It never ceases to amaze me how many people appear to believe that a criminal background check involves just entering a name and Social Security number into a database and, voila, out pop the results.
Many conversations with people start with “We just need . . . ” or “This should be an easy request . . . ” Their statements, coupled with their tone of voice, show that they’re convinced that theirs is a simple request with very little need for human involvement.
If only a reliable, trustworthy criminal background check were so simple. And so simple to understand.
There’s really no substitute for skilled, knowledgeable human analysts, and no such thing as a comprehensive online background investigation. Here are some of the obvious (and not so obvious) benefits.
So, the obvious first . . .
Your relationship with your investigative partner should be based on conversations, not computer screens. Let’s walk through some practical examples of why this is important:
- Special Requests and Questions. You need an expedited report. You wonder why an investigation is taking so long. You have a general question about a criminal background check. If so, you know how important it is to speak with an actual person who is familiar with your case. We’ve heard many stories about frustrated individuals who, when trying to get answers to these questions, were forced to navigate through cumbersome phone trees that finally ended with someone offshore. And that person only had pre-written responses and no actual answers to their specific questions.
- Report Content. Many reports are clear of derogatory information. However, when there are items of concern, it is critical to your decision-making that you receive accurate and complete information. Also, it’s the law! When it comes to taking adverse action on an individual based on these results, do you want to rely on information that has not been vetted by an analyst? Probably not.
The not-so-obvious . . .
Online vs. In-person. Many jurisdictions have some sort of online repository available to conduct court searches. However, they are often full of disclaimers, rendering them practically useless. When clients request a court search, they are not necessarily interested in the methodology. But they should be, because how records are obtained makes a big difference. The most accurate and up-to-date information in many jurisdictions is only available in person, not online.
By using a database report or online repository that is not an in-person equivalent, there are two potential vulnerabilities:
- Cases and other critical background information may be missed
- Information may be stale
Errors in Order Submission. Did you know that the two most important factors when conducting a criminal background check are name and date of birth? Did you also know that, often, the search is conducted by exact name and date of birth?
For example, in New York, a statewide criminal search is available online. The description of the search states:
“The search mechanism is strictly based on an exact match of both the Name and DOB you provide (variations of Name or DOB are not reported.)”
How does this relate to human involvement? Take, for example, a new background check request for “Micheal Jonhson.” Looks strange, right? Could it actually be for Michael Johnson? A human being would ask that question and recognize that the name may be misspelled. A partial or completely automated process might not, which would result in inaccurate search results.
An analyst’s preliminary review of the order would likely catch this type of error before running the searches, thus preventing a compromised investigation and saving time and money. If this wasn’t caught until after the searches were completed, they would have to be re-done, increasing costs and turnaround time. Worse yet, without human analysts involved, this error may never have been detected.
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