Uber says it won't change its driver screening process following Kalamazoo shootings

(Image credit: Carl Court/Getty Images)

last updated 23 February 2016

Two days after an Uber driver allegedly shot and killed six people in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Uber's chief security officer said Monday that the company does not plan to change its screening process for drivers.

Joe Sullivan said during a conference call with reporters that since the driver, 45-year-old Jason Dalton, did not have a criminal record, a more thorough background check "in this case" would not have made a difference. "I don't think we will change our screening practices," he added, since "no background check would have flagged this driver." Uber says that Dalton, who also worked as an insurance adjuster, cleared his background check on Jan. 25, and before Saturday night picked up about 100 fares. He had a high rating, at 4.73 out of 5.

Passengers say Dalton picked up fares after allegedly shooting people at random in Kalamazoo. He was ordered held without bond Monday on murder charges. Critics say the Uber should conduct fingerprint checks on drivers, but Margaret Richardson, a member of Uber's Safety Advisory Board, told NBC News it's a "false premise to say that fingerprint checks are more accurate." The fingerprints usually come from law enforcement agencies, she said, and because some are from people who were arrested but never charged with anything, the checks "often include false positives."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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