Boy Scouts to Require Background Checks

AP | 11/27/02 | IRA DREYFUSS

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON, Nov 27, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- The Boy Scouts of America will require criminal background checks of new adult volunteers beginning next year, it announced Wednesday.

"New volunteers to the Boy Scouts will have to submit for criminal background checks as of this spring," spokesman Gregg Shields said. The checks will be based on new application forms in which the applicant gives permission for the checks to be done, he said. The forms must be filled out by adult volunteers for scouting's varied arms, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Explorer.

Those who do not get clearance won't be allowed to join, Shields said.

The organization's national executive council engaged ChoicePoint, an information management company, to handle the program, which scouting will call VolunteerSelect, Shields said. ChoicePoint will review national and state government databases, he said.

The requirement will take effect April 1, allowing time for the new forms to be distributed and for the policy change to be explained to all of scouting's volunteers, Shields said.

The spokesman says the backgrounds of current adult volunteers are not being checked. But he says that might be required in years to come. There are 1.2 million adult volunteers in scouting, but the number of new volunteers varies from year to year, Shields said.

'We have as our highest goal to protect the children involved in Boy Scouting," Shields said. "To date, it's been difficult to do such a background check because all of the data is not in one spot."

Membership will be prohibited if the checks turn up convictions for sex crimes, crimes of violence, or drug offenses.

Findings in the background checks will be divulged only to the chief executive of a regional scouting council, who would tell local-level scouting officials only that an applicant does not meet the standard, Shields said. Those who are rejected will be given the opportunity to review and challenge any adverse information.

Other youth organizations, such as Little League, already require background checks of adult volunteers.

The background checks will supplement existing requirements for youth protection, which are conducted on regional and local levels, Shields said.

By IRA DREYFUSS Associated Press Writer

Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Memo to NAMBLA: Get lost.

[coloradan]

Memo to a totalitarian police state: Come here.

[Dimensio]

Somehow I doubt that background checks will do anything regardling sexual offenders. Until they are caught, most of them have a pretty clean background as far as any checking goes.

[afuturegovernor]

I think background checks would be a good thing to protect the boys and Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts themselves are doing them and not the government.

[MacDorcha]

to be a "police STATE", wouldnt it have to be instituted by the government? its just further steps into not allowing open gays to be in the organization.

[EdReform]

Bump & Ping

[Grampa Dave]

So you are all for predator homosexuals being allowed to roam free around Boy Scouts!

You are the fascist when you tell me that my church can't do a background check on any new hire from priest to baby sitter! We have been doing this for two years now. We just hired a new Curate and did a background check on him before he was hired. Only a facist who loves sexual predators would tell me that I can't do these checks to protect our children.

However, keep posting to show how you guys are more than glad to help your sexual predator members/buddies gain access to children.

[Grampa Dave]

That is pure baloney. Most of the sexual offenders gay and straight have a police blotter of offenses. These clymers are serial offenders in most cases.

[Dimensio]

So you are all for predator homosexuals being allowed to roam free around Boy Scouts!

Yes, because we all know that background checks would stop them.

Somehow I've a feeling that most of the men who've been busted for sexual abuse within the BSA didn't have much of a criminal record beforehand.

[Dimensio]

So can you provide examples of many offenders caught in the BSA who could have been stopped with a background check?

[Grampa Dave]

See replies 8 & 9 above.

[WilDave]

I have been a Boy Scout adult volunteer for almost eight years now. No background check was required there. As soon as I started working with the high school band, I was subject to a background invenstigation (and passed with flying colors).
Now the Scouts will be better aware of our volunteers background.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Scout leaders in WA have been subjected to background checks by the WA State Patrol for years.

[Grampa Dave]

All I know is that churches when they start BGC's have found those applying for a job and they weren't hired.

I'm not affiliated with the BSA but several churches have not hired people with criminal backgrounds and sexual predator backgrounds. I have no problem with that. You apparently want to expose our young people to these criminals and potential or documented predators!

[Dimensio]

You apparently want to expose our young people to these criminals and potential or documented predators!

No, I don't. You're a jerk for suggesting it. I'm simply concerned that such 'checks' won't be effective and might create a false sense of security.

[Magnum44]

Since the Boys Scout asked for this, I am not against it. But I am curious as to who will pay for it. Article does not say.

[ClearCase_guy]

No, I don't. You're a jerk for suggesting it. I'm simply concerned that such 'checks' won't be effective and might create a false sense of security.

Reading your posts it seems that you are against the checks. Do you think it is safer not to check? That seems illogical. Do you deny the possibility that safety might be increased by performing checks? That seems quite obvious.

And yet you seem to be against the checks. By a private organization. This is not government control. This is private enterprise conducting it's business as it sees fit. Are you against that?

[Dimensio]

They can check if they want, since they are a private organization. I'm not about to tell them what to do. I am concerned that checking won't be as effective as they hope and that it will create a false sense of security.

[Dimensio]

I would assume that it would be paid for with membership dues.