The Red and Black

Issue date: 9/30/08 Section: News

Media Credit: DANIEL SHIREY Campus Transit drivers and all other University employees must report arrests and convictions to employers within specified time frames. [Click to enlarge]

Forlines resolution and police report

Muhima police report

Arrests and convictions policy

A University policy, implemented by the Board of Regents on Jan. 1, requires all employees to report to the Office of Legal Affairs within 72 hours if they're arrested for more than a routine traffic violation and within 24 hours after a court conviction.

"Failure to report being charged with such a crime may result in appropriate disciplinary action, including termination of employment," the policy states.

But reporting to the University doesn't mean your supervisor will find out. Not every department at the University requires employees to report arrests immediately after they happen.

Just ask Campus Transit.

As the department in charge of driving students and staff, Campus Transit assumes a responsibility for the safety of the people it serves. Those who apply to work for Campus Transit undergo background checks that look into their driving records and criminal backgrounds, if any.

But once hired, employees' driving records are checked annually, and they're under no obligation to reveal any subsequent arrests to the department.

"They let us know when they get a ticket, but we don't take action until after a conviction," said Ron Hamlin, manager for Campus Transit, in a phone interview last week. "Employees must report to the Legal Affairs office, but not to us."

According to federal motor vehicle regulations, transit employees only are required to report convictions to Campus Transit and have 30 days to do so. Hamlin said Campus Transit only terminates employment if there's a conviction that finds the employee guilty.

But the differences in policy timelines create discrepancies in how arrests are handled. In one case, a student worker continued to drive after the University found her in violation of a major traffic offense.

Carly Elizabeth Forlines, a 21-year-old student and Campus Transit van driver, was arrested by University Police and charged with a DUI and failure to maintain lane in her personal vehicle on Aug. 1. According to the police report, her alcohol content level was .207, more than two and a half times the legal limit.

The Office of Judicial Programs found Forlines responsible for operating "a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol" on Aug. 14. She was placed on probation, given 40 hours of community service and required to complete alcohol education, according to documents obtained by The Red & Black.

Despite Campus Transit regulations calling for an employee's termination after a court conviction, Forlines was dismissed from her job before her first court date. An open records request revealed Forlines did not report her arrest to the University, but on Sept. 5, Campus Transit dismissed her, Hamlin said. Forlines' case is pending in Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court, and she has a tentative date in traffic court for Oct. 6.

Efforts to reach Forlines were unsuccessful Monday.

Another transit worker was arrested and charged with a DUI during the summer but remains behind the wheel of campus buses.

Muhima Ali Mohamed, a 21-year-old student bus driver, was arrested by ACC Police after she drove the wrong way down a one-way road on June 21, according to her police report. Her blood-alcohol content was .125, according to the report, and her case is pending in State Court.

Hamlin said Mohamed will continue to drive.

"We're bound by requirements of the law and we're obviously concerned about people's safety," Hamlin said. "She's been a good employee, and the ticket she received was for a personal vehicle."

Mohamed was unavailable for comment Monday.

David Tollett, assistant manager of Campus Transit, replied in an e-mail that the department is concerned about safety when hiring new people.

"To ensure that we choose those applicants who are most suited to fill our vehicle operator positions, we only accept applications from individuals who have managed to maintain a driving record free of any major traffic violations and who have avoided more than one minor traffic citation," he wrote. Tollett defined major violations as DUI, failure to yield resulting in an accident and speeding 15 miles per hour or more.

Employees must submit a motor vehicle record annually to Campus Transit to "ensure that none of our vehicle operators have been cited for major violations that may threaten their driving eligibility and that they have not had their licenses suspended or revoked," he wrote.

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