On September 18, 2012, the FGCU Board of Trustees approved Regulation FGCU-PR5.006 requiring background checks for all employees. On January 22, 2013 the President approved FGCU Policy 3.037 regarding background checks for employees. Current employees who have received a verified level 2 criminal background checks by FGCU University Police Department (UPD) or another agency, with the results reported to FGCU Human Resources, on or after July 1, 2012 are considered in compliance with the current policy.

In an effort to make it convenient to comply with the required background checks, the University Police Department (UPD) has made the arrangements listed below to assist you. All fingerprinting is by appointment and is set in 15 minute increments, so please be on time. There are daytime as well as evening hour appointments in an effort to accommodate everyone’s schedule. Fingerprints will be taken from Monday, February 18^th through Friday, April 26^th, 2013.

Fingerprinting of all affected employees must be completed by April 26^th, in order to be in compliance with the University’s regulation and policy for criminal background checks. Your full cooperation and timely compliance with this policy by current employees is required.

FINGERPRINTING PROCESS:

• UPD is conducting fingerprinting at Griffin Hall #136, this is located in Suite 154 (Telecommunications area, next to the elevator) for your convenience.
• Dates, times and hours of appointments can be found at http://www.fgcu.edu/UPD/publicnotices.html
• Click on http://fgcufingerprints.checkappointments.com/ to schedule your appointment.
• From the website please print and complete the VECHS waiver form and bring it with you.
• Bring your driver’s license (DL). By swiping your DL, many data fields are automatically completed and will save time.
• Arrive on time.
• Please wash your hands before arriving.
• This is an electronic fingerprinting process. Therefore, no ink is used.
• A small percentage of people are difficult to obtain good prints from due to a variety of reasons*.  Within the 15 minute appointment time, we will try to obtain the best prints possible.

*A small percentage of submitted prints are rejected either by Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). If rejected, you will be contacted to schedule a new appointment for retaking prints.

The criminal history obtained from this fingerprinting is a "Level 2 background check" and is defined in Florida Statute 435. Level 2 refers to a state and national fingerprint based check, and applies to those employees, or volunteers designated by law as holding positions of responsibility or trust. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Volunteer & Employee Criminal History System (VECHS) fingerprinting process involves a search of the following databases:

• The Florida Computerized Criminal History Central Repository for Florida arrests (STATE CHECK)
• The Florida Computerized Criminal History Central Repository for Florida arrests AND the national criminal history database at the FBI for federal arrests and arrests from other states (STATE AND NATIONAL CHECK) and
•  The Florida Crime Information Center for warrants and domestic violence injunctions (HOT FILES CHECK)

The FGCU Police Department is a qualified VECHS entity through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). All criminal history/background checks are electronically transmitted to FDLE. After FDLE checks their statewide database, they then forward fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI) for a check of their national database.

Our state of the art fingerprinting system is LiveScan which allows electronic scanning of fingerprints, as well as electronic submission to the FDLE, and the FBI. We generally have results of the criminal history/background check available within one week.

The fee is $40.00 for fingerprinting students, considered volunteers in some college programs, such as Nursing, Physical Therapy, Clinical Laboratory Science, Athletic Training, etc.

The fee is $55.00 for printing FGCU employees, usually covered by the hiring department.

Questions:

For questions concerning the policy or persons needing to be fingerprinted:

Please contact Susan Baurer, Human Resources, 239-590-1441.

For questions involving the fingerprint appointment website, VECHS form or fingerprint:

Please contact Dianna Sandora, UPD, 239-590-1904.