The Easiest Way for Registered Sex Offenders to get Close to Children May be through a Paint Can

The Easiest Way for Registered Sex Offenders to get Close to Children May be through a Paint Can

At People Search News, we like to look at safety from every angle. Therefore, PSN is urging homeowners looking to have their homes painted this winter to help keep their families safe by screening potential painters through online background checks.
Whether they are expecting friends or family members to stop by for the holidays, or just feel its time for a new look for their home, many homeowners opt to have their homes painted during the winter. However, for numerous reasons, most painters are not properly screened by homeowners for past criminal behavior. The most common reasons that homeowners don't perform background checks on their painters are:
Quick Results: When most homeowners decided to get their homes painted, they want the process com completed as quickly as possible (No one wants to have scaffolding and tarps laying around in the front yard!). Therefore, if a homeowner finds a painter with a great turnaround time and good price, he or she will usually hire that painter immediately.
Informal Job Postings: Painters are also often hired informally through free classified services like Craig's List, neighborhood flyers, or door-to-door solicitation, which further exacerbates a lack of safety because most people think background checks should only be conducted on white collar workers.
Cash Transactions or "Under the table" Payment: Regardless of whose fault it is, most painters are paid in cash and the payment for their services is often not reported to the IRS. Therefore, most painters won't ask for W-2 forms, don't need benefits, or require much paper work to start, thus running a background check may seem out of place for homeowners.
The above list shows just a few of the ways that a sex offender can end up painting your home. However, you may ask, "Could we be making a mountain out of a mole hill here in regards to hiring a painter with a criminal past?" Sadly, the answer is a resounding "no." First off, painters have access to your home and may come inside your home several times during the course of their day. Secondly, because they often spend long hours at your home, painters often know your family's schedule, the layout of your home and even if your children are home alone. Finally, it is extremely easier to let a sex offender into your home, than it would be a park or school, if he or she is working as a painter. Rightfully so, there would be public outrage if a registered sex offender spent his day near children playing in a park. However, no one ever stops to think about the possibility of a sex offender working near children in a child's own home.
So what can you do to make sure that a painter you are considering doesn't have a criminal past? PSN recommends an online background check. A comprehensive background check can provide information on an individual's business, marital and criminal history, including whether a particular individual is a registered sex offender. Background checks vary in price but most range from around $19.95 to $75.00. Additionally, most sites can provide you with a background check report on your subject in under a half hour. Finally, when you are ready to perform your background check, we recommend that you visit an established people search site like peoplefinders PeopleFinders instead of opting for a fly-by-night web site with a lower price. For more information on people search web sites, check out peoplesearchnews reviewsPSN's reviews. Founded in 2006, peoplesearchnews People Search News is a Cayucos, California based non-commercial online source for people search and people finder related news and information.