10 Pioneers of the Background Check Industry


Posted on April 16, 2012 by admin | in Background Check

Though its recent popularity is greater than ever before, the background check industry has roots that extend farther back than one might think. Many developments came together to create the industry as we know it today. Here are ten of the pioneering people and organizations in background screening.

  1. Henry Fielding – The creator of the forerunner to the modern police records system, Henry Fielding’s contributions to law enforcement and modern private investigation is undeniable. His Bow Street Runners, the first professional police force, were responsible for several advancements in criminal justice.
  2. J. Edgar Hoover – His creation of the first fingerprint database and obsession with data collection left an indelible mark on the methods investigators use to collect information.
  3. Eugene Francois Vidocq – One of the most important and controversial aspects of a full background check is the ability to access sensitive consumer report information; this is due in part to the work of French convict-turned-lawman Eugene Francois Vidocq who created the world’s first credit reporting agency.
  4. Allan Pinkerton – America’s first private investigator, the legendary Scottish-born Allan Pinkerton was responsible for many advancement in law enforcement and investigative techniques in both the public and private sectors.
  5. Jim and Sarah Brady – After being injured in the assassination attempt on President Reagan, Jim Brady suffered permanent paralysis and some brain damage. In response to this, he and his wife Sarah became crusaders for more stringent gun control laws, which spawned the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. This law requires that all people attempting to purchase a firearm must first submit to a background check.
  6. Lester Rosen – The founder of Employment Screening Resources, Lester Rosen formed his firm in 1996 after working for the Doane Agency. Qualified as a employment screening expert and a recognized expert in the field, Mr. Rosen is one of the industry’s foremost figures.
  7. NAPBS – The National Association of Professional Background Screeners is the leading non-profit trade association for companies that offer background screening services. Their mission of promoting ethical hiring and compliance with federal law places them among the figureheads in the industry.
  8. Steve Brownstein – In response to the lack of industry standards, Steve Brownstein held the first background check industry conference in Long Beach, California in 2000. This conference led to more events in Tampa, Florida on an even larger scale and strove to introduce an industry standard system.
  9. Pre-Employ.Com – As one of the very first internet-based background screening companies, Pre-Employ.Com helped to revolutionize the process of background checks by streamlining and speeding up the process.
  10. Past-Employ.Com – Part of the Pre-Employ.Com family, this website was designed in 2005 to streamline the employment verification process even further by creating a system for verifying past salary and employment information.

The background screening and investigative industry is an ever-evolving one; as legal implications and admissibility changes, so must the service providers and industry leaders. These companies and individuals have aided dramatically in creating today’s multi-million dollar industry.

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