[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 17, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS EMPLOYMENT REGISTRATION 
                              ACT OF 1996

                                 ______


                          HON. HARRY JOHNSTON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 17, 1996

  Mr. JOHNSTON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Law 
Enforcement and Correctional Officers Employment Registration Act of 
1996. This bill will establish a national clearinghouse to assist in 
background checks on applicants for law enforcement jobs. The bill is a 
companion to S. 484, introduced by my colleague in the other body, 
Senator Bob Graham.
  This legislation will establish a national data bank providing quick 
and accurate information regarding an officer's prior employment 
history. Maintained by the Department of Justice, it will be accessible 
to law enforcement agencies to assist in background checks of those 
seeking employment.
  The intent of this legislation is to help prevent what have been 
commonly known as ``Rogue Cops''. These are police officers who have 
been dismissed or have been forced to resign from previous positions 
but conceal their employment history in job applications. Florida 
Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner James T. Moore said, 
``Experience has shown that, after being found guilty of misconduct, 
many problem officers resign or are fired, only to seek police jobs 
elsewhere.''
  The clearinghouse will simply be a pointer file, maintaining basic 
information on all certified officers, including name, date of birth, 
Social Security number, and dates of employment. To protect the rights 
of officers, it would not contain information relating to causes of 
dismissal. The potential employer would still hold primary 
responsibility for conducting a thorough background check, but this 
measure will mean officers could no longer conceal their prior 
employment history simply by moving from one State to another.
  The 1990 beating death of Bobby Jewett in West Palm Beach is a 
devastating example of the consequences of concealed records. Once the 
employment histories of the two officers involved in the death were 
uncovered, it was revealed that they had gone through four States and 
eight different law enforcement agencies. Much of this had been left 
out of their job applications.
  This legislation has the support of both national law enforcement 
organizations and local authorities. Few agencies have the personnel 
and resources to conduct thorough background checks on police 
applications. A nationwide data base is needed.

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