"We mainly get teachers and child-care persons taking advantage of this system," YMCA Member Services Manager Kelly Yruegaz said. "But we're seeing all kinds of people use Live Scan and I think it's definitely made an impact."
All child-care professionals, teachers, contractors, realtors, security guards and governmental employees are required by law to have their fingerprints submitted to authorities before starting a new job. And Live Scan improves on that process, Yruegaz said.
"When I went to the Sheriff's Station to have my prints done, it took six weeks to get the results back," said Kay Linden, a YMCA board member and an assistant preschool teacher at St. George's Episcopal Church. "Having Live Scan at the YMCA just makes it a lot easier for everyone."
It normally takes a couple minutes to scan in a user's complete set of fingerprints and have the information sent confidentially to authorities, Yruegaz said. From there, potential employers are usually notified of the results within 72 hours, said Robin McCarthy, Director of Communications and Marketing at the YMCA.
Screenings before Live Scan took as long as two months, she said.
The YMCA has overseen the scanning of more than 700 people's prints in the past year and is averaging between 10-20 users per week.
"We'd like more people to find out about this, so they don't have to drive far or go out of town to get their fingerprints taken," McCarthy said. "And we can certainly take on more people."
The YMCA starting using Live Scan in June 2005 through a $13,478 grant awarded by the Glendale Community Foundation. All the money came from the Paul A. Hughes Family Fund.
