A
quick, drying wipe on the pants, another "slap and roll"
across a portable scanner's surface, and Angelman is satisfied
with the result. Had this been anything other than a demonstration,
the Department of Justice and, possibly the FBI as well, would
be running those prints through their records in a matter of hours.
Angelman
and her husband, Allan, operate Angelman's Fingerprinting For
You, the only mobile Live Scan Fingerprinting service in Solano
County.
The
couple just marked the company's first anniversary and, while
it has yet to provide for full-time employment, they have been
kept busy. That's because more and more organizations and companies
are demanding that prospective employees and volunteers not only
fill the cup, but also hold out their hands.
"California
is getting to the point where everybody has to be fingerprinted,"
Angelman said after showcasing the procedure at the company's
satellite office in Dixon.
The
list of professions requiring fingerprinting is long and includes
the like of teachers, daycare employees, homecare providers, nurses,
doctors, security guards, Realtors, attorneys, pharmacists and
psychologists. " Churches are also requiring a lot of their
volunteers to be fingerprinted because they watch children,"
Angelman pointed out. "Sports clubs are doing it because
of their coaches.
"In
a lot of volunteer agencies, you're looking for somebody who's
not a sexual predator or involved with drugs."
Technology
has changed the way we operate nearly everything in our lives,
and fingerprinting is no different. The time-honored ink-and-index-card
method was legislated into the history books in 1997 when the
state's Department of Justice developed the automated background
check program called Live Scan, which processes digitized fingerprints.
The
ink method was subject to smudging or fading, and using snail
mail to submit the cards served to eat up valuable time. Now,
using a computer supplied by the DoJ and the FBI, and an encrypted
line via a Virtual Private Network, the Angelmans submit the prints
electronically.
"Usually,
you can get the approval back within days, as opposed to months,"
said Angelman.
Just
as companies or organizations must apply for an Offender Record
Information code number before they can have someone's fingerprints
taken, the Angelmans, too, had to go through a process before
they could start the business.
A
friend who supplies the service in Placer County told them that
the DoJ was looking for someone to run a mobile Live Scan operation
in Solano County. It took two years for all the background checks
and paperwork to be completed.
"We
work under heavy guidelines," Angelman said. "We're
audited. We're checked for our level of security. The machines
are locked up; the records are locked up."
While
she's not aware that their work has helped track down any of America's
Most Wanted - the Angelmans do not have access to an individual's
records or to the results of the background checks - there have
been some interesting incidents.
"We've
had people back away and say they didn't want to be fingerprinted,"
she said. "That tells you something's not right."
She
also recalled processing one man for a new job who happened to
mention that this wasn't how he was fingerprinted in jail over
the weekend.
"And
then he looked up and saw that his new boss was standing there,"
Angelman laughed. "He said, 'Did I say that out loud?' and
I said, 'Yes, you did.'
"The
good news is that he ended up getting the job."
Although
they are based in Solano County, Sacramento County and Napa County
have become two of the Angelmans' biggest clients.
"As
a private individual, I'd rather do business with someone that
has taken those precautions versus not," Angelman said. "Because
they've tried to take every precautionary measure for the safety
of their staff and the people they care for."
Toting
the laptop and the scanner, the couple advertises a 24/7 availability,
but they prefer working evenings and weekends, and then strictly
by appointment. Their business has grown via word-of-mouth and
referrals, but they take a personal interest in educating people
about the benefits of doing a background check.
"A
lot of time, people don't take action until something happens,"
Angelman said. "To me, if you have to take action after something
happened, it's too late. And once something bad happens, you can
never change it. The damage is done for life."
The
company also offers a child ID service, using software that records
a child's photo and their fingerprints and then burns that information
to a CD for the parents' records. It's a precautionary measure
that Angelman recommends be done on an annual basis until the
child turns 18, as facial features change and fingers grow and
acquire the nicks and cuts and scars that mark the adventure of
growing up.
Angelman
said the new business has been enjoyable so far.
"You
meet a lot of interesting people," she said. "It's something
we believe in - as a business owner, that helps to make you more
successful."
Contact
Angelman's Fingerprinting Just For You
at 693-1947, (916) 996-7409 or via livescan@angelmansnotary.com.
The company's Web site is at www.angelmansnotary.com.
The
Vacaville Reporter
