Are you interested in finding out if someone has a criminal record? This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to access and search for criminal and traffic records. Whether you want to investigate a potential date or get to know your new neighbors, this step-by-step guide will help you obtain valuable information.

1. Request your records from FBI’s database

The FBI can provide you with your Identity History Summary Check – which is the official term used by the FBI for a criminal history report. You can request your own federal criminal records online by visiting the FBI website and submitting the request. The cost for an Identity History Summary Check is $18 a person.

However, please note that you can only access your own federal criminal records this way.

2. Search court records

In order to hold the courts accountable and prevent errors and injustices, court records are usually accessible to the public. This means you might be able to access someone’s criminal records if you know some information about them, such as their name or birth date.

You can run down to the local courthouse and conduct the search in person – this is usually free, but if you want copies of the records, you may need to pay a fee.

Another option is to call your local court clerk and ask about their available search options. As many states place public criminal history records online, you might be able to get the information you need without actually going to the office.

If you don’t feel like doing all the legwork, you can also pay an attorney to conduct the search for you. Many attorneys subscribe to paid services that allow them to view records to which the general public does not have access.

3. Check State Law Enforcement Agency

Depending on where you live, different law enforcement agencies are responsible for handling criminal record requests.

In Texas, for example, you can request arrest records through the Computerized Criminal History Division of the Department of Public Safety (DPS). If the person you’re looking for has ever been arrested anywhere in Texas, the system will be able to pull up the record for you.

To find the appropriate state agency and make your request, the first step is to search for “criminal record request” with the name of your state. For example, type “criminal record request Washington”.

Go to the state website and see if you can make a public record request via their online system. This requires you to provide some basic information about the person, such as the person’s name and date of birth. Usually, you’ll need to pay a small fee for the record.

This process varies from state to state. In some cases, you might need to write an email to the agency detailing the records you’re trying to find.

4. Run Background Checks

There are many background check services available online. These tools can access public records from various sources and they can usually provide more insights about someone – which not only include the person’s criminal and traffic records but also their contact information, location history, education and employment histories, social media profiles, possible relatives and friends, and more if available.

If you’re trying to search for someone’s criminal record but you don’t know their residential history or which criminal justice channels to approach, try a background check tools like Truthfinder or BeenVerified.

Truthfinder

Truthfinder is a reliable background check service that searches through millions of public records resources. You can look up someone’s information by their name, address, email, and social media username. 

Just enter the name into the box and click Search Now to see if anything comes up. You’ll need to purchase a membership to access the search report. If TruthFinder finds any criminal and traffic records associated with the person, they will be compiled under the CRIMINAL & TRAFFIC section. You’ll need to purchase a membership subscription to unlock the report, which costs $28.05 a month and allows you to access unlimited background reports.

This might bring up the person’s possible criminal history, which may include the charges, offense date, record source, and further specifics about the offense. It may also provide you with any watchlists featuring the report subject. During our test, Truthfinder definitely provided more detailed criminal record information compared to other products we’ve tested.

Apart from criminal records, TruthFinder might also provide you with other information about the person, such as their phone number, email address, voter registration history, social media profiles, possible relatives, business profiles, and more when available.

BeenVerified

BeenVerified is one of the best background check tools on the market, allowing you to search for detailed background details on individuals by their name, address, phone number, email or even social media username.

For example, type the person’s name into BeenVerified and click SEARCH.

BeenVerified will ask you a few questions to narrow down your search. Note that if you don’t have a paid account already, you’d need to wait for a few minutes for the tool to display their “Searching Database” animations before it prompts you to buy a detailed report to access your search report. A monthly BeenVerified membership, priced at $29.99, allows you to run 100 reports per month.

After you purchase the membership, BeenVerified will present you with a series of matches, click View person report next to the record you want to see the details of. The report might include the person’s full name, age, address, phone number, marriage record, and many more when available.

To see if BeenVerified found any criminal or traffic records associated with the person, scroll down the report or click the Criminal or Traffic link in the Overview. Next, you’ll need to click Search for digitized records and agree not to use the information for any purpose prohibited by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to view any records in this section. 

Final Thoughts

There are many ways to search for someone’s files for records of conviction. You can do this offline by visiting a court clerk’s office, or use online resources. If you don’t feel like going through all the trouble – visiting a local courthouse or contacting the law enforcement agency of your state, give a public records background check service a try.