WHEREAS, growing public awareness and concern about safety and security matters have stretched thin the resources of public law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), limiting their capacity to meet the ever-growing number of calls for service because their fiscal resources have not increased commensurately with the demand; and WHEREAS, the growth of the private security industry reflects the increased demands for services to supplement, but not replace, those performed by law enforcement officers; and WHEREAS, although 40 states currently regulate individuals who provide private security officer services, criminal records checks that meet state regulatory requirements are often limited to inquiries in the state in which application is being made; and WHEREAS, the cost to conduct criminal background checks of such private security officers has been funded historically through charges to the individual making application for licensing or that individual’s employer, so that these checks are self-funding when the proceeds are dedicated for that purpose and not diverted to a general fund; and WHEREAS, as the number of private security officers continues to grow, conducting timely and thorough background investigations becomes increasingly important as a matter of public safety; and WHEREAS, the capability to check private security officer applicants through state and FBI criminal fingerprint records systems, plus automated state and federal files of outstanding arrest warrants or court orders would greatly enhance the likelihood of detecting applicants disqualified for such positions as well as those wanted by law enforcement agencies; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 104th annual conference in Orlando, Florida, support federal or state legislation that will authorize and facilitate, on a dedicated fee-for-service basis, timely criminal records checks of private security officer applicants through use of fingerprint comparisons using state and FBI criminal history records systems as part of the process in determining the suitability of such individuals for employment as private security officers; and, be it FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP convey its position of support for such authorization to all members of Congress, members of state legislatures, and federal and state officials.