Hiring?

Don’t neglect background checks!

Beyond just calling up an applicant’s references, you may want to dig a little deeper if you are hiring someone who will be handling cash or sensitive information. There are a number of sites that charge for this service, but criminalsearches.com is a free site that allows you to search by name through the criminal archives of all 50 states and 3,500 counties in the United States. You may not care so much if a prospective employee has had an odd traffic infraction or two, but if it is a matter of theft or robbery that might be good information to have beforehand, no?

That said, do be careful in using this information.  As noted on the database, “not all criminal records result in conviction, nor do they all provide dispositions of guilt or innocence. Charging decisions made by the State Attorney’s Office or from the outcome of criminal trials should be obtained from the source.”