Thanks to a newly established Bureau of Indian Affairs service, Indian tribes and schools can now better protect their children by using a fingerprint service that will detect the past criminal history of prospective and newly hired employees.
"We are very pleased to announce this important and, needed new service, which will help to ensure the safety and well-being of our Indian children," says Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada E. Deer.
The BIA's Division of Law Enforcement Services has hired Security Specialist Kay Hayes to serve as its liaison with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the fingerprint service. Tribes and tribal organizations that need background checks through the fingerprint service can contact Hayes .at the _Division of Law Enforcement Services, Operational Support Branch, P.O. Box 66, Albuquerque, N. M. 87103. (The office is located at 123 Fourth Street SW, Room 217, in Albuquerque). The current cost for each fingerprint search is $22. Information about procedures and training is available by calling Hayes at (505) 766-8000, fax (505) 766-1425.
"This is a great opportunity for tribes to comply easily with The Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (Public Law 101-630) and the Crime Control Act of 1990, Child Care Worker Employee Background Checks (Public Law 101-647)," says Ted Quasula, the director of the BIA's Division of Law Enforcement Services. Under the Crime Control Act, each Federal agency and facility, including those operated under contract, are required to perform a fingerprint check for each existing and newly hired employee who provides childcare services to Indian children (under the age of 18). The FBI fingerprint search includes a check of past state criminal history. However, the FBI search does not include local or tribal criminal histories.
