| In today's world background checks on | | | | they? Can you imagine a website that |
| other people have become a necessary | | | | advertises "Slow And Expensive Limited |
| part of our business and sometimes, | | | | Area Background Checks." But, in fact, |
| personal life. What parent now days | | | | some areas of the country, like the |
| would not first check a person's | | | | Carolinas and most of California require |
| background before they hire a nanny for | | | | exactly that, records that must be |
| their children, for example? And what | | | | searched in person at each local county |
| small business wouldn't check the | | | | courthouse. |
| background of a person hired to manage | | | | These companies get records where they |
| the bank accounts of that business? | | | | can get them for free; usually from a |
| Large businesses issue Requests For | | | | state's Department of Corrections, which |
| Proposals to choose a background check | | | | means you are only getting info on a |
| company that best suits their needs in | | | | person if he/she has been convicted of a |
| terms of the services offered, | | | | felony and sentenced to prison. When |
| information management, price and | | | | most people think of a criminal history |
| reliability. They then usually establish | | | | background check they think of all |
| a long term relationship with that | | | | arrests and convictions; both |
| selected company. But what about the | | | | misdemeanors and felonies and the court |
| rest of us? Are we even allowed to | | | | disposition, guilty or not guilty and |
| "check up" on another person and how do | | | | the sentence. As you can see, if you |
| we go about it? | | | | are getting only felony convictions, you |
| SURPRISING TRUTH # 1: Anybody can do a | | | | are getting only a small piece of the |
| background check on anybody, any time | | | | pie. For example; a person could be |
| they want to. Now I know that I've lost | | | | arrested a couple of times for having |
| some of you who now think that I am off | | | | drug paraphernalia or a small amount of |
| my rocker because you know that there | | | | drugs in his or her possession. If the |
| are all sorts of forms that you have to | | | | records you are getting only include |
| sign with all kinds of legal warnings | | | | felony convictions, you would have no |
| with criminal penalties and such, but | | | | record of that person's drug abuse. |
| I'll say it again. "ANYBODY CAN DO A | | | | The other problem that these Instant |
| BACKGROUND CHECK ON ANYONE, ANY TIME | | | | Nationwide background checks have is |
| THEY FEEL LIKE IT." Because I want you | | | | that in many areas of the country they |
| to read this whole article, I am not | | | | get nothing at all because the states or |
| going to explain those statements until | | | | the county superior courts or district |
| further into the article. | | | | courts don't furnish them with free |
| SURPRISING TRUTH # 2: There is no | | | | records. Here is another example: |
| instant national database of all | | | | Suppose you are a parent in San |
| criminal records that you can access. | | | | Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, |
| Now I know that you are sure that I am | | | | Boston, Atlanta or New Orleans (just to |
| crazy. "Why just last night on Law & | | | | name a few) and you want to do a |
| Order they got the bad guy's record . . | | | | criminal background check. You go |
| ." There, you are talking about NCIC, | | | | online and type in "background check" in |
| the National Crime Information Center or | | | | Yahoo or Google and right away you see |
| otherwise known as the FBI files. While | | | | the ads for the "Instant Nationwide" |
| the FBI maintains the best and most | | | | background checks. You choose one of |
| accurate records, unfortunately, you | | | | the websites that offers instant |
| can't get them, unless of course you are | | | | records, you pay your $19.95 or $49.95 |
| a federally insured bank, a defense | | | | and you put in the information on the |
| department contractor, a nuclear power | | | | person you want checked. Instantly the |
| plant, a branch of the government itself | | | | website tells you that there is no |
| or some other such entity. A surprising | | | | record found based on the info that you |
| amount of otherwise intelligent people | | | | have provided. You feel great! You go |
| think that there are giant government | | | | ahead and tell the nanny that she can |
| databases with information on everyone | | | | start tomorrow because she has passed |
| including their criminal history, job | | | | the background check. Here comes the |
| history, credit files an even what books | | | | big kick in the gut. . . What the |
| they check out of the library and what | | | | website didn't tell you is that their |
| videos they rent. If that were true, why | | | | database records don't search any of |
| does it take the government itself four | | | | those areas at all. You just paid |
| months and $2400 to conduct its own | | | | $19.95 or $49.95 and got NOTHING, ZERO, |
| background checks? Don't believe me? | | | | ZIP, NADA. Disclosure: Actually the |
| Look here: | | | | proceeding sentence is not 100% true. In |
| SURPRISING TRUTH # 3: There is a big, | | | | Nevada and Louisiana the databases do |
| big difference between everywhere and | | | | search currently incarcerated prisoners |
| anywhere. These database companies | | | | in their respective prison systems. So |
| advertise that they search everywhere, | | | | if your potential nanny is in prison |
| or at least that's what they want you to | | | | right now then it would tell you that he |
| believe. Using the word Nationwide is | | | | she is in prison, but I guess you would |
| designed to make you think that they | | | | already know that. |
| check everywhere. The question then | | | | Now to explain the # 1 Surprising Truth: |
| becomes, "If you don't check everywhere, | | | | I'll say it again: Anyone can check |
| what do you check?" The answer is that | | | | anyone, anytime. If you are so |
| you should check anywhere a person has | | | | inclined, you can check the criminal or |
| lived or worked. Does it really help to | | | | civil record (or lack thereof) of your |
| check a database of Orange County, | | | | daughter's boyfriend (I do that on a |
| California if the person has always | | | | regular basis) your crazy neighbor next |
| lived and worked in Orange County, | | | | door, your business partner, your |
| Florida or vice versa? | | | | doctor, your ex-husband, your mayor or |
| So if there's no such thing as an | | | | even any of the presidential candidates. |
| instant nationwide database what are | | | | In fact, you don't even have to be a |
| these companies selling? First let me | | | | citizen of the USA to get these records. |
| tell you what these databases are good | | | | You can walk into the Superior Court |
| for and then I'll tell you why they are | | | | (District Court in some states) clerk's |
| dangerous. In some states of the USA | | | | office, in the jurisdiction where that |
| their REAL criminal records are | | | | person lives/lived, go up to the |
| available in some kind of publicly | | | | counter, fill out a slip of paper, hand |
| accessible form. It may be on the | | | | it to the clerk and wait for the |
| internet and it may require a | | | | results. Remember that you will only |
| subscription or acknowledgement of | | | | get the records from that county, i.e., |
| permissible purpose for its use, but it | | | | if a person lived in multiple counties |
| is available. Texas is a good example | | | | you would have to check each of them. |
| of this. For a small fee you can go | | | | The subject of your search could be an |
| online and access the REAL criminal | | | | axe murderer from the next county over, |
| records of the state of Texas. Florida, | | | | but your county court clerk would not |
| Minnesota and Virginia are other | | | | have a record of it. |
| examples of where you can get via these | | | | OK, now you've got the information, what |
| database services what I call "REAL" | | | | do you do with it? This is the area |
| records. The problem is that these | | | | where the law is concerned; what you do |
| database companies don't tell the | | | | with the information! If you use this |
| consumer (you) that is most cases and in | | | | information to discriminate against a |
| most areas of the country you are | | | | person, deny them employment, housing or |
| getting either nothing or marginal | | | | entrance to a school, etc. then you are |
| information at best. | | | | violating the law and opening yourself |
| Here's why. The companies that collect | | | | to big time liabilities and possible |
| and sell these database records, and the | | | | lawsuits. This is what all of the |
| hundreds of companies that re-sell this | | | | consent forms with warnings are all |
| information do not emphasize the | | | | about. It's not the getting of the |
| weakness of their systems. This is why | | | | information that the laws are concerned |
| they emphasize the words "instant" and | | | | with but the use of it. |
| "nationwide" in their promotions. | | | | In summary, read the fine print and ask |
| Everyone wants cheap and instant as | | | | questions to get the real records you |
| opposed to slow and expensive, don't | | | | want. |