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The Importance of Federal Criminal Record Searches
When a federal crime is committed by a celebrity or someone known in the public eye, it’s basically...
Blog
October 31 2018
2 min read
It takes jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction precision to achieve the desired results for your criminal background searches. The accuracy and timely availability of criminal records varies wildly from state to state – even county to county.
Why?
State and county central repositories for criminal records are frequently hampered by manpower shortages, procedural delays, local privacy statutes and, in some instances, even poorly delineated jurisdictional authority.
Data Integrity
A statewide search of Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) records is generally inferior to county-level searches. Texas DPS, like many state criminal history repositories, relies on each county to submit records to the state. If counties are slow to submit records to the state, for instance, a search of Texas DPS databases will yield limited or no information. For example, if counties fail to submit fingerprints for a criminal case, or fingerprints are illegible, the case record may be omitted from the state’s database, which contributes to large gaps of missing information in some cases.
Turnaround Time
The turnaround time for a statewide search in North Dakota is about 10 times longer than a county search. Whereas, county searches generally average less than a day. And, like Texas, the reliability and accuracy of search results at the county-level are generally far superior to results produced by statewide searches.
Scope
On the other hand, unlike North Dakota and Texas, statewide searches in South Dakota are generally preferable to county-level searches. A single statewide search will yield more reliable results than county-by-county queries in each of the state’s 66 counties. You can trust our 50-state expertise to identify the most efficient, timely and accurate scope for your search.
The Bottom Line
Your business priorities are clear. Creating a safe workplace requires conducting employment background checks. The background check information must concentrate on the accuracy of criminal search results, how to appropriately scope your search, and the time it takes to generate results that you can trust.
To do this, it takes a tailored search methodology customized to particular geographic locales to ensure the best outcomes for your candidate criminal screenings.
Orange Tree is keenly aware of our customers’ need for timely and accurate employment background screening services. Our nationwide expertise assures you of the highest quality criminal background checks available. Contact us today to learn how Orange Tree’s full suite of criminal background solutions can be of service to your organization.
This information is not legal advice, either expressed or implied. Orange Tree recommends you seek the advice of your corporate legal counsel for all aspects of employment law.
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