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From the Director, Department of Human Resources, recommending adoption of a resolution/ordinance to amend Chapter 19 of the Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances - Fingerprinting of County Employees.
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The Department of Human Resources (DHR) is recommending revisions to Chapter 19 of the Code of General Ordinance to remove administrative inefficiencies related to fingerprinting County employees.
Existing provisions of the Code require all employees, no matter the employee's function or degree of interaction with the public or sensitive information, to be fingerprinted in a very prescriptive manner. To be sure, there some positions in Milwaukee County where thorough background investigations, including FBI background checks, are necessary. For example, law enforcement personnel and County care givers must be thoroughly screened. Such screening may require fingerprinting in order to complete an FBI background check; in some cases fingerprinting is mandated by state or federal law.
However, for most newly appointed employees, payroll clerks who complete onboarding paperwork, HR staff, and the administrative staff in the Sheriff's Office, the requirements of Chapter 19 represent an inefficient and antiquated practice that offers no value for the public or the County, and merely creates extra work for those who participate in this process.
The recommended revisions to Chapter 19 included herein acknowledge that fingerprinting is required by law for some positions, while certain other positions, as directed by the Director of Human Resources, should be fingerprinted as part of the normal background investigation process to ensure public safety.
Please refer this request to the Committee on Finance, Personnel and Audit. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please contact me with any questions.