Countywide Criminal Search

Countywide Criminal Search & Local Crime

Local Crime

When a local crime is committed, a search in city, town or village courts can be difficult because it includes misdemeanor records only and you have to know the precise town or village where the crime occurred. Searching every city, town, and village court to check for misdemeanor records is not feasible or efficient due to the sheer volume of jurisdictions involved.  A Statewide Criminal Search is a more comprehensive alternative but not all states provide this search and in some that do, not all counties report to the state repository of criminal records.

Countywide Criminal Search

An alternative to searching city, town, or village courts for local crime records is the Countywide Criminal Search. The Countywide Criminal Search includes felony records but not misdemeanor records (in most jurisdictions) in the county selected, which is usually based on area of residency.  However, it is a good idea to conduct this search in any region where an applicant has resided, worked, or received an education. A Countywide Criminal Search is fairly inexpensive with a turnaround time of three business days or less and is sometimes available online via direct court access. The drawback with a Countywide Criminal Search is that it usually limits research to an assumed area, as well as an assumed criminal charge (felony) for a possible crime. When conducting a Countywide Criminal Search, it should be supplemented with other criminal searches including a Federal Criminal Search and a National (Multi-State) Criminal Search. Alternatively, if budget allows, we recommend substituting a Countywide Search with a Statewide Criminal Search.

For more information about the Countywide Criminal Search, email [email protected], or contact us at 800-579-2911.