Checking Your Indiana Driving Record For Free

  The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has lifted the fee to view your driver record online – and it’s easy to do.
  If you want to check out your driver record all you need is the number on your driver’s license, the last four digits of your Social Security number and your ZIP code.
  Go to http://www.mybmv.com/, click on Driver Record on the left side of the page, then click on View your Viewable Driver Record, plug in the aforementioned information, and voila! You can find out how many points you have against your license as well as suspensions and restrictions (although you should already know that).
  According to a news release issued by the BMV, more than 340,000 Indiana drivers have suspended driver’s licenses. The most common question the BMV gets is from people who want to know what they have to do to reinstate a suspended driver’s license, said Commissioner R. Scott Waddell. The redesigned driver record now lists those requirements at the top of the page. If it’s a court-ordered suspension, the record provides the name and phone number of the court and the case number.
  In more good news for Indiana drivers, the cost of getting a certified Official Driver Record has been reduced from $8 to $4. Some employers require a certified driver record. It can be obtained at the BMV website or by mail.

The Background Investigator Goes To Botswana

The Background Investigator Goes To Botswana
  In a continuing series, The Background Investigator goes to various countries around the world to explore the justice systems and bring back to you their findings. This month Faheem Ebrahim visited Botswana.
Here is his report:

Obtaining Criminal Records in Botsawana
by Faheem Ebrahim,
  Botswana isn't a country that is much talked about around African nations.
  The people of Botswana will tell you, that this is because there aren't as many problems in Botswana as other neighbouring nations, and the people are friendlier.
  During my visit to Gabarone, the capital, I certianly found the latter to be true.
  A visit to the magistrates court showed a colonial looking building with plenty of character.
  The criminal registry was serviced by a local lady who was very accomodating and took me for a tour of the courthouse, and more importantly, showed me the details of the criminal record system in place.
  The system was based on microsoft access with a wide option of identifiers, and we tested our names on the system (with both of our consent of course) to ensure we did not have a case filed in the country.
  The best part about the system in Botswana is that every court is linked by the same network, therefore even though a case is filed in a different town within the country, they can still view the file in Gabarone - and vice versa.
  I was impressed with what I saw, and complimented the team on their setup.
  If only some of the larger and more developed nations around the world would take a small country such as Botswana as an example; due diligence checks would be a much simpler process!
  I look forward to visiting again soon.

New Guidelines Can Hurt Rather Than Help

  I'm still hemming and hawing about my recent experience with the NAPBS guidleline exam for USA domestic court record retrievers.
  Not about the exam, itself.
  Now it's comparing the USA domestic guidelines with the 'proposed' international guidelines.
  The international guidelines proposed by NAPBS are ambiguous at best and leave pre-employment screening comapnies at a loss.
  NAPBS is on the right track asking for feed-back from members about the international 'guidelines.'
  How I was included in the discussion of the guidelines or asked to contribute my thoughts about the proposal - I am not sure I was on 'their' list at all - I still do not know.
  I think there are many ways to do a criminal search. International AND domestic.
  NAPBS needs to be careful.
  The guidelines they put forth today might lead to employers doing their own 'nationwide' FBI searches tomorrow.
  Where will that leave us?

Macau Office Expands To Hong Kong

  Steven Brownstein and Faheem Ebrahim, annouce the opening of a new Hong Kong office for Straightline International and The Background Investigator.
  Initially, a staff of two researchers will be added enabling a more prompt return of Northern and South- Eastern Asia reports.
  Straightline's fine researchers in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Busan, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta will continue as usual.
  The Hong Kong office will also provide sales support for Asian based companies plus after hour customer service work for U.S. and UK based pre-employment screening companies.
  Contact Steven Brownstein at steveb@search4crime.com and Faheem Ebrahin at faheem@search4crime.com

Background Checking's Centrally Located Criminal Search Flawed

When you check central courts, and central courts only, the habit (and now NAPBS guideline) of omitting background checks at outlying courts can look pretty irrersponsible.

Especially if the subject applicant has a misdemeanor record at one the outlying courts.  Or how about multiple misdemeanor records at an outlying court?

Take Arizona, for instance. 

Many incorporated cities or towns have a municipal court, also known as a city court or magistrate court.
Municipal courts have criminal jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes and petty offenses committed in their city or town.

They share jurisdiction with justice courts over violations of state law committed within their city or town limits.

Also,  each county  has precincts, containing that county's justice of the peace courts.

Generally, these precincts are larger than city or town limits and typically incorporate an entire city or town, and pieces of other communities as well.

Although these geographical boundaries can be changed.

Justice of the peace courts hear traffic cases and certain criminal and civil cases, including domestic violence and harassment cases.

So you want to miss Domestic Violence cases? DUI's? Assaults? Petty Theft?

I'd think not.

So where Arizona is not online, say Maricopa County, here is a brief 'what you're missing' summary:

There are 25 justice courts in Maricopa County that hear a combined caseload of approximately 400,000 cases each year.  (That's over 1,000 cases per day, if they worked every day!)

These include the full range of civil and criminal traffic offenses, including DUIs, and  other types of misdemeanor allegations (e.g. shoplifting, writing bad checks, violating restraining orders) and, like other trial judges, also handle requests for orders of protection and injunctions against harassment.

Sure you want to miss these, they all require a seperate search, Tempe, Paradise Valley, Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa?

You can use Arizona's online system or Maricopa County's site. 

Either way you are missing over 1 million (1,000,000+) residents of these cities and towns that might have committed a misdemeanor crime closest to where they live.

Increase the E&O insurance, mate, it's getting warm in here!

I applaud the NAPBS for their guideline. It took a lot of hard work by many to even agree what to agree on. So hat off for their hard work.

And this is not NAPBS' fault.  The record search at only the central court location was alive and well way before their creation.

Mainly because researchers in Ohio did not want to drive to the outlying courts and (and this is a big AND) screening companies did not want to pay extra for the search.

Competition was tough. It still is.

Maybe someone will come up with a better way.

But, the consumer (i.e., the employer) meanwhile will pay.

In fact. so will you and I.

Visa Hassles

If you read my China visa posting, this should come as no surprise.

I finally got my Chinese visa (an all day affair).

Next came the India visa.

India has outsourced their Visa application procesing to a company called Travisa Outsourcing.

I applied online at Travisa's Website for same day processing.

They gave me a date and appointment time to be in their office.

After waiting in line at the appointed time, a security/application processing officer announces that if it was anyone's concern, same day visa service was actually taking 2-3 days!

No exceptions.

I had to return to Saipan without an India visa.

So much for outsourcing.

I'm sure the India embassy has no knowledge of travisa's poor service; that is, Travisa Outsourcing getting people to their office with the promise of same day processing - then surprising the applicant with, already known to Travisa, bad news that they could not process same day visas.

NAPBS Provider Exam

I recently had the 'pleasure' of taking and passing the NAPBS Provider Exam.

The only passing score is 100%.  I was penalized  for answering that a provider should give more service than NAPBS the test requires as correct. The question answered, and actually answered not incorrect was "what is the standard for record retrieval when there is a computerized index of several years, a microfiche of several years more, and finally, an index card system further back in time?"

I answered it should be all three. But, the NAPBS giudelines test will accept only the first two as correct. That is, even though, most index card systems are easier to browse than microfiche record systems, and you, the customer will get even more years searched - NAPBS penalizes you on the exam for answering that you would do the work.

Sorry NAPBS members. It's hard to understand penalizing retrievers that offer a 'better' service.

Also, not to rant, but the idea that using only the central court location (where or when there are multiple court locations that have separate records within a county)  for retrieving records is acceptable for NAPBS guidelines seems a bit short-sighted.

I suppose that is why the 'Guidelines' insists upon all record retrievers obtain E&O insurance.