Civil & Criminal Records

County Criminal Record Search

AmericanChecked’s network of 1,650 court researchers spans across the U.S. representing all 3,144 county courthouses. We provide all criminal convictions involving felonies and misdemeanors, whenever available and reportable, including DUI/DWI infractions.

• Live search in real-time at the county courthouse. Searches are conducted electronically, where available, and manually, if necessary
• Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Section 613(2) compliance ensured by obtaining up-to-date information
• Reports will typically provide the following information: court, case number, date of offense, filing date, type of charge, charge level, disposition date, disposition and identifiers
• Information at the county level tends to be the most in-depth and current because the county is considered the birthplace of all criminal records.
• All details that we are legally allowed to provide will be returned
• 10-year county criminal history searches are available if state compliant

Note:

• Due to legal restrictions in certain states, AmericanChecked is prohibited from reporting most arrest or other non-conviction information, so only criminal convictions are typically reported
• The search does not usually include records from magisterial courts in Pennsylvania or municipal courts in New Jersey
• SPECIAL NOTICE FOR MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND NEVADA: The Criminal County Search conducted in Massachusetts and New Hampshire reports felonies and misdemeanors only for the Superior Court and a single District Court in the county seat or its equivalent in the named county and no other court in such county. Because the vast majority of criminal records are maintained in District Courts, the Criminal County Search may not reveal an applicant’s entire criminal history in these states. For Nevada, see Super Clark.

Criminal Track Record

5, 7 or 10 Year Criminal Track Record

The Criminal Track Record is considered the gold standard when conducting a criminal record search. This is the preferred method to conduct a criminal record search because we are relying on objective information found in the Address Locator Report. If the applicant has done anything he/she does not want the hiring official to know, it will, most likely, not be included on the resume or application. The Criminal Track Record can potentially uncover criminal activity that otherwise may have been overlooked based on applicant provided information.

• Social Security Number Verification and Address Locator Report identifies where the individual has resided in the past 7 or 10 years
• County court search is performed at every county the individual has lived during the past 7 or 10 years – regardless of where or how many counties
• All names associated with the SSN as well as any aliases provided are searched

Statewide Criminal

All statewide searches are not created equal; some states do not provide a state database and many others only store limited information from reporting counties. Surprisingly, some states do not maintain up-to-date and accurate information. AmericanChecked will guide you in the proper use of statewide searches and provide additional information regarding the accuracy and timeliness of each.

• State repositories searches are conducted electronically, where available, and manually, if necessary
• Many states maintain a central criminal history record repository that receives case-processing information contributed by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts and corrections agencies throughout the state. Information held within these repositories is made available to criminal justice personnel
• Some states, non-criminal justice agencies that are authorized by law to obtain the records for purposes such as employment screening and occupational licensing
• Searches report all criminal convictions involving felonies and misdemeanors when available. Information varies among states regarding arrests resulting in non-convictions.

State Criminal Records Search (New York Only)— A Criminal Records Check performed in some New York counties may consist of a state-wide criminal records search of records at the county level instead of an individual county criminal records search. The New York State Office of Court Administration (OCA) provides a New York Statewide criminal history record search (CHRS). New York charges a mandated jurisdiction fee of $95.00 for this information. The search results are public records relating to open/pending and convictions in criminal cases originating from County/Supreme, City, Town and Village courts of all 62 counties. Sealed records are not disclosed

County Civil Upper/Lower Record

County Civil searches check for civil filings from an upper and/or lower level court based on the city and county submitted.

• Classification of “upper” or “lower” is based upon the financial value of a claim. The monetary amount that dictates type varies from state to state. Lower civil searches identify lower value cases such as eviction, small claims and minor disputes
• Lower civil searches identify lower value cases such as eviction, small claims and minor disputes
• Upper Civil searches are generally of a higher value, cases such as divorce and other more substantial monetary involvement
• Search results may include the cause of action, disposition or current status as well as any details about the case and litigants involved

If multiple records are found, AmericanChecked will return detailed information on the three most recent cases and index information on any additional cases

Nationwide Criminal Database Search and Multi-State Sex and Violent Offenders Report

The Nationwide Criminal Database is a powerful, high-speed, multi-jurisdictional search of state and county criminal records numbering over 900 million and growing.

This product instantly searches felony, misdemeanor, and major traffic records, as well as sex and violent offender registries. This is also a national search of the Federal Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). All 50 states are included along with most U.S. territories. In compliance with FCRA, AmericanChecked verifies all reportable cases to ensure maximum possible accuracy.

It is important to know that not all jurisdictions report to the Nationwide Criminal Database. This search is subject to various state limitations, availability, and applicable reporting limitations and may not capture an individual’s entire criminal history, therefore AmericanChecked highly recommends using this search in conjunction with a county or statewide criminal record search.

Nationwide Pro

• Nationwide Criminal Database Search includes primary name and any alias names found
• Multi-State Sex and Violent Offenders Search
• National Homeland Security Search

Nationwide Plus

• Nationwide Criminal Database Search includes primary name and any alias names found
• Multi-State Sex and Violent Offenders Search

Nationwide Basic

• Nationwide Criminal Database Search of name(s) provided
• Multi-State Sex and Violent Offenders Search

CrimAlert

CrimAlert is a highly-advanced screening solution that monitors criminal activity on an ongoing, monthly basis for 12 months.

• Monthly alerts enable employers to identify risk to negligent retention calms, workplace violence and public embarrassment through negative publicity.
• Regularly scans nationwide criminal databases
• Searches criminal records from automated data sources such as:
• Proprietary Offender Data
• Department of Corrections
• Administrative Office of the Courts
• Department of Public Safety
• Traffic Court
• Terrorist and Fugitive Watch Lists including Office of Foreign Assets Control and Sex Offender Registry.
• AmericanChecked verifies all reportable misdemeanor and felony hits to ensure “maximum possible accuracy.”

Federal Criminal

AmericanChecked provides Federal Criminal Records from any U.S. District Court. Federal offenses including money laundering, bank robbery, embezzlement, counterfeiting, tax evasion, kidnapping, interstate drug trafficking, violation of civil rights, etc.

• Conducted in any of the nation’s 300+ federal district courts
• Searches of all districts within a state
• Federal PACER system will be used if unable to determine whether a criminal record belongs to an individual due to the information available. AmericanChecked will conduct additional research to determine if the federal criminal record information does, in fact, belong.

Federal Civil Record

This search indicates if any federal civil actions were filed by or against an individual.

• Federal Civil Record provides an in-depth picture of a person’s actions that may prove to be litigious in the future and reveals what federal civil court actions have been involved up to the present time
• Federal PACER system will be used if unable to determine whether a civil record belongs to a particular Individual due to the information available. AmericanChecked will conduct additional research to determine if the federal civil record information does, in fact, belong

Federal Bankruptcy Record

Bankruptcy laws help people who can no longer pay their creditors get a fresh start by liquidating assets to pay debts or by creating a repayment plan.

• Federal judicial records and reports are searched on:
• Bankruptcy liens
• Tax liens
• Judgments

AmericanChecked offers Livescan™ fingerprinting with FBI results within 24-hours with expedited service.

• FBI records of arrests are maintained from a number of state and local agencies
• Most records are linked by fingerprints as every individual who is arrested is fingerprinted as part of the booking process
• The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is essentially a database of these records. In addition, the NCIC also tracks reports of missing persons and fugitives who are wanted by law enforcement
• An FBI background check typically shows all of the arrests for the individual
• Data includes the date when the individual was arrested and provides a detail of the charges
• Both felonies and more serious misdemeanors may be in the report. However, it is unusual to see moving violations or fines included. These offenses are typically not reported to the FBI because they are so minor. Nonetheless, a handful of agencies do report these matters at a federal level

AmericanChecked provides equipment for purchase or rent including a laptop with loaded software and Livescan™ fingerprint scanner. We also recommend using FBI fingerprint screens along with a Criminal Track Record to round out missing data from non-reporting jurisdictions and to add case dispositions.

National Homeland Security Alert

Designed to assist employers in their compliance efforts with the USA Patriot Act, it searches a multitude of databases covering U.S. and foreign sanctions and watch lists as provided by U.S. and foreign governments and international organizations. Governments and organizations including, but not limited to:

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
• Interpol
• United Nations Security Council
• US Department of Commerce
• US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration
• US Department of State
• US Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
• US Department of Treasury Office of Thrift Supervision; Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
• US Secret Service
• World Bank
• Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
• Bank of England
• Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions – Canada (OFSI)
• Specialty Designation Nationals (SDN)

International Criminal Record

The jurisdiction and search method depend on the individual country being searched. Criminal record searches are performed where a third party may permissibly access records in the host country.

• International network of experienced, well-qualified criminal record researches retrieve information from the appropriate international court
• As each country has its own legalities and customs, some can be searched nationwide while others can only be searched at the local area jurisdiction
• Searches are conducted via the criminal register, the courts or police as applicable
• Turnaround and pricing varies based on geopolitical conditions in the physical area being searched. AmericanChecked does not access any databases for these searches

With regard to compliance with EU and other foreign laws in conducting international background searches, AmericanChecked has electronic access to various data protection authorities around the world. Consumer information is only processed within the scope of the permissible purpose for which it is intended. Information obtained during research is scrubbed for reportability prior to being provided to our customer.

In addition to criminal record searches, AmericanChecked provides international searches of the following if made available by the host country:

• Driving Records (MVRs)
• Civil Criminal
• Credit Reports
• Employment Verification
• Education Verification