Instant Verification set to begin March 1

Wall Township will officially change its background check agency from KidSafe Record Checks to Instant Verification Inc., effective March 1, and all volunteers who work with minors will be required to go through the new company for all future background checks.

The Wall Township Committee discussed the change at a meeting earlier this year, and a letter detailing the change was sent to volunteers and sports league presidents last week.

“This program is for the safety and protection of our town’s children and we greatly appreciate your support in this endeavor,” Recreation Coordinator Edward M. Grill said.

Mr. Grill detailed the procedure for a background test, which consists of fingerprinting. It screens the criminal history of an applicant, but does not search financial or driving records, Mr. Grill said.

New Jersey law outlines which offenses would disqualify an individual from volunteering with minors. An applicant would be denied if they have been convicted of a crime or disorderly persons offense involving danger to the person; against the family, children or “incompetents,” which are legally defined as people with physical or mental impairments; theft; or involvement of any controlled dangerous substance.

Applicants must first make a fingerprinting appointment by visiting www.instantverificationinc.com and clicking on the “Wall Township” link. There, one can print out a Universal Fingerprint Form.

The “fingerprinting instructions” link further details locating the township’s case number to use on the form.

Fingerprinting appointments are then made by visiting the MorphoTrak Web site at www.bioapplicant.com/nj/Default.aspx. Appointments can be made on that site.

Ten days after an applicant is fingerprinted, his or her name will appear on a list of “cleared volunteers” in Wall Township on Instant Verification’s Web site. The only contact an applicant will receive from Instant Verification will be if he or she was not cleared.

“If this is the case,” Mr. Grill stressed, “Instant Verification will contact only you.”

At that point, an applicant who has not been cleared is entitled to receive a copy of his or her record, and can appeal the decision within 30 days. To appeal, applicants must contact Instant Verification, who will then contact Wall Township.

The Wall Township Appeals Committee will ask that applicants provide a copy of their record.

“We will adhere to the strictest confidentiality standards for your protection,” Mr. Grill said in his letter to volunteers. “If, once you see your record, you choose not to appeal, no one will ever know.”

Conversely, those who have been approved to volunteer with minors will have a photo taken for an identification card. Once the process is complete, identification cards can be picked up within two weeks at the Wall Township Recreation Department, 2700 Allaire Road.

Volunteers must have a visible identification card with them at all times.

The first photo sessions are already set for March 8, 18 and 25 in the Municipal Building. They will run from approximately 6 to 9 p.m.

Volunteers who have already had their records approved will not need to be fingerprinted again until their background check expires, but they will be asked to attend a photo session to receive identification cards. Record checks are good for three years, after which time volunteers must be fingerprinted.

Anyone with questions about the new background check process, or who wishes to volunteer with Wall Recreation, is asked to contact Mr. Grill at 732-449-8444 ext. 250.