Quality Standards for Background Investigation

2.4.5 Background investigation shall be conducted before a person is given access to

security information. From said investigation, any information obtained should be aimed
to ascertain that all persons having access to security information are reliable,
trustworthy, of good moral character, and of complete unwavering loyalty. The standard
in conducting background investigation shall be but not limited to:
A. The head of the Agency and (Personnel Manager) shall warrant that the Legal
Officers/Representative) designated, assigned or engaged to their offices receive
sufficient initial and periodic training in investigation techniques.
B. A quality investigation comprises of complete and extensive collection of favorable
and unfavorable information from variety of sources, past and present, that may include
employment, community, credit, and police .
C. The investigator must be able to extract information from sources familiar about the
person being investigated. He should plan and execute each interview so as to obtain the
maximum amount of information from the source.
D. Investigation-interview shall be conducted in person and in a suitable location that
protects privacy. Telephone interviews may be resorted to, but must state in the report
why it was not conducted in person.
E. The investigator should advise the source, prior interview, of the purpose for the
investigation and should attempt to establish a degree of confidence in the source(s) that
will promote a high level of connection and cooperation.
F. The compilation of information should cover the following:
1. For all Sources.
1.1.Investigators should establish the period and nature of involvement between the
source and the subject to evaluate the sources level of understanding.
1.2.The investigator should always secure the source's full name and identify him through
any competent evidence of identity, particularly in the case of a source with a common
name. All information concerning the subject of the investigation that is provided by a
source should be fully explored in the interview.
2. For other References .
Depending on the source's extent of involvement, investigators should inquire from each
reference relevant information about the Subject's:

(1) Family, citizenship, education, employment, residence history;

(2) community reputation;
(3) organizational affiliations;
(4) history of mental, emotional, personality disorder , or physical health problems.
(5) Drug addiction or habitual alcoholism of the subject;
(6) Conviction or commission of a crime involving moral turpitude.
If a source provides information to questions in any of the above areas of
consideration, the investigator should ask follow-up questions as necessary to elicit all
available information.
The investigator should also attempt to establish whether there may be personal
animosity or bias towards the Subject on the part of the source(s). The investigator should
supply any available documentary evidence relating to the conduct in addition to the
report of the source.
d. For Employment References.
The investigator should identify and interview the best source(s) available. These employment
references should include, but are not limited to, the Subject's immediate supervisor,
coworker(s), and other persons with frequent professional contact, the investigator should inquire
regarding:
(1) Subjects infraction of companys policies and regulations.
(2) Whether the Subject appropriately safeguards the employer's proprietary/sensitive
information.
(3) Whether the Subject is reliable and eligible for re-hire.
The investigator should obtain any available documentary evidence to support the report of the
source(s).