As a private investigator you’ll be asked to perform criminal records checks in the course of business. It may be for a pre employment screen, tenant screen, due diligence or a personal matter such as a custody or divorce case.
It’s important for you to become familiar with the basics of criminal records searches before you’re asked to conduct one.
There are several types of criminal records searches. The nationwide instant search, the state wide felony and misdemeanor searches, county level and the on site county level hand search.
You’ll see many online service offering “Instant Criminal Records Searches” but which one if any should you choose? If your search is for the purpose of tenant or employment screening the search you conduct must be compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Before getting into tenant or employment screenings or background reports you should become familiar with the FCRA requirements so that you are compliant. There are often classes and seminars offered throughout the country to give you a good understanding of the applicable laws.
After you have educated yourself and you begin performing criminal records searches you’ll find that it’s not as sophisticated as you see on TV. In fact it’s rife with errors and omissions.
The most accurate of the various searches is the local on site county criminal records search but you’ll need to know which counties the subject has resided in the past 7 years. This can be obtained by a social security number based search of credit headers to get a complete list of the subjects past residences.
Of course if the subject was arrested and convicted while on vacation or in a state they have never resided it would be very difficult if not impossible to locate that arrest and conviction.
Instant nationwide searches are the most unreliable. They are full of holes when it comes to reliable information but many clients will insist on it because it’s so widely advertised. As a professional you must educate your client on the accuracy of these instant searches. Remember you are the professional they are relying on to assist them. It is not the other way around.
Many investigators will be working on a larger case and in the course of that investigation a criminal records search will become necessary. They may not have time to take a class on the FCRA or become educated on the flaws with instant searches. In that case they usually outsource a criminal records search to another investigator that is experienced in this type of service and can return quick accurate results.
As an investigator you will need to build a Rolodex of sources that can provide these services for you.
Ed Opperman is president of Opperman Investigations . He is experienced in criminal records searches and the FCRA. If you have a need for a criminal records serach please visit www.emailrevealer.com
It’s important for you to become familiar with the basics of criminal records searches before you’re asked to conduct one.
There are several types of criminal records searches. The nationwide instant search, the state wide felony and misdemeanor searches, county level and the on site county level hand search.
You’ll see many online service offering “Instant Criminal Records Searches” but which one if any should you choose? If your search is for the purpose of tenant or employment screening the search you conduct must be compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Before getting into tenant or employment screenings or background reports you should become familiar with the FCRA requirements so that you are compliant. There are often classes and seminars offered throughout the country to give you a good understanding of the applicable laws.
After you have educated yourself and you begin performing criminal records searches you’ll find that it’s not as sophisticated as you see on TV. In fact it’s rife with errors and omissions.
The most accurate of the various searches is the local on site county criminal records search but you’ll need to know which counties the subject has resided in the past 7 years. This can be obtained by a social security number based search of credit headers to get a complete list of the subjects past residences.
Of course if the subject was arrested and convicted while on vacation or in a state they have never resided it would be very difficult if not impossible to locate that arrest and conviction.
Instant nationwide searches are the most unreliable. They are full of holes when it comes to reliable information but many clients will insist on it because it’s so widely advertised. As a professional you must educate your client on the accuracy of these instant searches. Remember you are the professional they are relying on to assist them. It is not the other way around.
Many investigators will be working on a larger case and in the course of that investigation a criminal records search will become necessary. They may not have time to take a class on the FCRA or become educated on the flaws with instant searches. In that case they usually outsource a criminal records search to another investigator that is experienced in this type of service and can return quick accurate results.
As an investigator you will need to build a Rolodex of sources that can provide these services for you.
Ed Opperman is president of Opperman Investigations . He is experienced in criminal records searches and the FCRA. If you have a need for a criminal records serach please visit www.emailrevealer.com
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