Articles And Announcements
National criminal
reports, good or bad?
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Dear RSI Client,
Many
screening companies are now offering National Criminal File
Search, also referred to as a search of the National Criminal
Index. Many of
these companies lead you to believe this search will turn up
ANY criminal history that exists for a person.
The truth is these kinds of searches are misleading and
do not include all criminal convictions and they leave many
records unsearched and leave you unprotected.
Many
companies that sign up for National Criminal File Search or
National Criminal Index Search believe they are accessing NCIC,
this is wrong. Only
the FBI and all law enforcement officials have access to a
“national” database called the NCIC (
National
Criminal
Information
Center
). This database
is built upon information that is voluntarily submitted by
various court and law enforcement agencies around the country.
There is NO national database that is accessible by any
applicant screening services or any other criminal check
service.
So,
if the National Criminal File Search
and National Criminal Index Search are not checking NCIC,
where are they checking? Although
the names imply that the searches are comprehensive,
they are not. They represent a spotty check of various records
that do NOT include all criminal convictions. If you wade
through the fine print associated with one of these searches,
you will find that most companies selling these searches will
state that their search will not include all criminal
convictions.
The
best way to get the most comprehensive Criminal Search is the
state by state check offered by Rental Services Inc. These
very important checks are available from all fifty states.
Most are pulled from statewide repositories; some are
on a county by county basis – in any case they are the best
reports available that include felonies as well as
misdemeanors. As
part of our criminal history reports, we automatically provide
information on registered sex offenders. In
addition, your applicants are also screened through the
OFAC-SDN.
I
hope this answers some questions about National Criminal File
Searches. If you
have any questions about Criminal Searches please send me an
email.
Sincerely,
Jeff
Malone
Regional
Marketing Director
Rental
Services, Inc.
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