Criminal records are drawn from a variety of sources and the process can become more complex based on the comprehensiveness and parameters of each particular background screening. A job candidate’s address history, the jurisdictions where records are requested, court processes for retrieving records, and many other factors can affect the process.
That’s why National Crime Search relies on a combination of federal, multi-state, county, and state database and court searches to gather records about any candidate you are actively considering for employment. In this article, we’ll explore how each of these searches are conducted by category/jurisdiction and how they can support your organization’s goals of informed and responsible hiring.
Federal Criminal Court Searches
These searches utilize the U.S. Federal Government’s PACER criminal record system, which is a national index used by appellate and U.S. district courts to document any crime that is prosecuted under federal criminal law (and heard in federal court). This type of search can help you discover convictions involving identity theft, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, interstate trafficking, kidnapping, and other federally-regulated offenses.
Multi-State Criminal Database Searches
Using multi-state criminal database searches, you gain selective access to hundreds of millions of records across thousands of jurisdictions to locate criminal records from local, township, county and state courts.
State Criminal Record Searches
A statewide criminal record search identifies misdemeanors, infractions (when applicable) and felonies that were processed through the State Judicial Court System, by State Police, and other State-associated courts and departments. County criminal history is not always automatically included in a state criminal record search, which is why county searches are equally imperative.
County Criminal Court Searches
To discover convictions or pending cases involving theft, assault, burglary, DUIs, or DWIs, a county criminal court search provides access to the records of a relevant county courthouse. National Crime Search always recommends including at least 1 county criminal search when requesting criminal background information. That is why NCS tailored our featured packages to include 1 county courthouse search and up to 2 county courthouse verifications of database hits in its Essential package, with up to 3 county courthouse searches and additional database hit verifications in Enhanced and Expanded packages. NCS also offers custom packages and other options to better fit specific client and industry needs.
Although many county criminal court records are still stored as physical documents, National Crime Search can help you retrieve these records more quickly than by using an independent manual process.
Used in conjunction, these four searches are critical in providing key criminal history information regarding any applicant or candidate, but there are additional searches and verifications that can be conducted to grant your organization even greater confidence about its hiring decisions.
Learn more about the value of additional verifications and services to support responsible hiring, employee safety, and future productivity for your organization.
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