New York DMV announces new background check for bus drivers

The Department of Motor Vehicles in New York recently announced a new security policy for school bus drivers in the state. In a recent announcement, DMV Commissioner David J. Swarts said that bus drivers would now be required to get their fingerprints scanned electronically, creating a quicker way for schools around the state to do a background screening when hiring. The system will replace an ink and paper method, a process that Swarts said will decrease the amount of money spent by the state. "Accurate and timely processing of criminal and civil fingerprints is crucial to public safety. I applaud DMV’s decision to embrace electronic fingerprinting of school bus drivers," acting Division of Criminal Justice Services commissioner Sean M. Byrne said in an interview with the paper. "As the list of occupations requiring a criminal history record check as a condition of employment has grown, DCJS has made it a priority to eliminate the submission of ink-and-roll prints. In fact, the agency now processes more than 520,000 civil fingerprints annually, and nearly all of them are submitted electronically." Other states have begun the process of processing fingerprints electronically. The Delaware News reports that the Delaware Police Department has begun offering free electronic fingerprinting for employers in the state.