No Background Checks For California Department Of Forestry Firefighters
May 20, 2007
California - How can a firefighter with a criminal record and possible ties to a criminal street gang work his way up the ranks of the state's fire prevention agency? With relative ease, actually, fire officials said. California Department of Forestry officials in Tulare County admitted Friday that a background check is not required to work as a firefighter at the department.
The disclosure comes in the wake of a Recorder story that revealed a former CDF-Tulare County Fire Department firefighter is facing felony vandalism charges for allegedly spray painting gang graffiti on several buildings in the town of Pixley -- while in uniform.
Pixley residents said Juan Cardona Valdez, a 32-year-old former CDF engineer, spray painted red Norteno gang graffiti over blue Sureno graffiti in early December.
With a background check, officials likely would have discovered Valdez's conviction for petty theft in 2005 and for driving under the influence of alcohol in 1998.
"[CDF] does not have a background check requirement," CDF Tulare Unit Chief Ed Wristen said. "It is something we are looking into.
"Situations like this hurt, they hurt, and it stresses the point we need to head in that direction."
The lack of background checks, officials admit, does expose the department to potential extreme security breaches -- CDF operates 39 conservation camps statewide, where 4,000 inmates work alongside firefighters to respond to a variety of emergency responses.
"I am just speaking off of the top of my head, but I don't believe the firefighters who monitor the inmates go through background checks either," CDF Tulare Unit Division Chief Frank Spandler said. "The only people who go through background checks are those who go through peace officer training."
Each of the four local fire agencies -- Visalia, Tulare, Porterville and Dinuba city fire departments -- have taken the steps to require potential firefighters to disclose their pasts through rigorous background checks.
So has the newly formed Tulare County Fire Department, which begins operations July 1.
The department will use "Live Scan," an electronic fingerprint system that's linked to the FBI and state Justice Department's databases.
"We are hiring people and it's good to know who we are hiring," TCFD Operation Chief Ted Mendoza said. "We want to make sure we are getting people who are prepared to do the job, to avoid situations like the one just mentioned."
Written by Porterville Recorder
May 20, 2007
California - How can a firefighter with a criminal record and possible ties to a criminal street gang work his way up the ranks of the state's fire prevention agency? With relative ease, actually, fire officials said. California Department of Forestry officials in Tulare County admitted Friday that a background check is not required to work as a firefighter at the department.
The disclosure comes in the wake of a Recorder story that revealed a former CDF-Tulare County Fire Department firefighter is facing felony vandalism charges for allegedly spray painting gang graffiti on several buildings in the town of Pixley -- while in uniform.
Pixley residents said Juan Cardona Valdez, a 32-year-old former CDF engineer, spray painted red Norteno gang graffiti over blue Sureno graffiti in early December.
With a background check, officials likely would have discovered Valdez's conviction for petty theft in 2005 and for driving under the influence of alcohol in 1998.
"[CDF] does not have a background check requirement," CDF Tulare Unit Chief Ed Wristen said. "It is something we are looking into.
"Situations like this hurt, they hurt, and it stresses the point we need to head in that direction."
The lack of background checks, officials admit, does expose the department to potential extreme security breaches -- CDF operates 39 conservation camps statewide, where 4,000 inmates work alongside firefighters to respond to a variety of emergency responses.
"I am just speaking off of the top of my head, but I don't believe the firefighters who monitor the inmates go through background checks either," CDF Tulare Unit Division Chief Frank Spandler said. "The only people who go through background checks are those who go through peace officer training."
Each of the four local fire agencies -- Visalia, Tulare, Porterville and Dinuba city fire departments -- have taken the steps to require potential firefighters to disclose their pasts through rigorous background checks.
So has the newly formed Tulare County Fire Department, which begins operations July 1.
The department will use "Live Scan," an electronic fingerprint system that's linked to the FBI and state Justice Department's databases.
"We are hiring people and it's good to know who we are hiring," TCFD Operation Chief Ted Mendoza said. "We want to make sure we are getting people who are prepared to do the job, to avoid situations like the one just mentioned."
Written by Porterville Recorder
