Multijurisdictional Criminal.

Nationwide or National Criminal Record Search

Think a "nationwide" criminal search covers everything? Not quite. While CIChecked's multijurisdictional criminal search is an excellent foundation, packed with over 800 million records from US counties and territories, plus the National Sex Offender Registry, treating it as your only criminal check is like calling a house inspection complete after looking at the front door.

What You Actually Get:

• 800+ Million Records: County court data from across all US states and territories
• National Sex Offender Registry: Federal and state department data in one comprehensive search
• Multi-State Coverage: Criminal history spanning jurisdictions where your candidate has lived or worked
• Terrorist & Sanctions Screening: Because some red flags are bigger than others

The Reality Check No One Talks About

Here's the dirty secret of "national" searches: there's no federal mandate requiring county courts to update their databases on any timeline. Some counties update daily, others whenever they feel like it—which could be never. That "comprehensive" search might be missing last month's conviction or last year's arrest, depending on how motivated your local court clerk happens to be.

Why Smart Employers Layer Their Searches

Multijurisdictional searches are your reconnaissance mission, not your final intelligence report. They identify potential issues and guide where to dig deeper with county-specific or state criminal searches. Think of it as criminal screening's Swiss cheese approach—you need multiple layers to cover the gaps.

Bottom Line: Multijurisdictional searches are essential starting points that reveal where to focus your investigative energy. Just don't mistake the opening act for the main event—real criminal due diligence requires targeted follow-up searches in specific jurisdictions.