BY LEON B. CREWS
Sentinel Staff Writer

Since 2009, the City of Tampa’s Parks and Recreation Department has used guidelines set by the National Recreation and Park Association when it comes to background checks on volunteers with youth sports programs.

Parks and Recreation spokesperson, Linda Carlo, said anyone working with youth on city-owned property will be screened accordingly.

“It is the responsibility of each youth sports organization to perform the background checks on their personnel using the national guidelines, and then submit a list to us of the eligible volunteers.”

According to Carlo, all misdemeanor violence offenses committed within the past 7 years will make a volunteer ineligible.

“Also, if anyone has been found guilty of a sex crime, violent felony, drugs, theft, embezzlement, child endangerment and other related felonies within the past 10 years, they will not be allowed to work around youth.

“Every league that has an agreement with us provides us with the proper paperwork. The standards have been raised to further protect the children.”

Artis Gambrell, Jr., who heads the Belmont Heights Little League program, said the tough guidelines will deplete available volunteers by 30% to 40% at the park.

“I hope we can come up with a viable solution. We want to protect our children, and at the same time provide them an outlet. I think the intention of the guidelines is good, but are a little too extreme.”

Carlo said each youth sports organization will be held accountable for the information given to the city, or the lack of information on volunteers working with their programs.

Gambrell said they are part of a national organization, and have always been mandated to do background checks.

“The difference is with the criteria. We have our own criteria, and it’s not as stringent as the one the city has. If I have to use the criteria the city has ordained, it will be detrimental to the BHLL program.”