10 Pros and Cons of County Criminal Record Checks

When faced with the need to run a criminal records check, whether for a prospective employee or a potential mate, the sheer number of choices can be daunting. For many, a simple check on the county level may be more than enough; for others, it may not be sufficient. Here are ten of the pros and cons of running a county-exclusive background check.

  1. County checks can be cost effective. Because some investigative companies or even records departments may charge for each record accessed, it can often be cheaper to limit a search to the county of the subject’s residence. Paying separate charges in order to search several databases may not always be financially feasible; in these cases, researching on the county level is certainly better than nothing at all.
  2. County check results can often be obtained quickly. Because a county clerk or circuit court office has far fewer records to comb through than a federal database, the results for a county-based criminal records check are quite often returned significantly faster than the federal variety.
  3. County checks are limited to local history. One of the drawbacks to a criminal search limited to a single county is that any crimes committed outside of that jurisdiction will not be included in the results.
  4. County checks may not require the help of an investigator. For those who would rather conduct the criminal search themselves, without involving a professional, confining the search to the county level is often the best method. Though the results may be limited and some important information may not be reported, it rarely requires the help of an investigator.
  5. With county court checks names can affect results. A complete background check will compile information from several databases and be carefully cross-referenced by a professional in order to eliminate the possibility of a mistaken identity. Limiting the search to one county database doesn’t allow for this cross-referencing, which can lead to erroneous reports or mistaken identity in the event of name change or a misspelling on the searcher’s end.
  6. Maintenance and record inclusion can vary across the country. The way that records are maintained and information is distributed can vary quite widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; the information freely obtained in one county may be next to impossible to access in the next county over. In these cases, a more in-depth report is usually best.
  7. Criminal databases are incomplete. All criminal databases are, by nature, incomplete. The best possible way to obtain all relevant criminal information is to conduct the most thorough search, including local, state and federal records.
  8. County record checks are usually sufficient for insurance.  If your only reason for running a pre-employment background check is to comply with insurance demands, a county-level check is almost always sufficient to meet their requirements.
  9. County court records can be incomplete for candidates who move frequently. Though many people live in the same area for most of their lives, there are more that relocate frequently than ever before, as our society becomes more mobile. Search subjects that move often can present quite a challenge when it comes to single-county restricted criminal searches; in this case, it’s much better to opt for the all-inclusive search.
  10. County court records may contain the necessary information. From a statistical standpoint, a county criminal records search is likely to be more than enough; most crimes are committed in or around the town of a perpetrator’s residence.

Making a decision regarding the level of background check that you want to conduct can be a complicated one; there are many aspects to the process that can be confusing. It’s important to think carefully about the information you’re looking for and how much time and money can be dedicated to the search before beginning.