[Billyg]

I am thinking of hiring a helper. Does anyone know how do I do a background check?
Thx

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

The Federal government is discouraging criminal background checks.

You're right. The Feds claim that employers are discriminating when they refuse to hire ex-felons. Everything is upside down today.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by spk7951

From today's Leesburg Daily COmmercial:




Man takes care of lawn, jewelry

Published: Saturday, March 09, 2013

THE VILLAGES

MILLARD K. IVES | Staff Writer

millardives@dailycommercial.com

A Leesburg man is in jail after being accused of breaking into a home and stealing $5,000 in cash and jewelry -- the same home where he was performing lawn maintenance.

Matthew John Kalarovich II, 25, was charged with burglary and grand theft, and initially placed in the Sumter County jail in lieu of $7,000 bail. According to jail officials, a judge raised his bail to $17,000 in light of his criminal history.

Lt. Bobby Caruthers, spokesman for the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, said Kalarovich was conducting lawn maintenance at a home in The Villages on Tuesday when the homeowners left for Plant City sometime around noon.

Kalarovich allegedly entered the home through an unlocked door and stole the items. Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Kevin Hofecker said on Friday that some of the stolen property has been recovered after it was discovered that Kalarovich sold some of the jewelry to a second-hand gold dealer in Leesburg.

It is not clear how long Kalarovich has been employed with the unidentified lawn maintenace company, but Caruthers said the homeowners reported that it had been different employees who had worked on their lawn before.

Caruthers said the sheriff's office would determine if Kalarovich could be linked to any other burglaries in Sumter County. According to the Lake County jail website, Kalarovich has been arrested at least three times since 2006 on burglary charges, including more than a dozen counts during a February 2012 arrest.

In a press release on the arrest, Sheriff Bill Farmer offered the following safety tips in securing your home.

n Never allow maintenance workers unsupervised inside your home;

n Always lock and secure your residence when away;

n Secure all valuables and important documents in a safety deposit box at your financial institution;

n If you have a home safe, make sure it is properly secured to the floor and kept locked; and

n Do not share codes and lock combinations with anyone.

If anyone would like more information on how to better secure their home, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office offers free home security surveys where a deputy -- certified in home protection -- will inspect the residence and offer suggestions on better protection. To schedule an appointment, residents in The Villages can call the Sheriff's Village Annex at 352-689-4600; and other residents can call the sheriff's office in Bushnell at 352-569-1600.

This is quite unfortunate for the home owner, to say the least and in reading the subsequent posts, it certainly gives residents the creeps....plus I agree, why was he out of jail? Innocent folks should be protected. Retired folks deserve peace of mind in their new surroundings.

We've decided to put our home on the market once we finish "downsizing" and decluttering.......painting, recarpeting, etc..........so this bit of news won't deter us.......however, I agree with the poster who says that we all should be made aware and know what's going on.

Also, can't help but think that this is the difference between really living in a small town where everyone knows each other....and your landscapers are actual residents and children and grandchildren of your own neighbors and townsfolks whom you've known since they were born.........whom you can trust around your house.....ditto for carpenters and pool guys, etc.

This is the difference, sad to say, with TV. No one really knows the families of their workmen.........nor the background of their workmen.

To think that some might be felons or ex cons , does indeed give one a creepy feeling..........

Just this morning, after reading this, we discussed that we would install a security alarm system in our TV home......something we've never ever felt a need for in all our 48 years of marriage............but seems like the right thing to do.

To be fair, even in small towns... people are now urged to lock their doors, whereas in the past.......people left their keys in their cars and doors unlocked. Times have changed all over.......for sure.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

This is quite unfortunate for the home owner, to say the least and in reading the subsequent posts, it certainly gives residents the creeps....plus I agree, why was he out of jail? Innocent folks should be protected. Retired folks deserve peace of mind in their new surroundings.

We've decided to put our home on the market once we finish "downsizing" and decluttering.......painting, recarpeting, etc..........so this bit of news won't deter us.......however, I agree with the poster who says that we all should be made aware and know what's going on.

Also, can't help but think that this is the difference between really living in a small town where everyone knows each other....and your landscapers are actual residents and children and grandchildren of your own neighbors and townsfolks whom you've known since they were born.........whom you can trust around your house.....ditto for carpenters and pool guys, etc.

This is the difference, sad to say, with TV. No one really knows the families of their workmen.........nor the background of their workmen.

To think that some might be felons or ex cons , does indeed give one a creepy feeling..........

Just this morning, after reading this, we discussed that we would install a security alarm system in our TV home......something we've never ever felt a need for in all our 48 years of marriage............but seems like the right thing to do.

To be fair, even in small towns... people are now urged to lock their doors, whereas in the past.......people left their keys in their cars and doors unlocked. Times have changed all over.......for sure.

Senior, You are right as usual, but we are so different from a small town and one that we have known everyone for a long time. We are a group of pioneers, strangers to each other, beginning a new life together, and we aren't small either. I have heard that our population now exceeds Ocala.

I think that the Landscaping companies pay very small wages and don't pay for background checks because the turnover with employment is so great.

What we have here that is unusual is that most of us are not working and moving about the streets and have our eyes out for the unusual.

I am convinced that security cameras, now not terribly expensive to install are a great detriment to people attempting to do any funny business.

Many people can view the interior of their snowbird home from their home up North...but I don't suppose you can do that if you have renters.

Never thought of that.

We sit on our neighbors lanai with them and she has her smart phone in her hand and she will hand it over to show a picture on it of us sitting and moving on her lanai. It is stored in cyberspace and gives her some alert when someone comes within camera range when she is away.

[Irishmen]

Originally Posted by gerryann

Makes you wonder if any background checks are done on workers??? Why would a landscape company hire a felon?

Why would you hire a landscaper with felonies. Do quick research and you'll find all kinds of crimes against others.

[Mack184]

Originally Posted by gerryann

Makes you wonder if any background checks are done on workers??? Why would a landscape company hire a felon?

You're kidding right?? Landscape companies and many other "service" companies tend pay low wages, their business is seasonal and people come and go all the time. Often an employer cannot even count on the hired man even showing up that day. Landscape companies have been pretty much known for hiring anybody who will show up which includes felons & illegals. Landscapers, contractors and the like are not known for hiring MIT or seminary graduates. Actually I'm surprised that more of this doesn't happen on a regular basis.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Mack184

You're kidding right?? Landscape companies and many other "service" companies tend pay low wages, their business is seasonal and people come and go all the time. Often an employer cannot even count on the hired man even showing up that day. Landscape companies have been pretty much known for hiring anybody who will show up which includes felons & illegals. Landscapers, contractors and the like are not known for hiring MIT or seminary graduates. Actually I'm surprised that more of this doesn't happen on a regular basis.

seminary graduates will work for free.............................

[buggyone]

Naturally, it is terrible that a lawn worker went into someone's home and stole from them.

The home owners left a door unlocked! You cannot do that anywhere. It does not matter if you are living in a retirement community of 90,000 people or a little town of 600. There are always going to be some no-goodniks around who will steal.

Home owners have to use common sense and too many don't.

I had Massey Pest out for the annual termite inspection the other day. The inspector (I am sure he was an honest man) said he would just look around the inside of the house for termite signs and I did not have to go with him while he inspected. I am not going to let any worker go around without me and I said it was no trouble and that I would like to watch to see what he was looking for. I accompanied him. No problem of course.

Just use common sense about things and your chances of being a victim are a lot less.

[Mack184]

Funny thing..we rarely locked our doors until we came here. When we were living just outside of Baltimore we almost never locked our doors and never had an incident. In other smaller towns, we didn't lock the doors and never had a problem. However when we came here, we heard lots of warnings about keeping the doors locked "at all times" over incidents just like this. Not sure what to think about it, but when we're home our doors are open all the time, and many times my keys are in the ignition of my truck. I know there are plenty of people here who will tell me I'm an idiot for doing that, although I've been called an idiot so many times in my life, it sort of just rolls off. I can't live in my own home as though I'm living in a jail.

[borjo]

Originally Posted by kaydee

Maybe I missed it but does anyone know who this slug worked for and also what Village did the victim reside in? Tks in advance.

Don't know who he worked for but I'm sure that wasn't part of his job description! Happened in Ashland Village.

[gomoho]

You don't need cameras or security systems or alarms - just by a big dog (non-pooping of course)!

[Uptown Girl]

.... and maybe a small sign that says,
"Hoyt Trained Dobermans. Survivors will be prosecuted."

That was law in Illinois, to post this sign when people bought their Dobes from a breeder/trainer I knew named Hoyt.
My uncle had two of these beautiful dogs.


NOT that I think that is necessary here!

[Cedwards38]

Google Frontpoint Security. Best protection on the market today in my opinion.

[Mack184]

In this morning's Washington Times...

[URL="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/12/making-the-workplace-friendly-for-felons/"]

[elizabeth52]

We are in the process of prepping our home in Saratoga for sale and hope to move to TV this fall. We will be bringing our 6 year old Dobe with us. He is a sweet boy. A big lap dog and alarm system all in one!