Sources say three newly hired firefighters in the Mount Vernon Fire Department have criminal backgrounds.

The newly sworn-in Mount Vernon Fire Commissioner Noah Lighty hired the three men and discovered their criminal backgrounds three days later. Lighty says that there?s nothing against the law about hiring the men and that they deserve a second chance, but Mount Vernon residents had other opinions.

?What good is it checking it afterward if they already got the job?? asks a Mount Vernon resident. ?That makes no sense. That's why this city is going to the pits.?

Traditionally, the mayor must approve all hires made by the fire commissioner. Mayor Clinton Young?s office was not notified and did not know the names of the three individuals until a ceremony Monday when they were sworn in.

The names of the three men were not released to the public nor were the reasons for their arrests.