Free Republic

SEATTLE - The Seattle City Council voted 8 to 0 to prohibit landlords from using criminal records to screen prospective tenants. The only exception to the new ordinance are sex offenders. City leaders and supporters of the measure; 'Fair Chance Housing Ordinance' insist its goal is to reduce housing discrimination and barriers. Inside Seattle Council Chambers there was overwhelming support for a measure. In short, it will restrict how landlords can use arrest and conviction records to exclude prospective renters. Seattle landlords will no longer be able to ask about criminal records, pending charges, juvenile records or any arrest record...

In a push to hire minority police officers, the Obama administration is asking the nation’s 18,000 law enforcement agencies to forgive drug use, disregard the criminal records of candidates from “underrepresented communities” and lower standards on written and physical exams. It’s part of the administration’s Advancing Diversity in Law Enforcement initiative following a string of officer-involved shootings involving African Americans. Key to the mission is the racial diversification of local law enforcement agencies so that they “better reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.” To accomplish this, several barriers must be removed and the details are outlined in a...

Hillary’s rumored running mate, Housing Secretary Julian Castro, is cooking up a scheme to reallocate funding for Section 8 housing to punish suburbs for being too white and too wealthy. The scheme involves super-sizing vouchers to help urban poor afford higher rents in pricey areas, such as Westchester County, while assigning them government real-estate agents called “mobility counselors” to secure housing in the exurbs. Castro plans to launch the Section 8 reboot this fall, even though a similar program tested a few years ago in Dallas has been blamed for shifting violent crime to affluent neighborhoods. It’s all part of...

President Obama on Monday announced a new executive order that prevents federal agencies from making job-applicants reveal they have a criminal record as part of his overall criminal justice reform effort. The so-called “drop the box” initiative would allow prospective employees not to check a box on some federal applications that acknowledges a criminal record.

Freepers, please help me out on this one. I have a friend who is romantically interested in someone who may not be telling the truth on several matters...whether he's married, has a criminal record, etc. I know there are many sources out there (i.e., "scams") that charge a fee but give very little info. I used to know of some terrific websites on which there was a ton of information for free but I can't seem to track them down at the moment. PLEASE help. I don't want my friend to be duped. Intuition is great. Extra info is even...

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- State Education officials ordered five employees at northern New Jersey schools fired after discovering they have criminal records. One worker was convicted of taking semi-nude photos of an underage child, another took pension money from a widow, and three others are drug offenders. All were working at northern New Jersey schools through last week. Education officials ordered the firings after being told of the workers' convictions by The Record of Bergen County, which investigated school workers' pasts. Education commissioner Lucille Davy said authorities are looking into the problem. School officials say they don't know how many more...

WASHINGTON - Uncle Sam wants YOU, that famous Army recruiting poster says. But does he really? Not if you're a Ritalin-taking, overweight, Generation Y couch potato - or some combination of the above. As for that fashionable "body art" that the military still calls a tattoo, having one is grounds for rejection, too. With U.S. casualties rising in wars overseas and more opportunities in the civilian work force from an improved U.S. economy, many young people are shunning a career in the armed forces. But recruiting is still a two-way street - and the military, too, doesn't want most people...

<p>Some Sacramento area child-care providers are questioning Gov. Gray Davis' emergency regulations forcing them to tell parents if anyone working in or around their facilities was ever convicted of a crime.</p> <p>"I have to inform every parent in my school, whether I have someone who was convicted of shoplifting 15 years ago, or someone who got caught with marijuana when they were 19," said Julie Jenkins, director of Caring Connection Children's Center in West Sacramento.</p>

<p>Parents leaving their children in the care of Mark and Dolores Mossberg are greeted by a lawn sign pronouncing that theirs is a Christian home. The yard is neat. The house is warm. Their record with Social Services is clean. All indications are that the children are in good hands.</p>