As part of a child safety trend that's growing nationwide, the department for the first time is requiring full background investigations on all sports league coaches and other volunteer officials and umpires in county-sponsored youth programs.

Parks and Recreation Director George Page said the policy, which goes into effect July 1, has been discussed thoroughly with officials and coaches. The county commissioners approved it unanimously Monday.

"Parents want to know who's going to be around kids. I don't know of any system that is foolproof, but we have to do everything in our power to protect the kids," Page said at an earlier meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory board.

Enacting an official policy on background checks helps weed out those who, by record of past convictions, are deemed "undesirable" to be affiliated with a youth sports program, said Bobby Childs, president of the Leland Dixie Youth Baseball League.

Across the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, the Winter Park Optimist Club and other local clubs that sponsor the majority of Little League and Babe Ruth baseball programs in the county have been conducting background checks on league volunteers for about five years, said Ed McMillan, a volunteer and former baseball coach with Winter Park Optimist.

"We run background checks for baseball and softball teams on managers and coaches. Nobody has to pay for it; we pay the cost of it as an expense of the league programs," McMillan said.

Childs said the Leland Dixie league will spend about $4,000 on background checks annually for an estimated 200 volunteer coaches, assistants, game officials and even concession stand operators.

Fees from team registrations, concessions and other fund-raisers help the league, a nonprofit group, pay the bill for background checks, he said.

The confidential background checks are screened by Michael Oliver, the conduct officer for the league and the initial contact for parents or others who see or suspect a person associated with the organization of misconduct concerning the league's youthful participants.

Oliver, a former player in the league in his youth and now a probation officer in New Hanover County, said everybody involved has to be vigilant.

"Coaches, volunteers, whatever … be conscious of what's going on. If you see something out of the ordinary, let me know," he said to an assembled group of coaches and parents. "We've got to police ourselves, in other words."

If a volunteer in any aspect of league operations refuses to submit to the background check, he's not allowed to be involved with the league in any way, Oliver said.

According to the policy, criminal convictions for some offenses are automatic disqualifiers, no matter when they occurred. Those include sex offenses and violent felonies.

For other offenses, it depends on how long ago the offense occurred. Drug offenses and other nonviolent felonies, for example, disqualify a volunteer if they occurred within the past 10 years. For misdemeanors involving violence, drugs or alcohol, the time period is seven years.

Randy Rodebaugh, president of Southeastern Security Consultants, said contracted researchers for the firm conduct statewide criminal history traces, including the sex offender registry.

The security consultant said his firm specializes in background checks for sports organizations and is an affiliate member of the National Parks and Recreation Association.

"We've never had a case - knock on wood - where we've had a coach charged with anything," Childs said. "We did have a case where we found a convicted child molester as a coach. As soon as we learned it, we dismissed him."

Leland parent Laci Ballard said she's pleased that the sports league conducts background checks on all coaches and volunteers who might have contact with her son Ethan, who's playing his first year in T-ball.

"Definitely, I think it is necessary," Ballard said. "There are people out there who are bad for kids to be around, and it's gotten a lot worse out there. Sometimes, you just got to make sure who you're dealing with."

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