COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Sheriff's Office

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

 

DATE:

May 28, 2002

BOARD MEETING DATE:

June 18, 2002

 

TO:
Honorable Board of Supervisors
   

FROM:

Sheriff Don Horsley

   

SUBJECT:
Standardize LiveScan Fingerprinting Fees
   
   

Recommendation

Adopt an Ordinance amending existing Ordinance No. 03882, standardizing the LiveScan applicant fingerprinting fee at $18 pursuant to the recommendation of the CAL-ID RAN Board.

 

Background

Criminal record checks of job applicants through fingerprint screening are an increasingly common requirement throughout the State and nationally. New legislation has continued to add criminal fingerprinting requirements for an expanding list of various jobs, particularly those involving the care or education of children, elderly, or other vulnerable people. Since September 11th, there has also been an increase in security clearance requirements for sensitive government or private sector positions. Pursuant to Penal Code Section 11122, any person desiring a copy of his/her own criminal justice record for employment purposes must complete an application form and the printing agency may charge a reasonable fee for processing of the application and fingerprints.

The Sheriff's Office fingerprints and processes approximately 5,500 job applicants annually, and also has about 100 contracts in place with San Mateo county government, private and non-profit employers, establishing monthly agency billing for processing job applicants for these employers. Other cities and the Superintendent of Schools Office also provide applicant fingerprinting. The current fee charged by the Sheriff's Office is $12 per applicant, which was last reviewed and updated four years ago. Fees charged directly to applicants or employers by the California Department of Justice for researching prints and criminal records are separate from the local fees charged by agencies for the actual taking and processing of fingerprints.

 

Discussion

Over the last two years, and with the implementation of the LawNet system, the CAL-ID network of LiveScan automated laser fingerprint scanning machines has expanded considerably. In addition to the County, the Courts and the Superintendent of Schools Office, five cities now have LiveScan machines, and more will follow over the next few years.

At the direction of the RAN Board, the Sheriff's Office updated a fiscal study of the cost incurred per applicant fingerprinting (copy attached), which would be used as a guide for establishing a standardized countywide fee. The study indicated a cost of $17.98 (or $18, rounded) per applicant print. At it's meeting on May 2, 2002, the RAN Board reviewed the cost study, and recommended that a standard fee of $18 be adopted by all San Mateo County agencies for processing of applicant fingerprints. The intent is that a County citizen (job applicant) will pay the same fee for fingerprinting wherever in the County he/she happens to have their print taken, whether by the Sheriff's Office, a City police department, or the Superintendent of Schools Office. Adoption of this Ordinance will accomplish the RAN Board's recommendation of standardizing the County's fee to align with other San Mateo County local jurisdictions, which are also in the process of adjusting their fee schedule to the recommended $18 per-applicant standard.

 

Vision Alignment

This action aligns with several Shared Vision 2010 commitments, most particularly Commitment 22 - "County and local governments effectively communicate, collaborate, and develop strategic approaches to issues affecting the entire County." This Ordinance has been reviewed and approved as to legal form by County Counsel.

 

Fiscal Impact

The Sheriff's Office utilizes a combination of permanent staff hours and adjustable part-time extra help staff hours to perform fingerprinting services, the cost of which is offset by approximately $60,000 annually from fingerprinting fee revenues. This Ordinance change will adjust the fee to reflect increased costs of performing the service (approximately an additional $15,000), primarily from increased labor costs. The increased costs and revenues are already included within the FY 2002-03 Recommended Sheriff's Office budget. The increased revenue will help allow the department to meet the 2002-03 Net County Cost budget target, by offsetting increased business costs.

cc
CAL-ID RAN Board Members