Nonprofit vows to start background checks after employee charged with enticement of minor
Shelby Fleig
A local community outreach nonprofit says it'll start performing criminal background checks on all employees after one was accused of trying to have sex with a teenager.
Last week, Akil Salim Jabbar, 39, of Des Moines, was charged with two counts of enticing a minor for sexual purposes. Jabbar was a part-time employee at Creative Visions, which is run by state Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad. Jabbar is no longer employed at the nonprofit, Abdul-Samad said.
Jabbar admitted to picking up an Ankeny girl younger than 16 in the middle of the night after her mother told him to not to contact her, and he offered drugs to the girl, according to online court records.
The minor was not a client of Creative Visions, and the alleged crimes did not happen on company time or property, Abdul-Samad said.
► More:Police: Des Moines man who worked for nonprofit offered drugs to, requested sex from minor
Creative Visions employs about nine full- and part-time employees in Des Moines. The nonprofit provides classes, clothing and meals to local low-income kids and adults.
Before Jabbar's arrest, the nonprofit did not perform criminal background checks on employees, Abdul-Samad said.
But that policy has changed, he said.
He said Jabbar, along with other employees, was referred to the nonprofit by another agency and had held at least one other job elsewhere. He declined to share the length of Jabbar's tenure with the nonprofit or his responsibilities while employed there.
The nonprofit will require criminal background checks for all new hires going forward, Abdul-Samad said. He said the process of requesting checks for current employees started shortly after Jabbar's arrest.
"We’re a growing entity, and there's some things that have to change," he said. "When we have individuals that come from other agencies — especially part-time people — we took them at face value."
What are best practices?
Some state agencies require criminal background checks for industries in which employees and volunteers work with children and other "vulnerable populations," said David Jobes, assistant director at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
According to Volunteer Iowa, vulnerable people include minors under 18; adults with mental, emotional, physical or developmental disabilities that hinder their ability to perform daily functions; and people in circumstances that place them at greater risk of exploitation and abuse, including improper sexual contact.
DCI provides statewide criminal background checks to employers for $15 each. Any employer can request one.
Charities should automatically request DCI background checks for workers in "high risk" environments, a 2015 report by the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service recommends.
Some "high risk" factors include:
- Activities held in private homes or isolated settings
- One-on-one or close physical contact between workers and clients
- Volunteers' or employees' role puts them in an authority position
- Volunteer or employees could access clients' personal property
While the report focuses on volunteers, the same detailed standards should be applied to part- and full-time employees, said Paul Thelen, director of the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center.
"As far as our guidance goes, it wouldn't change based on whether you're an employee or volunteer," Thelen said.
The specific job functions of employees are crucial in analyzing contents of a criminal record, Jobes said. For instance, theft or fraud convictions may be more relevant for those who handle money at work, he said.
"Just because they have a record doesn't mean they're disqualified for any job," Jobes said.
Jabbar has been accused of multiple crimes in Iowa over the past 20 years, ranging from traffic and drug violations to more recent assault and domestic violence.
He was incarcerated in Iowa for nearly six years, from 1998 to 2004, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections.
His next court date is set for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday for violating his parole from a previous charge. He next court appearance related to the enticement charges is set for 8 a.m. Friday.
Register reporter Tyler J Davis contributed to this report.
► More:Volunteer opportunities in the Des Moines metro