Just caught a news release that Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has rolled out a pilot program to allow employers to verify state driver licenses presented as ID during a job interview. The program exists just in Mississippi so far, but is set to expand to other states.
Most interviewees present a driver license as ID in the interview process; as a matter of fact, here in
Arizona, state law requires job applicants to have a current Arizona license, and we are allowed to require same. So we do. Arizona called in and re-issued all licenses several years ago, in compliance with 9/11 legislation; the new licenses are quite difficult to counterfeit, if one knows what to look for (microprinting, hologram, black-light images, etc.). Further, my background checking agency can e-mail me a black and white copy of the license photo the state has on file; comparing that with the photo on the license presented by the applicant makes a fake license easy to spot.
Finally, as a charter member of Homeland Security's IMAGE program, my staff received several hours training in detecting fake ID.
So we have quite a good handle on the identity of those folks before we screen them (court records, civil & criminal; driver records; residence history; credit). And we screen everyone we're looking at putting on, whether for janitorial, floor and carpet cleaning, or supervisory positions. Much more effective, screening folks once you've confirmed their identity.
It's great that more and more companies, especially janitorial and cleaning services are making the extra effort to not only remain legal but also to support legal workers.
Your company has always been in the forefront of this movement and we look to you for guidance as we all grow our businesses the right way.
Posted by: Marla Hughes | 02/03/2012 at 04:16 AM
Thanks for the kind words; do what little we can.
Posted by: Bob Croft | 02/03/2012 at 09:13 AM