Do a Criminal Background Check
How to Do a Criminal Background Check
Approximately 25 percent of U.S. citizens have some form of criminal record. The likelihood that any random person one might encounter on the street has been convicted of a serious crime varies considerably by location. However, even in the nicest neighborhoods in the country, wouldn?t you like to know if your neighbor is a sex predator or if your mechanic has been convicted of fraud? Finding out ,” how to do a criminal background check ,” can help to keep your family and loved ones a little bit safer. Perhaps you want to make sure your carpool partner is a safe driver or perhaps the neighborhood parent that is driving your kids to school. There are a multitude of reasons to run a criminal background check on a person and with online public record web resources, anyone with a device that has internet access can quickly resource any person’s criminal past. If so, then you will want to know how to lookup someones criminal record. It turns out that there are a variety of ways to do so. And the most thorough and reliable means of establishing someone?s criminal past are often easy to access online. With a simple online name search of the person you would like to know more about with an online resource like Search Quarry, can identify criminal records, DUIs, bankruptcies, liens and judgments to name a few items you can find online.
Different Types of Criminal Background Records
There are four main types of criminal record: arrest records, civil infractions, misdemeanors and felonies. All four can typically be searched for online. However, the researcher must typically know in what state, county or city the person in question has lived. Furthermore, people may commit crimes in jurisdictions where they do not live, making it difficult to uncover those crimes.
All of this means that you may have to do quite a bit of digging if you really want to get the full criminal picture of a subject. But while there are many pay services that promise to deliver someone?s full criminal history, there really is no substitute for going with the primary sources yourself. And the best news is that the most serious red flags on someone?s criminal past can usually be uncovered quickly and without cost to you.
Let?s take a more detailed look at the four types of criminal records and how best to dig them up.
Why Perform a Criminal Background Check
So, you want to learn how to perform a criminal background check? The first step is to recognize the four types of criminal background records that may exist for any American.
The first category of criminal background records consists of arrest records. An arrest occurs when someone is suspected of committing a crime. While it is safe to say that most arrests result in some kind of conviction, it is important to remember that all parties, even those with mugshots online, are innocent until proven guilty.
Still, as far as criminal records go, arrest records can provide you with a good place to start when researching an individual?s background. While an isolated arrest may not convey much information, the majority of people are not repeat customers at their local jail. Long arrest records tend to indicate a criminal or scofflaw lifestyle.
Secondly, arrest records are a great starting point for uncovering more detailed accounts of someone?s criminal past. That?s because every criminal conviction started with an arrest. And even many misdemeanors and civil infractions involve a booking at the county jail.
The jails of most larger cities and counties might have an internet-based inmate-lookup feature. These are great tools for determining why someone was recently arrested. However, inmate lookups for county jails will typically not maintain inmate and case information after the person in question is released from custody. Using an online public record website is a great solution to finding information nationwide. Most of the time when performing up a criminal background check you will need to know the state and/or county where the individual was processed but using online public record resources like Search Quarry, you can search nationwide with just a first and last name and then narrow down your results. Resources like this are for reference only and unofficial verification purposes.
How to Lookup a Criminal Offender
When it comes to determining if someone has committed a serious crime and is currently in a federal or state prison, public record websites are also a great option. If you know the specific state where someone was incarcerated then you can sometimes find what you’re looking for with state run resources. However, Inmate lookups for state prison systems can vary considerably by state and you won’t be able to find out about their criminal past this way. You can typically just get basic information about an individual that is incarcerated, such as their full name and mailing address, the reason for their incarcerations and how many years they have on their sentence. For example many states use the VINE link system. This is a primarily a victim-notification service that was initially created to let the victims of violent crimes know when the offender was scheduled for release. But the system can provide a number of other useful services, such as telling where an inmate is housed and, in the case of indeterminate sentencing, when their custody remands to the parole board.
Other states may have more robust background criminal record search systems. For example, the state of Michigan operates the OTIS Online site. OTIS is a powerful criminal record search tool that allows users to not only reveal virtually all relevant information about inmates who are currently housed within the Michigan Department of Correction, but it also shows all those who have been convicted of a felony in the state of Michigan in recent decades.
Many states have such systems. And unlike local district court search tools, they usually only require that the researcher know what state the target individual has resided in. Pound for pound, state-run felony search tools like OTIS are the best place to start because they?ll quickly let you know if the person you?re researching has committed any serious crimes in a given state.
Background Checks for Traffic Citations
Criminal background checks can be performed for a list of traffic citations, DUI arrests, misdemeanors and civil infractions and arrests. A good place to source these public records is online public record sites where you can search either state by state or nationwide. You won’t be able to resource this information on other people’s traffic citations through motor vehicle departments. Using an online resources like Search Quarry will allow anyone to quickly reference another person’s traffic citations for reference and unofficial purposes.
Researching civil infractions, lawsuits and misdemeanor crimes is generally an area where returns begin rapidly diminishing. While all of these records are technically public, many smaller towns and counties will not maintain online search tools. This means that in order to obtain these records you may have to physically visit the county courthouse if that is possible. And this can become a major gamble unless you know for sure that the target has resided in that county for a long period of time. The other caveat is you will most likely not be able to find another person’s criminal history through a courthouse directly, they typically only
If you know that the target of your research has lived in large cities, and you know the exact cities in which they have resided over their lives, then you should be able to get a very clear picture of their misdemeanor and civil criminal background. However, many people who live a criminal or scofflaw lifestyle are innate nomads. And when someone has lived in 20 different small towns over as many years, piecing together an accurate history of their misdemeanors and civil infractions can be very difficult.
This turns out to be an area where paid background services can be worth the investment as many are able to give you at least a semi-accurate picture of someone?s low-level criminal past even if they have been frequent movers and have lived in out-of-the-way places.
Criminal Background Checks for Sex Offenders
Before closing, it should be noted that one of the most important online lookup tools for determining someone?s serious criminal past, including sex offender records, are public record.
Sex offender registries, like the The National Sex Offender Website, can instantly give you a zoomable local map view and detailed accounts of registered sex offenders in your area. In fact, for those who are concerned about their family?s safety, sex offender registries should probably be their first stop in researching people?s criminal backgrounds.
By performing a criminal background check on anyone deemed suspicious, you can finally answer the question, ” how to do a criminal background check ,” and rest a little easier with
Criminal Background Check FAQs
How to Do an Anonymous Background Check
An anonymous background check can be performed on most anyone online with the assistance of public record websties. The Freedom of Information Act makes most all information about a person public domain that anyone can access. All you need is a person's full name and state of residence to run an anonymous background check onlineCan I Run a Criminal Background Check on Myself?
Yest, you can run a background check on yourself or another person. With the help of online background check resources, like SearchQuarry.com, you can perform a background check on anyone with a first and last name and state of residency. The benefit of using a resource like this is all background checks are anonymous and confidential.Can a Civilian Run a Criminal Background Check?
Anyone can run a background check as a person's past is public record. Criminal background check results may include arrests, incarcerations, court records, police records and traffic citations. All these records are public domain which means anyone can access them.How can I get a free criminal background search?
You can get a free criminal background check with online resources like SearchQuarry.com. Go to the blog and make a request to fun one "free criminal background check" and the Search Quarry team will perform one free criminal record search at zero cost. In order to improve the accuracy of results, it's best to provide the full name, year of birth and state and county of residency.Before Comments
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Last Updated: 2019-09-25
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I would like to request a free criminal background check on myself just to see what it shows please.
Born 1973 and live in Jackson County Mississippi
I’d like a one time free criminal background check on Robert Lawrence Day of Lebanon, TN He also lived in Sparta, KY.
I would like to request to make a “fun one-Free criminal background check please I am not exactly sure what is on my record or possibly hanging over my head as of to to this date and am interested in applying for a position of employment hopefully and need to be fully aware of my records current date of past and present activities recorded on/under my name please and thankyou.
Shallyn M Hopkins
43 yrs old
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY-CA
Shallyn, we show an arrest record from 2017 and some criminal charges from 2014 and a traffic violation on your criminal background check. The only thing that looks concerning is the arrest record from San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department. We show the booking number for this arrest is # 17-13917. You can contact the Sheriff Dept. directly to get a full police report of your record.
I would like to run a free criminal background and active warrant check on myself. I would like to have a better understanding on what is actually on my record
Can I get a Free criminal background check? On Stephen Lester Allen Hudson NC
Drema, we have found multiple traffic citations, which are considered criminal records even though they are infractions and sometimes misdemeanors, in our search. Many people want to know do traffic misdemeanors show up on criminal background checks and the answer is yes. If you would like a printable form of your complete criminal background check you can sign up in the member’s area to do this and get your complete criminal background history
I am requesting incarceration records against my daughter under the Freedom of Information Act. Her name is Holly (Dale) Yager. Her address prior to incarceration was 524 Southfield Dr Chesapeake VA 23322. Please advise.
Sharon Dale
I am interested in doing a free criminal background check on a female from Haughton/ Shreceport, Louisiana. She is approximately 32, her name is Jayme Dalbey. Hopefully you’re able to find out something soon. Thank You
i would like to run a free criminal and background check on myself. i suspect there are things listed that should not be there.if there are, i would like to find out how i can remove them or who to contact to have them investigated or removed. name is doreen louise benfer dob 06/15/1963 or any other. state is iowa or any other. i am investigating fraud ans identity theft.
Can I get a free background active warrant check on Laura E Shelton Tennessee 39yrs
I would like to have a free criminal background check done on myself but is there any way to find out if there active or dismissed. related criminal records, court records, arrest and warrants, incarcerations or if you have any inquiring about a criminal record being expunged
Richard a Marrell Jr.
We are happy to help you run a criminal background check in your state. For example, if you would like to know about your criminal history we in California, we can help you run a California background report with up to date information about your criminal record from state and local government public record resources.
I would like to have a free criminal background check done on myself…
Richard James Rusch
We are happy to assist you with a criminal background check James but first we need to know what this will be used for? Our criminal record resources are for online refence only and we to verify that this before providing you with any criminal background information. For example, are you looking for driving related criminal records, court records, arrest and warrants, incarcerations or if you have any inquiring about a criminal record being expunged?
Is there any active warrants for Jerry W Sanders in selmer TN.
Chad, we ran a Tennessee criminal background check and found multiple results however not all our Tennessee warrant record results include the middle name. Do you know his date of birth or age so that we can refine our results to find the criminal background record you’re looking for?
How to do a criminal background check for active warrants
Running a criminal background check on someone to find out if they have an active warrant is relatively simple. You’ll need to know the full name of the person in question as well as their state of residence and age. Then you can visit a 3rd party website like SearchQuarry.com to run a criminal background check anonymously.
Is there any active warrants for a Damien Altimari in Louisiana
We ran a Louisiana background check for a Damien Altimari and found there are no active Louisiana warrants that we could find at this time
Can i get one free criminal background check on kelley camp 31 out of midway ga
Kelley, can you also provide us with your middle name and date of birth so we can filter our Georgia criminal record results for you?
Are you sure that that Duc Tran was born in June 17th 1994? Since I am that individual and I didnt drive in UT back then. Can you cross check the criminal record of Ruston, LA as well?
Duc, unfortunately this is a common first and last name and the DOB is not listed for this specific record. That being said, it might be another Duc Tran that has these traffic citations. You might want to contact the Utah DMV to verify your driving record, which you can order online. Unfortunately that’s all the information we have at this time for you Duc.
Please do a criminal background check for Duc Tran, 26 years of age (DOB 06/17/1994). Lived in Ogden, UT and later moved to Ruston, LA
We ran a Utah criminal background check for a Duc Tran with the information you provided and we found some traffic citations but no Utah arrest records or incarcerations that we can find
Background record for Angela Sueann Mora in Colorado her DOB is 10/24/1988
Joe, we did find some Colorado criminal records, as well as an incarceration, when we ran a background check on Angela S. Mora.
Criminal background check for Crystal Earlene Freytag of Ohio, 44 years of age. Hancock county
Jordyn, we are happy to run a criminal background check on Crystal Freytag. We did not find anything recent for criminal records for this person in Ohio. Was there something specific you wanted to know about Crystal?
Possible warrant for arrest. She also moved to California so not sure if it would be under Ohio or California
Jordyn, we checked both our California warrant records and Ohio warrant records and did not find anything active for a Crystal Freytag in either of those states. Please reach out if we can be of further assistance with our criminal background check resources.
How to Lookup Someone’s Criminal Background
There are many online resources to run a criminal background check online. You will need the full name of the person in question, including middle name, their age or date of birth and their state of residence. If you use an online criminal background check resource, like SearchQuarry.com, you can do this anonymously from any smartphone or computer with an internet connection.
Angela Sueanne Mora age 31 background record
Joe, we are happy to run a criminal background check on an Angela Mora but we’ll need to know her state of residence and year of birth as well to properly filter our results. Angela has a very common name and not all our criminal background check results include the middle name and age so the DOB as well as any addresses or relative information can be useful to find the correct record for the people search service we provide.
Angela Mora in Colorado background record
Joe, we show multiple listings for an Angela Mora in Colorado with different middle names and ages. Can you verify the middle name and age so we can verify the Colorado background check for you?
Background check or criminal history for Angela sueanne mora in Colorado
Joe, thank you for reaching out about our Criminal Background Check blog. We ran a background check for an Angela Sueanne out of Colorado and did not find anything recently. Was there a specific instance that you are referring to? We can expand the search to other states if you know where to look
Can you run a criminal Background on Heather S McIntosh in carter county tn and Washington county tn
We ran a criminal background check for the entire state of Tennessee and did not find anything in our resources.
Can you see if Heather S McIntosh has an warrant
In carter county tn
We ran a criminal background check for you and found multiple Kentucky criminal records for a Heather Lee McIntosh however we don’t see any Tennessee warrants for a Heather S McIntosh.
Background check for Heather McIntosh
Does Heather McIntosh have a warrant in carter county tn
Heather, we ran a Tennessee warrant search for you and found a couple of records for different people with the same first and last name but different middle name. Can you confirm your middle name so we can verify the correct background record for you?
Need background or arrest records for cassandra luthi from washington state she is approximately 33yrs old
We are happy to do a criminal background check for you Malinda. We ran the name through our background check resources and found an arrest record, for a Cassandra Lee Luthi, from 2017 related to a residential burglary charge from Lewis county. We also show an active Washington warrant that was issued for her arrest in 2018.