Top 6 Reasons to Run a Criminal Background Check (If You’re Not an Employer or Landlord)

Information may not be reliable

We all know that employers and landlords do background checks. But millions of ordinary Americans also launch background checks for various reasons.

An Average Joe like yourself can run a background check to reveal crucial information about certain people.

With a few minutes of searching online, you may be able to safeguard your family by checking a new teacher at school, snoop on a neighbor’s recent divorce certificate, or verify a coworker’s real age. It’s all legally accessible online to the general public if you know where to look.

Here are 6 of the most common reasons to run a criminal background check when you’re not an employer or landlord:

Find Criminal, Arrest, and Police Records: When police officers arrest someone, a record is entered into the system. Generally, that record remains even if the person is never charged. Years later, you can view all criminal, arrest, and police records for any individual in the United States. Records are kept at the county, state, and federal level.

Find Felony and Misdemeanor Convictions: As you may have guessed, a criminal background check can reveal felony and misdemeanor convictions. If someone in your life has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, then it should show up on a criminal background check.

Snoop on Coworkers: There’s nothing wrong with snooping on coworkers. Check the criminal record of your boss, for example, to see if he really got a DUI after that last Christmas party. Run a public records search on your new coworker to see if he’s really married.

Protect your Family and Children: Many parents give themselves extra peace of mind with a background check. You can run a background check on teachers, parents, coaches, and other adults your child interacts with on a daily basis. As long as you’re not hiring these people professionally, it’s all legal.

Marriage and Divorce Records: Marriage and divorce records are completely public. You can look up anyone’s marriage and divorce records in county courthouses. Take a few minutes to search for records online and get updated on your friend’s marital status.

Verifying Neighbors: Take a look out your front window. Do you know the names of everyone on your street? Do you know their background and history? Do you know everything they’ve done? Probably not. Take a few minutes to run a background check on your neighbors. It could reveal surprising information about your neighborhood.

For all of these reasons and more, millions of Americans run criminal record searches every year. Start your criminal record search today at CheckCriminalRecord.com.