Fairgoers Concerned About Spotty Background Checks

“A week after three sex offenders were fired from the Washington State Fair for lying about past crimes on their job applications, officials are clearing up misinformation about how background checks are conducted and who is targeted. But  one thing is clear: Many seasonal workers aren’t subject to screening at all. Fair spokeswoman Karen LaFlamme said initial reports miscategorized the process as “random background checking,” and she acknowledged officials could have offered a clearer description. “It wasn’t meant to mislead,” she said. “There are so many parts and pieces to it.”

The fair actually screens about 200 ride operators — roughly one-third of the total number of ride workers. But there’s nothing random about it; the fair focuses on workers who have the most access to young children. Puyallup police spokesman Scott Engle said his department thought the checks were conducted randomly until The News Tribune started looking into the process this week.

The Washington State Fair, which ends Sunday, is known for providing short-term employment to hundreds of people, many of whom struggle to find regular work or need extra cash. The fair works with vendors and contractors, such as Oregon-based Funtastic Inc., to offer rides, games and food to more than a million visitors over 17 days.

At the beginning of this year’s fair, three Level 1 sex offenders — those least likely to reoffend — were fired from jobs operating rides after Funtastic learned of their past crimes. Engle said police haven’t investigated any criminal behavior at the fair this year. Still, the recent firings have left some fairgoers concerned about spotty background checks that could let some offenders slip under the radar.

Emily Regal, a 36-year-old mother of four from Spanaway, said it isn’t unreasonable for all fair workers to undergo background checks. “When I got hired, they did a full background check,” she said. “And I work at Home Depot.” She said ride operators especially should be subject to the same standards “for the safety of not only kids, but everyone.”

Sex offenders hired for fair jobs dealing with children isn’t a new problem, Engle said. About three to five sex offenders on average are fired from the fair each year for falsifying information on their applications. Engle said there’s no perfect way to pinpoint offenders, but the best practice is screening anyone who’s in close contact with children.  We’re never going to catch every single (sex offender) 100 percent of the time, because you have those folks who are deceptive,” he said.”

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Originally posted by The News Tribune and can be viewed at http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/09/19/2794643/not-all-fair-workers-undergo-background.html