A safer place to play: comprehensive background checks demonstrate the commitment of park and recreation agencies to their communities.

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THE AVERAGE CHILD MOLESTER VICTIMIZES OVER 120 TIMES. One out of every 20 potential volunteers cannot pass a comprehensive background check. And 9.5 percent of volunteers have criminal histories. It is these types of statistics that keep parents up at night.

Betsy Clayton, the mother of an 11-year-old girl in Lee County, Florida, is grateful that she isn't one of those parents. The Lee County Parks and Recreation department started performing comprehensive background checks on its volunteers in 2005, and last year performed 436 checks. The department discovered 49 records that were red-flagged, and refused to allow 13 people to volunteer. Clayton breathes a sigh of relief when she hears these statistics.

"As a parent, when you send your kids to school, you know they are safe," Clayton explains. "But those assurances aren't everywhere." She says her daughter attends summer camp with the park and recreation agency, and calls her a "regular" at classes and special events.

"You hope your child will tell you if something is happening that shouldn't be," Clayton says. "But to have that second line of defense, to know that someone else is looking out for them when you can't is really important."

Kathy Cahill, volunteer coordinator for Lee County, says that she was tasked with starting the background check program upon being hired in 2005. "I felt like it was already a trend in parks and recreation and people were starting to be more aware that it was something that needed to be done," she says. Previously, there was no formal process in place for looking into the backgrounds of volunteers in her county.

Lee County now uses Operation TLC2, a program offered through NRPA to check all its volunteers (see sidebar). Cahill says that the process is comprehensive, but simple. The volunteer fills out an online form, submitting their name, address, social security number, and some other personal information, that is then sent to a screening company--in this case, Southeastern Security Consukants (SSCI)--who verifies the information and generates a report within about five days. The screening company also performs an address trace, a state jurisdiction check, a check against the National Background Directory from all 50 states, as well as a search of the Sex Offender Registry.

Location, Location, Location

Adding that national search component to a background check is important for many park and recreation agencies and a key reason they decide to institute a more formal program. The town of Longview, Washington, sits on the border of Washington and is only a bridge crossing away from Oregon. The Longview Parks & Recreation department services citizens and enlists volunteers from both states, so a local or state background check would not suffice.

"Our challenges were that when we were running a background check on someone from Washington State, maybe it would turn up clean," explains Dick Mueller, the recreation superintendent for Longview. "But we were concerned because people would come here from Oregon, and we've had quite a few people move here from California, and we'd have no idea of their history or record." He estimates they perform about 75-100 checks per year, and usually only have to turn away about half dozen volunteers annually.

"We look for crimes against people and property-that is what would disqualify someone from volunteering. We also want to safeguard against sex offenders. We haven't come across any those, but I think with this background check system in place, people with those types of offenses probably would just stay away from volunteer opportunities," Mueller says.

Kristin Menson, the volunteer coordinator for the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge in Louisiana (BREC) also thinks a national search on volunteers is important. Previous to implementing their volunteer check program in January 2008, BREC checked volunteers by asking them to submit fingerprints at the county courthouse. In Louisiana, anyone working with youth was also required to have a state background check done.

"Overwhelmingly the things that would disqualify someone from volunteering wouldn't have shown up in the county search," Menson explains. "With so many people moving around in this area after hurricanes, 20 percent of what I've found were flagged from out of state records."

She also says that these days, people are more transient than they once were, living in multiple jurisdictions in multiple states. Menson says, "Typically, people would live in the same place or same town, but that doesn't happen anymore--people move around, especially those that do have the wrong intentions and might be trying to game the system."

All Systems Go?

And that background check system is one that seems easier to implement than a lot of park and recreation agencies might think. Mueller says that it was "pretty easy" to put in place. "Our risk manager thought it was an asset and something that ultimately could save a great deal of money by being proactive, rather than reacting when an incident occurs," he says. He estimates that the online background checks he runs on volunteers is less expensive and less time-consuming than the ones they used to run only on a state-wide basis.

Menson agrees that convincing local government to spend the money on a background check program isn't hard to do. "I don't think cost should be an issue--even if your agency can't absorb the expense, I really feel no parent would mind paying some additional dollars to make sure coaches and volunteers have been background checked," she explains.

SSCI's system has an average cost of $20 per background check with no initial set-up fees, but Menson explains that there are many companies who screen volunteers, and park and recreation agencies should research what would work best for their community and staff. "Just really know what you are getting and what you aren't--be aware that there are lots of options out there," she says.

In addition to cost, the two biggest concerns when performing background checks are the time it takes to finish them and the privacy of the volunteers being screened.

Lynn Zwaagstra, Director of Breckenridge Recreation department in Colorado, says that the time it takes to perform the nationwide background checks has been a "significant problem" in the past for her department. Not only does Breckenridge check volunteers, but staff is screened as well.

"Because we are on Mountain Time, and coupled with the fact that many of our volunteers and staff are only working evening hours, we really couldn't get the check done in any less than seven days," Zwaagstra explains. "We lost a lot of potential staff candidates because of the time it took."

Zwaagstra has recently decreased the time of completing a background check by moving the forms online, which "has streamlined the process" to about three to four days. In the past, her management staff was in charge of shuttling at least 250 pieces of paper forms annually, one for each staff member or volunteer, to the screening company via fax.

Although the process has improved, Zwaagstra still says the timing has its downfalls, such as for one-day volunteer needs during a festival or tournament. "We don't distinguish between a volunteer working in a sports league or a one-time volunteer for a 10k race," she says. "We now have to do heavy recruiting in advance of the event--we can't just have volunteers show up on the day of an event and have them work. Most understand, but it does take advance planning on our part."

In addition, as a Western town that values personal freedom, Zwaagstra was concerned that the comprehensive background checks would give many in the community pause about volunteering. "Our folks aren't into heavy-handed law enforcement," she says. "They come to mountain towns for more privacy, so we were quite worried about how these background checks would be perceived."

She says she hasn't received one complaint since creating the background screening policy, and just explains to potential staff or volunteers that "the reason for the change is that we believe in protecting the safety of our children."

Lee County's Cahill says that she has only lost two volunteers because of privacy concerns. "I understand that people don't want to give personal information in this clay and age," she says. "But because of that, I follow through and think it is extremely important to protect that information."

The hardest piece of information to ask volunteers to divulge is their social security number--Mueller in Longview, Washington, says that although "no one has refused to submit to a background check, it is always a sticky point." To ease volunteers' concerns, he asks them to fill out the online form, and therefore the social security number is never even in hard copy form. "It is the same as if they were purchasing something online," he explains.

Menson says, "Yes, some volunteers are hesitant to give that information. Some may not volunteer-it is unfortunate, but people are worried about identity theft these days. I just try to explain why we do it, and that we are trying to provide the public with the best volunteers we can. So while some may not understand, most do and are happy we are screening people. To me, the positives still outweigh any negatives of performing background cheeks."

Bounced Check

For some park and recreation agencies, it isn't the process of performing background checks, but what happens if it comes back flagged. "You know, people get mad, and it's embarrassing for them, but it is usually cordial," Cahill says. "But for us, that is still the most challenging part of the process, is refusing a volunteer." She suggests having a solid and firm policy in place, as well as a group in place to make decisions when it might be a gray area.

For Cahill, once an individual's check comes back as flagged, she forwards it to the human resources director and attorney for the county. They make the final decision on whether that person is a "no go," she explains. "Once that happens, I send a disqualifying letter that they didn't meet the criteria of our background check policy, and I call that person and review the report with them in a confidential manner on the phone."

Zwaagstra has a similar process in place in Breckenridge, and echoes Cahill that a written policy is imperative. "We wrote out a policy for the recreation department here that spells out specific things we are looking for," she says. "Even things like 'having a negative interaction with police department staff.' We don't wish to hire someone like that. If it is a gray area, I along with the assistant town manager and human resource director make a decision."

Cahill also sends them a free copy of the report for the volunteer's own records, and let's them know that "the decision is final. It can be tough if they want to tell their side of the story, but generally we can't do anything at that point," she says. Although there have been exceptions.

She tells the story of a background screening that showed a volunteer had been ticketed {or "malice and threatening behavior. When I called the gentleman to let him know he'd been denied to volunteer, he suggested we had gotten it wrong, and couldn't figure out where this information was coming from," Cahill says. "He called back the next day and said that it was actually his clog that had gotten the ticket. We called and verified with the human society, and he was right. It just goes to show how thorough these checks are."

Piece of Mind

For all of these park and recreation agencies performing comprehensive background checks, the biggest benefit of the program is providing piece of mind for them and their citizens.

Mueller says, "that when we first started doing checks, the local newspaper ran an article about it and immediately people gave us very positive comments. The true value is assuring your customers that those working with their children have been properly screened."

Zwaagstra agrees. "I think it really demonstrates your commitment to providing a safe environment for children and at-risk participants. This is our no. 1 priority--safety--in Breckenridge."

In Lee County, Cahill takes it a step further and says she wants volunteers to know that they are safe as well. "I explain to them that we are screening you to protect you-those volunteers know that they themselves are in a safe environment and won't be working next to someone who could hurt them.

Clayton, the parent whose daughter attends Lee County events and camps, says that providing background checks acids enormous credibility to their programs. She says, "It just makes you feel that they are doing it right."

Operation: Safe Volunteers

AS KRISTIN MENSON FROM BREC mentions, there are many companies that provide background checks and volunteer management systems for park and recreation agencies. However, many are finding all that their community needs with their professional association of NRPA.

It makes sense, since in 2006 NRPA created recommended guidelines for credentialing volunteers. The association reviewed the resources of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, and sought the counsel of several recognized background screening experts to help develop the guidelines.

According to these guidelines, an effective screening process should:

* raise public awareness of quality programs offered;

* make the safety of all participants, particularly vulnerable groups, a top priority;

* keep people who have a history of inappropriate behavior or who are unfit out of the organization;

* and select the most qualified volunteers and paid staff for positions.

Following these guidelines, NRPA created Operation TLC2: Making Communities Safe. It is a program that even in its first year had quite an impact on park and recreation participants. Almost 225 applicants checked through the program were disqualified out of 3,287 checks conducted in 2007.

The program includes resources such as a training DVD for all volunteers, and promotional DVD to inform decision-makers, volunteer management practice tools to recruit volunteers, and preferred pricing and administrative support on background check services.

Kathy Cahill, volunteer coordinator for Lee County Parks and Recreation in Florida, applauds Operation TLC2 for what she says is "an undervalued service."

"It really is priceless and the vendors are excellent at what they do. It is a great all-in-one program for a great value," she says.

Menson says being involved with Operation TLC2 has been invaluable simply for the policy they provide in the guidelines. "You don't have to create this comprehensive program yourself--NRPA already has a good policy that has been tested," she says. "You can almost adopt the same language they've provided, and start immediately."

DICK Mueller, recreation superintendent for Longview Parks and Recreation in Washington, also uses Operation TLC2, and believes that it is the best way to protect your agency. "I really think NRPA has a great system and an easy-to-follow program that allows you to lessen your liability, but more important protect your citizens."

Operation TLC2 is now available to all members with their membership to NRPA. The toolkit, with access to discounted background screenings is free for park and recreation departments that will screen at least 50 background checks. It is a savings of $995 for members. Visit www.nrpa.org for more information.