Additional Thoughts on Backgrounds

The shooting in Alabama got me thinking about conducting background investigations in a mobile society. The shooter migrated from one region of the country to another. Regardless of the reason that you might need to conduct a background investigation, be it for use in a court case, prior to hiring, due diligence research on a prospective business partner or opp-research on a political candidate, conducting a search in the current county of residence of the subject is no longer sufficient.

When I first learned how to conduct background investigations while working for Keith Rohman in Los Angeles at Public Interest Investigations, it was in the dinosaur days before fee for service databases and the Internet (sorry Keith, but that was a long time ago- I don't think I even had any gray hairs yet). We relied heavily on microfiche cards to run names for cases, check for property and other searches. When we didn't have the suitable microfiche, we gumshoed it over to the government entity that possessed the indexes that we needed to search. We could check those sources while downtown to pull court files so it was still an efficient process. But, that was fine since the vast majority of background searches needed to be countywide only.

It no longer is. People move where the jobs are. The family and neighborhood ties that once kept people in the same community for a lifetime are outweighed by the need to find employment. Just as our society has changed so too has the range required to do a background check. With the Internet, fee for service databases and the fact that some states, such as New Mexico, Arizona, Wisconsin and Colorado have accessible statewide case indexes you can on occasion conduct out of area searches without too much more effort. But in older areas of the country you will seldom find a searchable statewide database.

Further, identifying a case is only one component of a background. You have to see the actual information and get copies of any relevant documents. Plus, you may need to contact people identified in those documents regarding their dealing with your subject (Keith referred to those people as walking talking sources). So, to make your background exhaustive in scope you might find yourself having to locate and interview people clear across the country.

So how do you go about doing that? Well, if you have a legally permissible purpose under the GLBA you can run a fee for service database, which will give you the different cities of residence. You can then check for courts in the county where that city is located. You can also, if its a job or tenant application include info on prior residences or in the case of a contractor, ask where else they have lived. You can also pyramid off of information found in local documents like a divorce file that reference back to other locations.

Many jurisdictions that don't have a searchable database can help you over the phone if you approach the clerk with the right attitude and catch them on a good day. Others may only be able to search and make copies for a fee. They can then mail or fax the copies to you. When dealing with other jurisdictions it will require more time and money. It's something to factor in order to make sure the research is done the right way. On too many occasions, a request for a background is little more than an after thought. But, to do it right it shouldn't be.

For more information on how to conduct a background don't forget to check out The Everyday Detective Information System at http://www.everydaydetective.com.