Oregon Legal Research Blog
Repeat after me: Don’t believe most of what you hear, old wives do tell tall tales, and THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SINGLE, COMPREHENSIVE criminal records database. This essay by Genie Tyburski, may make the point for those who haven’t gotten it so far: To Catch a Thief
Excerpt from To Catch a Thief:
“The myth of a one-stop shop for criminal records is not new to Lawyer X. He has heard other lawyers and clients alike ask for national criminal searches. He has even listened to expectations that include getting such information quickly and cheaply. Lately, he has had to debunk myths about a low-cost option known as the National Criminal File (NCF).
Lawyer X doesn’t mind explaining all of this to his friend. Contrary to popular belief, criminal background checking is a complex type of research and much about the field is changing.”
To Catch a Thief was written in 2004 and has not been updated, but the point it makes is still valid. Click on Genie Tyburski in this list for more updates and articles on public records searching and visit other sites that describe how to search criminal records searches, including but not limited to here, here, and here.