Metro revises hiring guidelines, will now reject felons

Yesterday Metro announced revisions to their hiring practices. The new guidelines, which went into effect this month, are intended to bolster safety. Applicants for "front line" or safety-related positions, will now be disqualified for the following:

• One or more moving violations within the last three years for negligent, careless or reckless driving
• Driver’s license revocations or suspensions due to moving violations within three years
• More than two points on their driver’s license within three years
• A conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs within three years
• A felony conviction within the last 10 years
• Two or more misdemeanor convictions for drug possession or a crime against person, property or society within the last 10 years
• A criminal conviction for crimes of violence and/or sexual abuse or sexual assault

This is a positive step for Metro, because under the previous guidelines applicants were only disqualified for 2 or more felony offenses within a 3 year period, or 3 felony convictions within 10 years.

I'm all about rehabilitation of criminals, and their eventual return as productive members of society. However, until Metro revised these guidelines, the following people would have been eligible for jobs ranging from bus driver to perhaps even General Manager.

O.J. Simpson. Could continue his search for the real killer by driving a Metrobus.

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Gerald Ford passed away in 2006 of natural causes, so we've got nothing to worry about now.

John Hinkley. Already lives in D.C. Maybe he'd be a true advocate for transit to better serve the area around St. Elizabeth's. I hear Jodie Foster is a big fan of public transportation.

Michael Vick. If the whole Philadelphia Eagles thing doesn't work out.

Rod Blagojevich. He brings a lot of administrative experience to the table. As a possible replacement for John Catoe, perhaps WMATA could offer a $65,000 hairbrush stipend.

Marion Barry. You know what, why not.

Vince "The Shamwow! Guy" Shlomi. That whole beating a prostitute thing was just one big Scientology conspiracy. The bitch set him up.

In all seriousness, though, this is a good policy revision for Metro. However, I have to wonder what took so long. Oh, that's right, more than a month of bad press. Including the news of a bus driver with a suspended license.

I'm not advocating that people with criminal convictions be deemed unemployable for the rest of their lives... but come on, really, WMATA?

“Our frontline employees are the face of Metro,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “We want the strongest applicants for every open position. These new hiring standards are meant to help us find only the best and brightest employees to help move more than one million customers each day.”