Instant Background Checks Protect the Vulnerable

Have you heard? Seattle Children's Hospital has a new and improved security system. Since its implementation in the past two weeks, Children's has identified and confirmed four sex offenders, of whom three were refused entry and the fourth was escorted by security while he visited a family member.

The new system identifies sex offenders and other potentially dangerous individuals by simultaneously performing a criminal background check and scanning the visitor's photo ID. The instant results make it possible to clear every visitor on premises and achieve total security. Visitors then receive time-sensitive ID stickers to prevent ID fraud. Not only does the ability to integrate instant background checks into the system protect patients and personnel, it also greatly reduces management's risk and liability.

Now, that's good news. We don't want sex offenders wondering around a children's hospital. It really is awe-inspiring how quickly technology produces new ways to keep us protected. If you think about it, there really isn't any other way but to know more about those who surround us, and fast. People used to live in small towns and knew everything about each other, and the dangerous element was cast out into the wilderness. Nowadays, the big city is the wilderness, the concrete jungle where one can easily get lost in the crowds, maintaining total anonymity. Hence, cities have a lot more crime and need improved measures to combat it, like instant background checks. And certain places, like hospitals, have even more responsibility for the safety of its often-feeble patients, especially when they are children.