Understanding Criminal Record Searches
National Criminal Database
One of the first steps in running a criminal record search is to conduct a Nationwide Criminal Database Scan. Background101 accesses various databases that contain millions of criminal records. Conducting a National Scan will allow us to locate potential crimes in other states where the candidate did not live or work previously. This includes county courts, sex offender registries, Department of Corrections, and Departments of Public Safety. Any potential records found are confirmed using real-time court level searches.
County Level Criminal Search
This is a criminal record search at the county level. The search includes felonies and county level misdemeanors in most areas. We never use private databases for our county criminal research. All county criminal searches are real-time, accurate, up-to-date searches done in the court’s predominantly used index, whether computer terminals or index cards. (Yes, there are still counties that use a manual system!) Our nation-wide network of well-seasoned hands-on researchers is the largest of its kind.
Statewide Criminal Search
This is a criminal record search at the state level. Statewide searches are available in most states. All of our statewide searches are conducted in the widely recognized state repositories or state court systems. These are not private database or department of corrections searches. Information returned varies from state to state.
Federal Criminal Search
The Federal Criminal History Search is a live search of United States Federal Court records. This search uncovers criminal court information from the 94 U.S. federal district courthouses, nationwide. Searches include crimes involving violations of federal law (i.e. money laundering, counterfeiting, racketeering, crimes committed across state lines, etc.). Federal Criminal History Searches are conducted at all U.S. District Courts in the applicant’s current state of residence, and can optionally include all U.S. District Courts dating back a specified number of years (dependent on state law).
