FOIA Request Shows FBI Scrutinized John Hope Franklin

TPMmuckraker obtained the FBI file for the late John Hope Franklin, which reveal the FBI scrutinized the historian in the 1960s for supposed ties to communists, his opposition to the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and his support for W.E.B. Du Bois. Franklin was 94 when he died in May. Franklin authored the classic work From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans.

The FBI file is comprised mainly of background checks when he was up for presidential appointments. The FBI withheld 18 pages of the 515-page file.

For more information and an excerpt of the historian's file, click here.

NY Sheriff's Office Charges for Inaccurate Records

The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office in New York has found itself amidst a bit of controversy after a retired state trooper was denied a job as a volunteer mentor in Syracuse schools because the county sheriff's background check turned up a 33-year-old arrest for shoplifting, even though the case was forever sealed by a judge.

The Sheriff's Office admits that its records rarely show the court disposition of charges. In addition to being inaccurate, the records cost $10 to obtain. Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government says the Sheriff shouldn't charge for these public records, except for copying costs.

For more information, click here.

Investigation Finds Felons Working in Higher Education

Since Utah enacted the Higher Education Criminal Background Checks bill, effective May 1, 2009, Weber State University's The Signpost found that eight individuals with felonies or serious misdemeanors were employed by the university. Three of those individuals no longer work for the school.

The law requires criminal background checks for new employees in higher education. Anyone applying for a position that would have "significant contact with a minor or a position that is security-sensitive" must submit to a criminal background check as a condition of employment.

Weber State University takes electronic fingerprints from applicants and sends them to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, using a federal criminal database, before making a final offer of employment.

Read more from the two-part investigative series: Part 1 and Part 2.

FOI At Work: The Data Diva Checks Out Those Dates...

OK, full disclosure: Jaimi is a recovering student of mine, and one of my all-time faves....

In her latest column, she puts the dating pool on notice.

For many, the dating process involves varied pre-date rituals. Some women buy new clothes. Others have intense beauty regimens. Many feel the need to talk about their jitters. Not me.

I hit the computer and search like crazy, digging up all the dirt I can find. With each keystroke the secrets unfold. They’re no match for me.

My reconnaissance mission prepares me for that moment in the date, if things are going well, when he feels comfortable enough to discuss some of his baggage. “I have something to tell you,” is usually how it starts. Before he finishes the thought I’m already wondering if it’s going to be his recent divorce, that lawsuit with the city, or his (actual) age.

Read the rest of this delightful (and informative) column here.