What is a Live County Criminal Search?
Criminal background checks are an important part of the hiring process. Live county-level searches are an essential part of a comprehensive employment background check to supplement a criminal database search. This is a thorough search of criminal records available at the county level, where most criminal offenses occur. County criminal records searches tend to have more detailed records that are housed in more than 3,000 U.S. counties and contain the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Access to county courthouse records varies. Many counties digitize their records and make them available online. Some only give researchers in-person digital access to their records, while some counties only have paper copies or require a county clerk to assist in retrieving records.
Why Conduct a County Criminal Search?
A live county criminal search typically looks for criminal records in the county where the applicant lives. The search may expand to include past counties of residence during the past seven years depending on the package that is ordered. National Crime Search’s featured packages all include county criminal searches. The Essential package includes one county criminal search; the county is chosen by the employer when ordering. The Enhanced and Expanded packages contain up to six county criminal searches. Three are based on the applicant’s address history during the past seven years. The other potential three counties verify database hits and obtain more details.
Information yielded from a county criminal background search could include:
- Pending case(s) information
- Convictions, adjudications withheld (during hold period)
- Active warrants
- The offense level
- Sentencing received
Informed, Responsible and Expedited Hiring with NCS
Conducting a compliant background screening process that yields the information you need to make timely, informed, and responsible hiring decisions can be a demanding task without the right tools and professional support.
Ensure your hiring process aligns with legal compliance and ethical practices. Trust in National Crime Search's comprehensive pre-employment screening services, including criminal background searches, employment verification, education verification, and much more. Contact us today to discover how we can support your organization in creating a fair and responsible recruitment process.
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