In this high tech, high speed world, computers and software technology are replacing much of what trained human beings have done for years. Pre-employment screening and pre-employment background checks are no different in this regard. Many software companies and date brokers have found that through the use of complex software programs they are able to search multiple sources of publicly available, online information at once. These sources of data often include state incarceration records, online court information, public government databases and annually purchased “batch information” from various information vendors. The searches that are then offered by these Data Brokers are usually labeled as “National Criminal History Searches” or “National Criminal Database”. The problem is that these “National Searches” only include limited information from select states, counties and cities. There is no guarantee that the county, city or even state that your applicant resides in was searches. On top of the drawbacks of not knowing what sources were actually searched; applicants and employees with common names often fall victim to false positive criminal records. This is also the result of having computers do the thinking for you.
With private investigators on the other hand, applicants are screened by qualified, trained and experienced private investigators. The information that is searched is “direct source” information, meaning that is comes directly from the court, city or state where the data originated. This minimizes the chances that there are data entry errors and also cuts down on processing time and costs. Additional benefits include the ability to feel certain that an experienced investigator has personally conducted the searches and reviewed the incoming information. During this process, we are able to catch false positives and make certain that the results that are being reported are accurate and pertain to your applicant and not someone else.