Nationwide Criminal Database: The Essential "Wide Net" for Background Screening

While the County Criminal search is the foundation of background screening, the Nationwide Criminal Database is the perfect starting point. By searching over 550 million criminal records across thousands of jurisdictions, this database search casts a wide geographic net to help identify potential records for a candidate.

What Does the Search Cover?

No single database in the United States is entirely all-encompassing, but our Nationwide search pulls critical "pointer data" from a massive variety of sources, including:

• State Departments of Corrections (DOC)
• Administrative Offices of the Courts (AOC)
• County Courthouses
• State Sex Offender Registries
• Over 100 specialized databases (including Healthcare, Financial, and Abuse registries)

How Does It Work? (The Pointer & Verification Process)

Because national databases are not updated in real-time by the courts, we use this search as a powerful "pointer" tool to flag potential records, followed by a strict verification process at the county level to ensure total compliance.

1. The Broad Sweep: The database scans hundreds of millions of records for potential matches to your candidate.
2. Expert Review: Our Public Records team carefully reviews any potential records returned by the database.
3. Primary-Source Verification: If a potential record is found, our team orders a County Criminal Records search for that specific jurisdiction. Once verified as belonging to your candidate and confirmed reportable per the FCRA and Verified First guidelines, the result will populate on your final report under the County Criminal search.

Why do we verify at the county level? This crucial step ensures that the information you receive is primary-source, up-to-date, and accurate. By verifying the database hit directly with the local court, we ensure outdated or dismissed information is not reported, keeping your hiring process fully FCRA-compliant.

Why Make This Part of Your Layered Screening Strategy?

• Identify Records Across All Jurisdictions: Think of this search as your nationwide pointer tool. It casts a wide net to flag any potential criminal history, helping you uncover offenses in a candidate's known counties of residence right alongside hidden records in areas they've never lived.
• Access Specialized Registries: Beyond standard criminal records, it checks vital national security and industry-specific registries all at once.
• Speed and Efficiency: When no records are found, this search is typically one of the fastest to complete, helping you move quality candidates through the pipeline quickly.

FAQ

1. Is the Nationwide Criminal Database search a comprehensive, all-encompassing search for all U.S. criminal records? No single database in the United States is all-encompassing. The Nationwide search is considered an essential “pointer tool” to point us towards potential records. However, for best results the search should be layered with other searches like our Unlimited County Criminal Records Search.
2. Why do you verify potential records at the county level if the Nationwide search already found them? Verification at the county level is a crucial step to ensure the information is primary-source, up-to-date, and accurate. This process confirms the record belongs to your candidate and ensures that outdated information is not reported, maintaining full FCRA compliance.
3. Why was a County Criminal Records Search ordered for records research but nothing was reported on the county? This will happen sometimes due to the Nationwide search being a database. When we’re ordering for records research we’re ordering for potential cases. There’s multiple reasons this could happen but the most common are because the case ended up not belonging to your candidate or because the case ended up being a non-conviction.
4. Why does a Nationwide search sometimes show a "Review" status when no records were reported? This often occurs when duplicate Nationwide searches are ordered on the same file, resulting in conflicting status updates (Complete and Clear). Our system flags these for review as a precaution. If you see this status and need it removed, please contact our support team, and we can manually clear it for you.

This document is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws and regulations governing background screening and employment vary by jurisdiction and are subject to change. Verified First is a Consumer Reporting Agency under the FCRA. It is not your legal counsel. Please consult qualified legal counsel to ensure your employment screening program is compliant with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The information and opinions expressed are for educational purposes only and are based 
on current practice, industry related knowledge and business expertise. The information
provided shall not be construed as legal advice, express or implied. 

If you have any further questions, or need a product enabled on your account, 
please contact Verified First Client Services for assistance.

Call 844-709-2708 or email clientservices@verifiedfirst.com