Background Checks

All long-term Pinellas County volunteers are required to complete a Florida Department of Law Enforcement/Federal Bureau of Investigation (FDLE/FBI) background check, including fingerprinting, prior to assignment.

It is important to note that we recognize that there are some long-term volunteers in the system who have not been fingerprinted. Normally it takes from three to 10 days to receive the results. If the print is not accepted, the volunteer candidate will be required to be fingerprinted a second time.

If a volunteer requires fingerprinting, it is the responsibility of the department to coordinate fingerprinting with Volunteer Services. To serve you and our volunteers better, please call Volunteer Services for an appointment for fingerprinting and orientation at 464-3068. Appointments are available between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

As we reassign these long-term volunteers, a background check will be obtained to catch up with any who have not gone through the process previously.

Review of Adverse Background Information on Candidates

The review process for determining the suitability of an individual as a long-term volunteer, when adverse information has been received from the FDLE, is described below. This information is commonly referred to as an “ident”.

Step-by-Step Process

• Background check is conducted by Volunteer Services. Results are obtained from the FDLE and FBI. If check proves no adverse information, volunteer site coordinator is notified and individual is authorized to begin assignment immediately.
• If FDLE report returns an ident, Volunteer Services begins the following review process:
  • Confirmation is obtained from Justice and Consumer Services as to completeness of information and whether the ident was only an arrest or resulted in a conviction. Date of the action and final deposition is also determined.
  • The volunteer’s application and FDLE waiver are reviewed to determine if the arrest was acknowledged.
  • If a conviction is listed as a felony, crime of violence, or abuse of children, the applicant will be ineligible to volunteer.
  • For all other charges, the information will be reviewed by the following departments:
    • Director of Human Resources – to determine compatibility with personnel policy and procedures
    • Director of the department in which the applicant wishes to serve- to make the final determination as to the acceptability of the volunteer if the applicant meets the personnel and legal criteria
• If the applicant is accepted, Volunteer Services will follow procedures described in (1) above.
• If not accepted, the respective department will notify the applicant that his/her volunteer service has been denied.