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10 Investigates Reveals Gaps In Criminal Background Checks
Criminal background checks are a cornerstone of protection. They hold protection orders for domestic violence victims and they can keep abusers from getting jobs at daycares. 10 Investigates learned multiple Ohio county systems went silent for months, potentially keeping public safety authorities in the dark.
When a police officer stops somebody on the streets, they run their name through a computer. That computer checks with a state network fed by routine updates from police and courts.
The system tells an officer whether they're dealing with someone who is wanted or recently found guilty of a violent crime. If those records never make it to their computer, that officer would not have all the information they need.
"We're talking about potential life and death issues for officers on the street.” said Scott Wagner, a commander at Columbus State’s Police Academy. 10 Investigates gave Wagner the list of how many times the Attorney General's BCI system wasn't receiving records. Wagner added, "I think it's a critical issue that needs to be addressed head on and not swept aside or excuses made."
The problem of records not getting from county courts to the Attorney General's BCI database is not an isolated issue.
10 Investigates previously revealed problems with both Franklin County courts where the records couldn't be added to the system. The records gap lasted a total of 11 months.
And in Clark County, one court couldn't get vital records out for a 3 months and another court successfully sent no records an entire year. In each of these cases, AG officials said problems were caused by the courts' technical issues, not any problems with the state.
Cincinnati’s Hamilton County reported similar issues to BCI. Hamilton County declined to speak on camera. 10 Investigates discovered that for a period of more than seven months since April 2014, Hamilton County records were not added. The reason for the records gap, affecting an estimated 40,000 records, is a combination of issues, court and AG officials say.
Wagner says whatever the issue for all the breakdowns, the public and police are the ones at risk. The information needs to be continuously updated, so the public can be protected.
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