause for concern. In the aftermath of the 2019 mass shooting in Virginia Beach, the city council has mandated that all employees go through a rigorous background check, including a criminal history review. The council hopes that this measure will help prevent incidents of workplace violence from happening in the future.
In conclusion, background checks are critical in today's society because they help prevent fraud and protect public safety. By enabling organizations to verify the identity of individuals and check their credentials, background checks can prevent individuals with criminal records or falsified identities from gaining access to sensitive locations and at-risk populations. In addition, background checks can help identify red flags that suggest a risk of harm, which can help prevent workplace violence and other incidents that endanger public safety. As more industries become aware of the importance of background checks, this measure will become increasingly prevalent in society, further emphasizing the importance of conducting thorough background checks to protect public safety and prevent fraud.
