Hello, Gordon Graham here with some miscellaneous ramblings about background investigations. Actually, for this issue, I planned on writing about performance evaluations. But I received an e-mail in which one of yours involved in the TRADE group posed a query regarding firefighters who end up being arsonists. This piqued my interest, as I have read about this happening across the country. However, my understanding of this issue is 180 degrees different than the question that was posed.

Firefighters only rarely end up becoming arsonists. Oh yeah, I have heard about the jerks who intentionally light a fire for the overtime, or so that their brother with the bulldozer gets some business, or some other financial benefit. To be sure, the total number of incidents involving fire personnel participating in this type of criminal behavior nationally is very small, but it is an issue that needs to be addressed. However, much more frequently (but still very rare), arsonists end up being firefighters, not the reverse.

The fire service ends up occasionally hiring arsonists for the same reason that schools occasionally hire child molesters and police departments occasionally end up hiring thieves and other forms of thugs.

Speaking of thugs in Law Enforcement, look at the thugs hired by Miami PD in the early 80's, and by D.C. Metro PD in the late 80's. Want something more current? Look at the problems LAPD has right now with Rampart. They hired some first-rate criminals who were criminals long before they got hired by LAPD. LAPD even tried not to hire them, but City Personnel had a better idea. The main thug they hired was Rafael Perez. During his tenure with LAPD, he tried to get on the Chino PD, but they wouldn't take him. Now Chino PD ain't talking, but my guess is they found something in the past behavior of Perez during their background investigation that caused the Bells of St. Mary to start ringing big time.

Bad people are a clever bunch, and they will gravitate to professions that facilitate their bad behaviors. Seriously — think it through. Dillinger robbed banks because that's where the money was. Child molesters are attracted to kids, and they will seek out employment around kids. I like fast cars, so I joined the Highway Patrol. Duh!!!

My concerns in this regard go well beyond the crime of arson. Across the country, firefighters have committed rapes, murders, domestic abuse, drug abuse and other major crimes. Now, before you get all bent out of shape reaching for the phone, I will reemphasize that the vast majority of people you bring on board are good, solid people. Occasionally, losers get into your organizations. If you take the time to look at how we (I readily include my profession in this problem) end up hiring bad people, there is a single Root Causational Factor. My guess is that you have already figured it out, as I gave it away in line one of this piece. Many of your organizations do not take THE BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION process seriously.

Ah, the dubious readers among you want some proof. A quick show of hands please. How many of you have any formal background investigation process? I'm not talking about "Well, Bob says he is a good guy" type of stuff. I am talking about a systematic approach to looking into the past of an applicant. My guess is that less than half of your hands are going up. How many of you have a written policy specific to how to conduct a background investigation? My guess is that less than 5 percent of the fire departments nationally have such a policy. Absent a formalized, written policy, you lack a systematic approach on how to perform this process.

One of the purposes of any policy is to assure that different employees under different circumstances will approach a given task the same way. That is why you have a vehicle operations policy, HazMat policies, SCBA policies and the like. So why don't you have a background investigation policy?

Here are some of the most common excuses I hear:

• We can't afford to do comprehensive background investigations? Now that is very stupid. You cannot afford NOT to do background investigations. What is that wonderful old lawyer quote? “You can pay me now, or you can....” Truly, spending nickels today can save millions tomorrow.

• “But Tom does a good job at it already.” Well, how do you really know he is doing such a good job at this task. The only time you will find out is after something bad happens. What is the driving record of that volunteer you just brought on board? Is that recent new hire being prosecuted in a neighboring state for battery? Have they left other fire agencies under a cloud of bad behavior? What are the facts? “WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, DAN??!!!” Maybe you have just been very lucky. Okay, let's assume he is doing a good job. And when Tom leaves in two years, my guess is he takes his hard drive (read: “head”) with him. Are any of the techniques, contacts, and resources he has developed written down? My guess is no.

• “But we have the local police do a criminal check for us.” Just a quick thought regarding this. Do you know what the difference is between having a criminal record and not having a criminal record? The answer is “getting caught.”

• “But we are just a volunteer department, and we have to take whoever shows up because we need the bodies.” Well, here is a big hint for you. I would rather run shorthanded than to hire people who are evil or who lack integrity. Volunteers can get you in just as much trouble as full-time, part-time or seasonal employees.

So, with all this in mind, where do you start? I have put together a 10-step approach to this topic entitled GRIBI, Graham's Rules for the Improvement of Background Investigations (pretty clever, huh?), which can be yours for the cost of an e-mail to me requesting same. It is too big for this column, but here is a quick summary of these 10 rules.

GRIBI #1 — Understand the purpose of Background Investigations. The public has the right to expect that fire departments hire women and men with integrity who can do the job. You can test for a lot of things, but you cannot test for integrity. The only test that works is recognizing that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Relevant past behaviors are what background investigations are all about. You will never know what you will find unless you take the time to look.

GRIBI #2 — Get a policy regarding Background Investigations. Get a written policy, and because this is a high-risk area, this policy needs to be reviewed by your competent legal counsel. Don't reinvent the wheel. Ask around, get another agency's policy and modify it to your specific needs.

GRIBI #3 — Select people who have the knowledge, skill, ability and desire to conduct Background Investigations. Not everyone in your organization is qualified to be a background investigator. If you are going to keep it in house, get someone who enjoys complex, long-term investigations. If you are going to contract with your police department to do these investigations for you, make sure they have a dedicated background investigation unit. If you are going to contract with an outside vendor (ex-cop with a polygraph), get references first and check them out.

GRIBI #4 — The process should not be a secret. Showing a potential applicant how the process works may weed out those who know their past behavior is going to be discovered. This will save your time and theirs, and will prevent many problems from occurring. The public must know that there is a process in place to maximize the quality or people you hire.

GRIBI #5 — Take the time to do the job right. Background Investigations are a “discretionary time” task and you should have all the time you need to gather all the facts about the applicant's past behaviors and present situation. Rushing a background investigation is not unlike hurrying up a felony stop or a HazMat incident. You are en route to disaster if you rush this process.

GRIBI #6 — Use all available resources, and don't worry about the cost. There are many available resources to verify information offered by the applicant and to find new investigative leads. Within the public sector are massive data bases maintained by law-enforcement agencies. These should be fully accessed within applicable law within your jurisdiction. Additionally, numerous private sector companies have spent a ton of money buying public records and storing them in data bases for purchase by interested parties. Using these, you can quickly find out a lot about an applicant's past behavior. CAUTION: Only use this information as an investigative lead. Do not base your decision or opinion of the applicant solely on this information. Some of it is stale, wrong, or filed under a similar name. Take the time to do the task right. Again, it is critical to check all of this out with your competent legal counsel.

GRIBI #7 — Remember the importance of accuracy. Remember, facts are facts and opinions are opinions. It is critical that each fact you discover be systematically and accurately recorded. Full and accurate documentation of each step of the process is essential so that the decision-maker can make the informed call.

GRIBI #8 — Always proofread your documentation. Double check all of your paperwork. Again, accuracy is essential.

GRIBI #9 — Supervisory review is essential. As mentioned several times above, the background investigation process is high risk, and there are substantial consequences for not doing the task correctly. Minimize risk and exposure by incorporating knowledgeable supervisors into the review process, not just at the terminus of the investigation, but throughout the process.

GRIBI #10 — Learn from your experiences. As with any other task, the more you do it, the better you will get at it. As you learn, share your knowledge with your peers, and if your newfound knowledge is not in the policy of your organization, make the appropriate recommendations to get the policy updated to reflect the better way to do background investigations. Joining a professional group of similar type investigators will be of great benefit to you and your organization. Combined, there is a wealth of knowledge out there if you access it.

Finally, background investigations are the only tool available to gather the necessary facts about applicants, so take the process seriously, and everyone will benefit. Remember, ethical behavior by employees starts by hiring people who possess integrity.

Well, that is about it for this column.

Good Luck, Good Health, Good Bye, God Bless You, and God Bless America. Gordon Graham signing off. Until next time, Be Safe.

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