Criminal
Background Checks

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Criminal Background Checks
Investigations into Criminal History

What Is a Criminal Background Check?

A criminal background check is an investigation into a person’s past to determine if that person has any criminal history. Criminal background checks are usually included in a pre-employment background check to make hiring or promotion decisions, or to decide whether to use the person’s services. Criminal background checks may search national, federal, state, and county courts.

Hire Image offers several types of national, federal, state, and county criminal background checks. The following indicates the criminal records searches that we offer, what they’re best used for, and the different search options available to you, your company or organization.

Address & SSN (Social Security Number) Trace

This screening tool is used to ascertain if the social security number provided matches the applicant’s information and may include the year and state of issuance. This search may reveal other names used by the applicant and provides a history of the applicant’s addresses. Information from the Address & SSN Trace is used to identify jurisdictions and alias names to be searched. The Death Index is cross-referenced.

CBSV (Consent Based SSN Verification)

CBSV is a method of matching personal identifiers directly to Social Security Administration (SSA) Master File and Death Index. CBSV provides compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements involving customer identification programs, Red Flags Rule, Fannie Mae Loan Quality Initiative, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Consumer Protection Act, and more.

County Criminal Records Search

Hire Image accesses the predominately used index in the county being searched for felony and misdemeanor criminal records. These searches are conducted via hands-on research and/or direct access to court records. Through our carefully scrutinized network of court researchers, we have the capability to search every county in the United States. The court system is diverse, varies from state to state and information returned may vary based upon jurisdiction searched.

Export Denial List

A search of the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) list of individuals and entities that have been denied export privileges. Any dealings with a party on this list that would violate the terms of its denial order is prohibited.

FBI Most Wanted

A search of the Search of the FBI's database. Contains most wanted fugitives & missing persons, Hijacking Suspects from September 11, 2001, Most Wanted Terrorists, and Top Ten Most Wanted.

Federal Criminal (Includes all Federal Jurisdictions)

A search for violations of Federal law that are recorded in US District Courts. This search will return criminal convictions on federal charges including, but not limited to, securities and tax law violations, immigration violations, embezzlement, terrorism, weapons violations, interstate drug crimes, cyber crime and civil rights violations.

Global Excluded Parties

Search of database information provided by GSA (General Services Administration), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and includes action taken by licensing boards in all 50 states. Other contributing entities for excluded parties include: US Dept. of State; FBI; US Bureau of ATF; USICE; US Marshals; USPS; US Secret Service; USNCIS; CIA, and many international agencies.

International Criminal

Hire Image has access to international searches in over 250 countries. Information needed, and results found vary by country. We are happy to assist you in determining the most efficient and effective international search for your company.

Interpol

Interpol is the world’s largest police organization, with 190-member countries. An Interpol search will check to ensure the applicant is not wanted internationally for drug abuse and trafficking, criminal organization, financial and high-tech crimes, terrorism, human trafficking, or corruption.

National Sex Offender Registry

This search identifies criminals convicted of sex crimes by utilizing sex offender registries throughout the country, in all 50 states, U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, Guam and participating Indian tribes. Hire Image confirms any record at the primary source before reporting. Hire Image also offers state specific sex offender checks upon request

Nationwide Criminal Database

Hire Image has access to a data file of over 500 million offender records with information from over 2,000 datasets. It contains misdemeanor and felony records from numerous sources including state Departments of Corrections and Administrative Offices of the Courts. Records are updated on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, based on the sources. This search can uncover offenses committed outside of the applicant's counties of residence. A nationwide search is not recommended as the primary criminal search due to limitations of the data. If negative information is found, Hire Image will verify the record at the primary source before reporting.

Nationwide Criminal Database with Alias

A combination of the Address & SSN Trace and the Nationwide Criminal Database Search, this search uncovers known aliases including maiden names. All discovered name variations are then searched through the Nationwide Criminal Database Search.

OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) Search

A search of the OFAC list is designed to facilitate the use of the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list ("SDN List") and all other sanctions lists administered by OFAC, including the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List, the List of Persons Identified as Blocked Solely Pursuant to E.O. 13599, the Non-SDN Iran Sanctions Act List, the Part 561 list, the Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List and the Non-SDN Palestinian Legislative Council List.

Prohibited Parties Check

Search your candidate’s name against several U.S. Government watch lists to identify any known prohibited individuals or entities.

Sex Offender Registry Searches

Identify candidates who are listed on a state’s sex offender registry. Search for a single state or nationwide.

Statewide Criminal Search

The State Criminal check searches state law enforcement agency repositories in the United States, which typically contain misdemeanors, felonies and traffic offenses, committed by an individual. While state criminal searches can add value, the amount and quality of information provided may vary by jurisdiction. Hire Image will work with your company to determine if a state search is a good choice in your area.

Widescreen Plus

Supplement Hire Image’s county criminal records search with additional diverse and proprietary sources to help uncover a candidate's criminal history.
Why Choose Criminal Background Checks

Why Choose Criminal
Background Checks?

Many employers choose to conduct a criminal background check to mitigate the risks of a bad hire. Criminal background checks help in determining if an applicant is trustworthy and/or whether he or she potentially presents any threats to the business or to others. Comprehensive criminal background screenings can help create a safe workplace, protect the company’s assets, safeguard the company’s reputation, defend negligent hiring claims, and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.

Simply, criminal background checks assess the risk of a new hire. They are not intended to automatically prevent an employer from hiring someone. Rather, they provide employers with the knowledge to make their own educated decisions.

What Shows Up On A
Criminal Background Check?

Criminal background checks show felony and misdemeanor criminal convictions, as well as pending criminal cases, adult incarcerations, and active warrants. Criminal background checks may also include a Sex Offender Registry check to determine if the applicant is currently registered as a sex offender in any state. Different types of criminal record checks may reveal different offenses, depending on the court records that are searched.

What shows up on a criminal background check
Verify info on a criminal background check

What We Do To Verify The Information In A Criminal Background Check

Our team reviews every criminal record for accuracy and reportability. We will not automatically return the results from our researchers without our compliance review. We also search for triple identifiers to ensure your person matches whatever record is returned, beyond the industry standard for two identifiers.

Our system also adds additional criminal searches based on information provided by the applicant, and our trained staff reviews the data to determine any additional jurisdictions to search or to determine if a better search (statewide vs. county) is available.

The Director of Criminal Records, who has extensive former law enforcement experience and an in-depth understanding of the criminal justice and court systems, verifies if the information obtained is reportable under jurisdictional law and whether the employer has set limitations on the information with which they wish to be provided.

How Long Does A Criminal
Background Check Take?

The time within which criminal background check results may be returned vary greatly from a few hours to two to three days or longer. Criminal background checks that include searches for criminal records at the county level may take several days, depending on the county (some do not have digital records, and some require the assistance of a court employee).

How long does a criminal background check take
How do I start a criminal background check

How Do I Start A Criminal
Background Check?

Getting started is simple! Let us know how many checks you need, provide some information about your company, then select the package that fits your needs. Our packages include a Nationwide Criminal Databases search and Sex Offender Registry search. We also offer options to customize your background checks with add-on searches, such as Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) checks, Education Verification, and Employment Verification, for a more complete background check.

Employers that use a background check company, such as Hire Image, to run a background check must follow federal, state, and even local laws that regulate employment screening. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) sets out requirements for consumer reporting agencies (employment screeners like Hire Image), as well as rules that the employers who use the reports must follow.

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