I think everybody gets checked one way or another... I found out a few years ago... you ask to be a member of my church.... guess what? Full background check... what I've discovered as of late being on the Safety Team there.... this is actually needed....
Funny part is the FBI won't approve me for a suppressor because I grew a certain plant in college back in 1978... but I've been admitted to the Oval office and all through the West Wing and Next door several times... even down to the 2nd basement and spent hours on the roof.... had a nice conversation back in 2008 with this goofy guy that lived there for a few years.

quote:

Originally posted by White Phosphorus:
Amazon in quite mysterious and closed mouthed about case by case approvals or denials for contractors.

As are all companies.

Wanna know why? ---> Lawsuits.

Ever wonder why you were never called for an interview? Lawsuits.

Every wonder why you never get told why you weren't hired? Lawsuits.

Far easier (legally) to just drop the person with little or no reason provided.

quote:

Originally posted by White Phosphorus:
I find the whole thing exasperating myself. Requiring a janitor to have the equivalent of a Top Secret security clearance??????

Well if the Janitor works in a secure facility and isn't going to be escorted the entire time he's cleaning by someone with a clearance, the janitor will certainly need one themselves.

Because they are in a location where classified material is stored, used, and discussed.

An amusing story on background checks.

I went to work for the NSA in 1967. Was in Air Force Intelligence for four years, then college and National Security Agency (NSA) after graduation. While in college I did some civil rights work in the spring of 1965. Was part of a group that helped rebuild two black churches in Louisiana that were burned down by the KKK.

Before internal assignment at NSA, I needed an FBI background check. No problem, since I already had a Top Secret from my Air Force time. WRONG! Investigation dragged on for months. Kept inquiring...nada...nada. FINALLY they had approved my clearance and explained the reason for the delay.

If you're old enough, you can recall the violence in the deep South during the troubled times of the 1960's civil rights era. Imagine being a white FBI agent knocking on doors in the segregated black community of Jonesboro, LA. Do you know anything about this white guy that helped rebuild those churches burned down by your local KKK in 1965? The FBI finally gave up after several weeks. I was told that they could find NOBODY in the entire community that would talk to them.

As an aside, I was obviously unable to bring any firearms to Jonesboro. Myself and another member of our group, a college chaplain, stayed with a black family there. Our bedroom had a 16 gauge double barrel and a .22 LR semi rifle hanging over the bed (both loaded). The homeowner also told me where the extra ammo was stored. While I was smiling, the chaplain almost passed out.

I worked at a major credit card company a few years ago as a contractor. The contract company said they did criminal background checks on all of us. A few years later the credit card company hired some of the contractors on directly. One my former co-workers actually had her offer rescinded when they found a felony conviction on her. Turns out the contractor company hadn't done a real background check after all.

I get a new full background check every year on the month of my birth. I am also flagged in the FBI and State Police database so that if I was ever taken into custody then it would be reported to my agency right away.

I get run for warrants and my DL gets checked monthly. Once a year when my computer access re-certification is due they do a full criminal history check.

They didn't use to check DLs but a few years back a guy had a suspended DL from an out of state ticket that he neglected to pay. 10 years previously. The boss was less amused than the rest of us...

I have a top secret clearance with a full scope BI every 5 years, and am subject to random drug screens. No big deal. If the place of work wants to foot the bill for them, I don't see this as an issue.

quote:

I find the whole thing exasperating myself. Requiring a janitor to have the equivalent of a Top Secret security clearance??????

Brave new world.

V.

People forget that Amazon is not only a web retailer, they have a Division that runs some of the US Govt's top secret databases. So that division is probably a lot more strict about their backround checks

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
.Gov has been so inundated with clearance screenings that nearly everyone is on a continual notification watch in between periodic investigations. So any number of things can cause a spot check - in my recent case it was several out of state medical bills that went severely past due and popped on the credit score - my son broke his leg on vacation, the wife took him to a hospital and over the next couple of months we got the waterfall of billing from every person who heard his name - some obviously fell through the cracks with insurance, etc. That eventually mades its way into the system, requiring an explanation, etc.

A severe civil / criminal charge would likely trigger the same thing (in addition should have been reported voluntarily per security requirements).

Fed background investigations are pretty well caught up now mostly due to the changes made to reduce the backlog. Some cases are older due to the circumstances of those particular cases, but most people can get a clearance within 3-4 months now which is a far cry from where it was 2-3 years ago. Contractors are laying people off, at least in this area, due to lack of work.

But these every 5 or 6 year periodic re-investigations are going away soon. Continuous vetting is the way of the future, so you will see a lot more triggered re-investigations due to things found on credit reports, criminal checks, etc. The entire process is in the midst of a transformation period. In the future you could get re-investigated every other year or never talk to anyone for 10 years. It will almost be similar to drug testing unless you have a flag on a credit report or criminal check.

Sounds Russianesk to me. But is to keep every one even and in order. I mean safe.