Before conducting a criminal background check, it is important to start with a full name, date of birth, addresses and/or counties where the person has resided, and a Social Security number. The process can be broken down into four categories, including online databases, which offer a quick and easy way to search millions of criminal records; “official” repositories, which include state and federal government repositories where information can be directly accessed through the source; courthouses, where information can be searched further back in time; and other sources, like local media publications or police blotters.
