ARRL Board of Directors Acts Against Intrusive Background Checks

At their annual Meetings the ARRL Board adopted a formal stance against intrusive background checks by served agencies and third party groups. The text of their decision reads:  

VOTED that the following resolution be ADOPTED:

WHEREAS, ARRL volunteers routinely provide public service and disaster relief communications; and

WHEREAS, governmental agencies and public service agencies may need to verify identities of volunteers and establish that volunteers do not have a criminal background; and

WHEREAS, theft of identity and loss of personal data has become a matter of great concern to many individuals;

NOW THEREFORE, the ARRL Board of Directors adopts the following policy relating to memoranda of understandings with other parties:

“Ideally, Amateur Radio emergency communications volunteers participating in ARRL-sponsored programs should not be required by served agencies to undergo background investigations of any kind. However, it is generally acceptable for a served agency to require these volunteers to undergo a criminal background check, preferably performed by a law-enforcement entity. It is not reasonable for a served agency to require these volunteers to consent to credit checks, mode of living investigations, or investigative consumer reports. In negotiating or renegotiating memoranda of understanding that commit the League to provide volunteer emergency communications support, the League must be assured that these volunteers will not be required by the partner organization to consent to credit investigations, mode of living investigations, or investigative consumer reports.”

I have previously written about the problems with allowing served agencies to second guess the qualifications of Emcomm Volunteers through mandatory background checks. You will find more in the articles:

Skeletons in the Closet? Make Them Dance for You – Strategies for Dealing with Background Checks

Red Faced & Cross? – Dealing with the Red Cross Background Check Request

and

Seven Days Grace for Volunteers – Red Cross and ARRL fail to reach an agreement on Background Checks

Currently the ARRL website has a narrative piece about all the initiatives the ARRL board addressed at its 2007 Annual Meeting.

As a follow on to taking a stance against served agencies invasive background check requirements, the board has started the process for further formalization of volunteer accreditation.

More on that in a future article.

73

Steve
K9ZW