How to Conduct a State Background Check

A background check is necessary for these reasons: to verify the claims of an individual, to check the credentials of a person, and to delve into a person’s past and find out if s/he has ever been convicted of a criminal offense, and if so, how serious was the crime.

Carry out a thorough background check on your new tenant, the new babysitter, the newly recruited chauffeur, or someone who has befriended your teenage ward. Look up the sex offender registry and find out if the names of your new neighbor or your daughter’s dance instructor feature there. These background checks are the best ways to find out about the criminal history of suspicious or little known individuals. In fact, many companies run background checks on individuals before hiring them.

Process of Accessing State Background Check Records

After the United States adopted the Freedom of Information Act, states are required to make public all criminal records that are not considered private or confidential, are sealed by the court, and those that have not been expunged. The Act applies to all arrest and conviction records, driving records including those that contain records of drunken driving offenses and the current status of a driving license, sex offender information, and prison inmate details.

State background check records should however; be only used as a public safety measure. Not all courts consider this information as permissible evidence nor can you use this information to accuse a person of a crime. You also cannot use this information to intimidate, harass, or discriminate someone.

Online Sources for a State Background Check

The Internet teems in commercial web sites that contain information to help you conduct state specific background checks. Some of these are free while others charge a fee for their search services. It is always a good idea to source state background check information from government agencies or law enforcement bodies.

Source information about the status of a person’s driving license from the records maintained by the National Drivers Register (NDR) database. This database contains the details of all those drivers with US licenses whose driving privileges have been either been revoked or suspended. You may submit your search request by calling at 1-888-851-0436 or visit the NDR office USDOT/NHTSA West Building, NVS-422 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington DC 20590.

A NDR file check on a current or prospective employee may be carried out by completing the Current or Prospective Employee Form available at a local motor vehicle agency. The form can be filled out by either the employer or the employee himself.

Information about sexual offenders residing within a state’s physical boundaries listed at the official web site of the National Sex Offender Registry, http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1. This is a central database of information on sexual offenders and dangerous predators supervised, maintained, and updated by the US Department of Justice. The information listed here is provided by the various local law enforcement authorities.