South Carolina state police build database to improve background screenings

South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is addressing concerns raised by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that many hope will strengthen how the department shares and handles information, such as the data featured in standard background screenings. To remedy the data-sharing concerns, SLED is hiring nearly a dozen workers to establish its new Criminal Justice Information Services computer equipment. While the agency hopes the database will allow officers to find out if a suspect has a criminal background in- or out-of-state, it will also be crucial to employment background screenings, Greenville Online reports. The database will allow applicants for teaching positions, as well as those working in childcare, to be more accurately screened. The newspaper notes that a miscommunication in the data could endanger the public. The improvements to SLED's data-sharing and screening processes are being made possible due to a $10 million budget increase this year, which calls for the agency to hire nearly 90 more staff members, The Aiken Standard reports.