An Uber driver accused of killing six people Saturday passed a background check, according to the company. Now it raises the question: how safe can you be, even with someone who passed that background check?
The answer from Uber and a Milwaukee criminal defense lawyer - no background check is 100 percent.
Some in Milwaukee said the shooting was an isolated incident, and they've had pleasant experiences.
It's how Uber wants their riders to feel. They have teams dedicated to responding to viewer complaints and one to helping law enforcement when needed.
Those teams did their jobs Saturday. Still, six people died - supposedly at the hands of one of their drivers.
Uber said Jason Dalton had a 4.73 rating out of five up until the incident. The rating system helps Uber track driver performance after they pass background checks.
"Before someone becomes a driver with Uber, they need to give us information like their name, their address, their driver's license, their social security number, their insurance information, their bank account information," explained Uber Chief Security Officer, Joe Sullivan. He said they use that information to check county, state and federal databases from criminal offenses, of which Dalton had none.
Sullivan said Dalton's history and check had no red flags.
"Would the most extensive background check have helped? It doesn't look like it," said Milwaukee Criminal Defense Lawyer Craig Mastantuono.
Ed Davis of the Uber Safety Advisory Board said "a background check is just that, it's a background check. It does not foresee the future."
Mastantuono agrees, saying "background checks don't always provide 100 percent assurance that somebody is not going to have a problem and snap or become dangerous."
Leslie Fabian, a Milwaukee Uber user said it's unsettling not knowing the true capacity of someone, even after a background check.
Watch the video to see how more Milwaukee users feel in light of Saturday's tragedy.
