Latest news with #backgroundchecks
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Gov. Jared Polis vetoes Colorado rideshare bill that had strong opposition from Uber and Lyft
Gov. Jared Polis has vetoed a bill that was intended to improve safety for rideshare passengers. Uber had threatened to leave if the bill became law. Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images It would have required background checks, among other regulations. State Rep. Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat, sponsored House Bill 25-1291 after sharing her story of being sexually assaulted during a ride on Lyft. Polis said in a letter "together, these changes would jeopardize these services in Colorado to an untenable degree, and could very well lead to companies that Coloradans rely on exiting the market, raising prices, or reducing the number of drivers. " The govenor is instructing the Public Utilities Commission to figure out additional safety enhancements it can take.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Illinois House passes legislation requiring more thorough background checks for police hiring after Sonya Massey killing
The Illinois House passed legislation on Thursday requiring more thorough background checks before police officers are hired, less than a year after a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed Sonya Massey. Massey was shot and killed last July by former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson last summer inside her home near Springfield. Grayson has been fired and charged with first-degree murder in Massey's killing, and questions have been raised about why he was hired in the first place, given concerns about his conduct at past police jobs. Grayson shot and killed Massey as she was checking on a pot of boiling water in her kitchen while saying "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," but prosecutors have said Grayson asked her to move the pot off the stove, and that she never posed a danger that justified the use of lethal force. By a 101-12 vote on Thursday, the Illinois House approved legislation sponsored by state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) that would require more comprehensive background checks before hiring police or other law enforcement officers in Illinois. Law enforcement agencies would not be allowed to make a final job offer for police officers without first inspecting all of their prior employment records. Anyone applying for a police officer job in Illinois would be required to authorize all previous employers, including other law enforcement agencies, to provide full employment records – including "duty-related physical and psychological fitness-for-duty examinations; work performance records," and any criminal records or records of other investigations connected to their conduct on the job. Before Grayson was hired in Sangamon County, questions about his conduct were well-documented by other police agencies. But those concerns were somehow never shared with the Sangamon County Sheriff's office during the hiring process. In his fifth police job, he refused to terminate a high-speed chase and drove more than 110 mph — only coming to an end when he hit a deer. A report from a department where Grayson was employed also said he struggled with report writing and was aggressive in his pursuit for drugs. "It's just sad that we had to have had a tragedy like this with the Sonya Massey murder to realize that we are doing things wrong," said Buckner. "This is an opportunity to have some checks and some balances and some processes to make sure that we don't find ourselves in the same position and situation that we did when Sean Grayson was hired." The legislation was passed unanimously by the Illinois Senate last month, and will go to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk. Grayson is scheduled to go on trial in October in Peoria County. The Illinois Supreme Court is weighing a request from Grayson to be released from jail ahead of his trial.
Arab News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Sweden's new national security adviser quits over dating site images
OSLO: Sweden's new national security adviser abruptly resigned on Friday, just one day after his appointment, amid criticism from the prime minister that he failed to disclose information regarding images published years ago on a dating website. Tobias Thyberg, a foreign service veteran who in previous roles served as ambassador to both Ukraine and Afghanistan, had omitted the information during security background checks, the government said. The resignation comes just months after Thyberg's predecessor in the high-profile job stepped down and was charged with negligent handling of classified information. Thyberg did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on Friday. But in a statement to daily Dagens Nyheter, Thyberg said that he had failed to disclose the existence of the images. 'These are old pictures from an account I previously had on the dating site Grindr. I should have informed about this, but I did not,' he said, according to DN. Reuters could not independently verify information about the content of the images. Background checks for sensitive government jobs typically require the disclosure of any information that could potentially make someone vulnerable to blackmail. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the information should have come to light a long time ago. 'It is a systemic failure that this kind of information has not been brought forward,' Kristersson told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Norway. Thyberg had been due to travel to Oslo on Friday with the prime minister for a meeting of northern European leaders, but the adviser's participation was canceled.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A convicted criminal worked with children at Maryland facility, audit finds
Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi testifies to a Senate committee in January. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) A state contractor for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services worked directly with children despite a 2021 assault conviction, according to a recent audit of the department. The department — which is tasked with housing and providing programs for incarcerated young people, among other functions — failed to consistently ensure that criminal background checks were completed for every contractor working at state juvenile detention centers and treatment facilities, according to the audit. As of Jan. 3, the contractor, who auditors said was convicted of second-degree assault and possession of a dangerous weapon with the intent to injure, was still working for a DJS vendor. It was just one of the findings of the 75-page audit released Tuesday by the Office of Legislative Audits, which also reported DJS staff working large amounts of overtime without adequate checks and balances, poorly documented procurements and payments, and a lack of inventories of food and other supplies. In a written response to auditors, Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi noted that the audit covered April 1, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2023. Gov. Wes Moore (D) took office in January 2023. 'The vast majority of the audit period preceded the current administration. Since coming on board, our team has made it a priority to identify and address operational weaknesses both prior to and throughout the audit period,' Schiraldi wrote. It's the latest flare-up for the somewhat embattled secretary. In January, Maryland lawmakers grilled Schiraldi during a three-hour hearing about a 'troubling' report on the agency's performance, including concerns about staffing and juveniles who recommit crimes and are returned to the department's custody. In its response to the May audit, the agency acknowledged the issues with background checks, and in other areas. 'We agree with the recommendation and have developed a generic email address for all vendors to report the findings of their criminal background checks as part of the employment process,' DJS officials said. The agency said it will evaluate whether any contract modifications need to be made to address background checks. It estimated that fixes could be in place by Jan. 31, 2026. Auditors also found that DJS did not require or obtain updates about any criminal activity by vendors after a contract award. If a contractor was convicted of a disqualifying crime after an initial background check, DJS would not know, unless the vendor reported it voluntarily. The audit results pointed to a high reliance on overtime at DJS facilities. In 2023, 10 employees received overtime payments that were greater than their base salaries. A top overtime recipient earned nearly $87,000 in overtime payments, supplementing their salary of $56,750. Also in 2023, 244 DJS employees received overtime payments that totaled more than 50% of their regular earnings. The agency spent $14.9 million on overtime in 2023, exceeding its overtime budget by more than $4 million, according to the audit. It was a significant increase compared to 2021, when the agency paid $10.4 million on overtime, and came in under budget. The Juvenile Services agency failed to ensure that employees who worked double shifts on four or more consecutive days received approval from the Director of Residential Services. The agency also did not ' analyze overtime to identify employees who received significant overtime payments and possible steps to reduce the amount of overtime worked,' according to the audit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE In its response, the agency said that it began reviewing overtime in December 2024, and has done so 'every pay period since.' The agency pledged to review the policy on double shifts, and general overtime use. 'DJS will review the current process to ensure it is reasonable and provides adequate data to the appropriate staff to make informed assessments of overtime utilization,' read the response from the agency, which said it expects to complete its review by Sept. 30. The audit also found that, at key facilities, DJS did not conduct required physical inventories of food, medicine, clothing, hygiene products and games, among other items at its facilities. 'For example, at both facilities DJS did not periodically conduct physical inventories or maintain a record of food on hand as required, which would allow for DJS to avoid over-purchasing and waste, and to detect theft,' read the audit. In his statement to auditors, Schiraldi said that his agency has implemented a new tracking system for the supplies. 'The new system will automate tracking (scan upon receipt) to significantly improve the efficiencies of inventory management,' read the agency's response. DJS also failed to check up on its facilities, after its Office of Inspector General identified issues. DJS would receive a corrective action report from the facility staff, but wouldn't verify that fixes were actually completed, the audit said. In its response, the agency pledged to put fixes in place by June 30, and monitor corrective actions at the facilities. When it came to signing contracts with vendors, the audit also found that DJS couldn't provide all the required documentation for five contracts totaling $27.6 million. 'As a result, we could not readily determine the propriety of any of these five awards,' auditors wrote. To pay its contractors, the agency leaned on 'direct voucher payments' 57% of the time in the audit period, circumventing state policy. These payments are made without matching a correlating purchase order or invoice. In its response, DJS expressed concern about a new policy from the Comptroller's office, reducing 'the timeframe for agencies to process and pay vendor invoices from 25 days to 15 days, which has presented operational challenges in ensuring that purchase orders (POs) are always in place.' DJS said it checked its own direct voucher payments, and determined that 80% were supported by purchase orders or other documentation. In one instance, DJS management paid $1.5 million of a $1.7 million price tag to a contractor before work was performed — overruling a DJS staffer. Four months later, the vendor completed the job, which involved installing modular homes at a DJS facility. The department pledged to provide better documentation of its decision-making, but argued the decision to pre-pay about 90% of the cost for the modular homes was 'appropriate to facilitate the timely delivery.'
