Company Background and History

Universal Background Screening is a nationwide leader in employment screening, comprehensive background checks and drug testing. The company was founded by a former detective for the Phoenix Police Department. Working with schools, hospitals, airlines and major corporations in dozens of other industries, the 30-year-old company is recognized for establishing industry policies, methods and systems for background searches and drug testing.

Starting in 1972 through the company’s first 13 years, Universal Background Screening provided criminal investigative services to legal defense teams. In 1985, background checks were added as support to the same legal defense clients that were already utilizing the company’s investigative services. The company identified key industries that could benefit from background screening and began marketing its expanded services. In 1989, school districts and hospitals became primary clients.

In 1994 the company decided to further enhance its service and began the labor-intensive task of entering 15 counties’ worth of criminal records directly from microfiche and other formats into a database. Universal Background Screening is the only background screening company in Arizona that has all of this information in a proprietary database and is the undisputed resource for employers nationwide.

Universal Background Screening’ mission is to offer its clients certainty in the employment process. The company is dedicated to providing employers with essential information needed in the hiring process, such as criminal histories, driving records, reference checks and drug testing.

Key services provided include:
· Criminal background searches
· Employment verifications
· Educational degree confirmation
· Licenses and reference checks
· Rapid and laboratory drug testing

The company has created comprehensive packages designed to reduce a client’s liability in the candidate selection and hiring process. Background screening works to enhance security, reduce liability, improve stability and save money and has a direct impact on the bottom line.

As concerns for privacy and equality within employment have become more regulated through the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), there are increasingly-complicated restrictions on the types of information that can be used in making an employment decision. Universal Background Screening is categorized as a reporting agency under the FCRA, providing facts only and making no judgments about a potential employee.