Black Friday was the Second-Biggest Day Ever for Background Checks -- Security Today

Black Friday was the Second-Biggest Day Ever for Background Checks

By Matt Holden
Dec 01, 2014

Black Friday was the Second-Biggest Day Ever for Background Checks According to a report, the FBI dealt with more background checks this Black Friday than ever before on the annual shopping day. Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 was the only day where more background checks were handled; the day exactly one week after the Sandy Hook school shooting.

The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) ran more than 175,000 background checks on Friday. The agency typically handles about one-third of that on a normal day.

By law, the NICS has only three business days to complete a background check, which presents problems when an influx of requests come in. As a result, the agency had roughly 600 of its employees logging long hours on Friday. The FBI even asked some former employees to help with the workload.

About the Author

Matt Holden is an Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media, Inc. He received his MFA and BA in journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He currently writes and edits for Occupational Health & Safety magazine, and Security Today.

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