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Criminal Records Search, Which Option Will Work Best For Your Organization?
 Criminal records elicit more questions that any other search we offer. Additionally, our clients have more criminal product choices.  At AccuSource, our goal is to provide you with the most up to date and timely reports possible. When it comes to criminal reports, the gold standard has, and continues to be, the onsite county criminal record search. With that in mind, we also understand that budgets, and your unique requirements, need to be addressed. We have put together a quick outline below to describe the various types of criminal records available so you can make an informed decision to meet your organizations needs.
County Criminal Records Search
A search for criminal convictions at the appropriate county courts, covering a seven-year period for California and longer for all other states. Reveals felony and related misdemeanor convictions. Records can include: case numbers, offense and disposition dates, charge, type of charge, disposition, and sentence. Courts are searched directly at the source via in person, court Internet websites or direct connection into the courts index. Common names can cause delay in verifying criminal activity, files have to be pulled so identifiers, such as date of birth, middle name and driver's license number, can be checked. Typographical, data entry and/or court filing errors can cause accuracy issues. Also, running a partial or "nickname" (i.e. running Bob instead of Robert) can create accuracy issues. It is recommended that all names, including alias and maiden names be run at all jurisdictions for a seven year period. This will maximize the search results and accuracy.
 
Multi-State / National Criminal Database Search
Multi-State / National Criminal Database is a data file of over half a billion Offender records, including felony conviction information, state department of corrections records, and misdemeanor information. Most states records are updated on a monthly basis. The file also contains over 8 million alias names and nearly 68 million offenses. This search is done through multi-state databases maintained by many different sources. Information will vary. It is important to note that multi-state criminal searches do not include all criminal records nationally and the information is not always updated regularly. It is recommended that if a multi-state criminal search is run, it should be done in conjunction with county criminal searches. Typographical, data entry and/or court filing errors can cause accuracy issues. Also, running a partial or "nickname" (i.e. running Bob instead of Robert) can create accuracy issues. If "hits" are found on the Multi-State / National Criminal Database, the law requires information to be verified directly through the court of records. Additional cost can apply.
 
Statewide Repository Criminal Records Search
A search for criminal convictions through the appropriate state repository, covering a seven-year period for California and longer for other states. Courts are searched directly at the source via in person, court Internet websites or direct connection into the courts index. Not all state repositories are available to the public. Not all counties update their information in the state repository, creating outdated or missing information. Typographical, data entry and/or court filing errors can cause accuracy issues. Also, running a partial or "nickname" (i.e. running Bob instead of Robert) can create accuracy issues. It is recommended that all names, including alias and maiden names be run at all jurisdictions for a seven year period. This will maximize the search results and accuracy.
 
Federal Criminal Records Search
A search for criminal convictions at the appropriate federal district court, covering a seven-year period for California and longer for other districts. The districts are searched directly through the federal court records. Common names can cause delay in verifying criminal activity, files have to be pulled so identifiers, such as date of birth, middle name and driver's license number, can be checked. In many cases, identifiers are not maintained in the Federal District court records. Typographical, data entry and/or court filing errors can cause accuracy issues. Also, running a partial or "nickname" (i.e. running Bob instead of Robert) can create accuracy issues. It is recommended that all names, including alias and maiden names be run at all jurisdictions for a seven year period. This will maximize the search results and accuracy.
 
International Criminal Records Search
A search for criminal convictions through the appropriate courts, the courts searched vary by country and by the information provided by the applicant. Courts are searched directly at the source via in person. Records can include: case numbers, offense and disposition dates, charge, type of charge, disposition, and sentence. Common names can cause delay in verifying criminal activity, files have to be pulled so identifiers, such as date of birth and middle name can be checked. International Criminal searches have longer turn around times, ranging from 3-21 business days. We offer international criminal record searches in over 250 countries.
 
Sexual Offender Search
Search of sexual offender databases or registries. The registries are provided by government entities and are searched by name and are available nationally, statewide or local levels. Information provided varies by state, it can include: type of offenses, known aliases, date of birth, addresses, and whether or not registrants are in violation of registration requirements. Not all states have a registry and not all sex offender's register. States are searched based on address information found on the application, in the social security trace (SSN), and in the credit report. If the applicant is a registered sex offender in a state not provided on the application or found in a SSN trace the information will not be found.

We hope that you have found this to be informative. If you have any questions either on any of the searches above, or on what you are currently getting, please contact us so we can review your current set up to ensure that AccuSource is meeting your needs. 
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