Social service agency faces big time problems

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A few days ago, I was talking to a friend of mine from Florida who told me about a major security issue that had occurred in my former workplace. It seems a news station had broken a story that a laptop computer that contained personally identifying information (including fingerprints) for 12,000+ employees, foster parents, adoptive parents and other caregivers for children had been stolen for potential identity theft. While this theft was disturbing on many levels, what was more disturbing was that two employees (facilities management/security) who'd been with the company for approximately 4 years had criminal backgrounds, yet were working for an agency that requires background checks and fingerprinting prior to hiring. One employee had been charged and convicted for manslaughter and the other employee had charges for domestic violence, assault and battery. I knew both of these men and while one of them gave me the absolute creeps, the other one was friendly, and seemed honest and hardworking. The CEO of the ChildNet, the agency that has the contract for supervision of Broward County, Florida's abused, abandoned and neglected children, stated that neither of these employees had any direct caregiving/caretaking roles with these children under ChildNet's umbrella of supervision. While that may be true, both of these men had access to client files, sensitive documentation, they had keys to private offices in their possession at all times, and they were often in the building when children, ranging in age from infant to 18-years-old, where in the various buildings inhabited by the agency. Additionally, one of the former employees admitted in an interview with the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel that, on many occasions, he spoke to children involved in the Independent Living Program about his past mistakes and criminal behaviors and how they could turn their own lives around as he had done. Police have not been able to find the missing laptop and it was further disclosed that thousands of dollars worth of gift cards from Walmart and Best Buy had been stolen in February of this year and again at some point last year. The burning question seems to be how could an agency that must follow state and federal laws when hiring employees allow two people with extensive criminal backgrounds work for it (the agency). The articles can be found at Sun-sentinel.com and searching ChildNet. It was rumored that this story could make national headlines today or tomorrow, although I have not seen anything on CNN, MSNBC or other news programs. But, I'll keep my eye out. It would not surprise me if DCF pulls ChildNet's contract and things that went from bad to worse go back to just being bad. What do you think? How would you feel if you'd donated time, money and your home to our society's most vulnerable citizens only to find out that now your identity may have been stolen because someone didn't do their job adequately?