I have a friend who is entering a relationship and I'm a little concerned.

How do you go about running a background check on someone?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

~Mark
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That's not as easy as you might want it to be, but....

First thing is easiest, you go to your local county's court website, and most counties have an area where if you have her real first and last name and their birthday you can see all the encounters they've had with the law in that county, from arrests to tickets, but it only works in the county the offense was committed.

Second you can run a quick google search and there are certain websites that you can check the status on them if they have an open warrent or are on probation.

Finaly, on that same site for a small "donation" you can get their background for criminal acts.
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That depends greatly on the laws from area to area. Here in Louisiana, the only people that get get background checks done (which are done here via the local Sheriff's office for about $35) are law enforcement or licensed PI's. There are companies that do BGC's for other companies, but I believe the information in considered private and not openly distributed.

Best bet would be to find someone who knows someone (police friend, etc) who can get it done, or hire a PI which will cost you a bit.



I must comment on how unusual your request is though. Is her cooking really that bad? :-)
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:-) It is worth taking a look at. All legal issues, in the state of Michigan atleast, are public record and easily accessible for free with any court computer. :-)

I would be careful with this request. My best friend works for the Michigan court system and can easily access anyone's record but he cannot do so. It is a confidentiality/legality thing, some stuff is public record, other stuff is not public files. :-)
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LOL - It's the other way around

Thanks for the suggestions!
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www.ussearch.com

It may cost you a couple dollars but it sure beats looking through dozens of websites and hours of your time.
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Facebook or Myspace...no joke
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I use these guys to check my renters they do a good job and it will run you $14.95-39.95, that and case.net all court records and they are public record and free.
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if you are already wondering, you probably know the result? Good luck, friend.
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Bad idea if you value your "friend's" job.....I know police who have been suspended and even fired for running criminal histories as a "favor" for people.
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we had to do a security training online at the academy and one of the questions was in regards to doing background checks for someone as a favor, big time no no.
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Exactly. This applies in the private sector. I knew a paralegal who was fired for performing a background check on a famous celebrity.
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That is the first thing I was told when we learned how to use NYSPIN to run registrations, warrant checks, ect. Never run anything unless asked by a Police Officer. Freelancing will get you fired and most likely have the State Police arrest you.
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Mark,
All varies by states.
Possible privacy issues if not authorized by the person who it is being run on.
Possible issues for anyone doing you a favor and running this stuff as could lose their job.
I deal with backgrounds extensively as part of managing a fraud investigation operation for numerous states.
Best advice I can give you, if you want to save time of doing all the legwork yourself, Google it and see how much it will cost you and how much can you legally secure in your state via a PI or vendor that specializes in this type of data collection.
Doing it yourself is tough. As an example, I recall when I bought my condo in Miami for my mother in law. They wanted a background done on me via the Sheriff's department for the county I reside in. Well, in Florida, when I got the background for them, it was for Palm Beach, where I reside. The condo is in Miami. If I would have had a record in Miami or any other county, they would not have known. They would have needed a report from each and every county in Florida. Whereas in contrast, there is a Florida website that does in fact provide all that. Just a matter of knowing where to go for your data.
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That is true. In Louisiana, it's a pretty common thing though. We're a bit backasswards here :-)
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Mark, I understand you are concerned for your friend's sake, but you need consider that your friend may not appreciate your attempt - even if it is justified. In matters of the heart there is little logic involved, and you might only damage the friendship if you proceed. Just my :-) - and,following my own advise, that is the end of my involvement
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Nosey bastard. :-)
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You are pretty serious about checking out your vendors aren't you? :-)
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Just remember, she could have had her adams apple shaved off, but her pointer finger will be shorter than her ring finger if she used to be a he.

Unless you were worried about a different kind of background. :-)
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Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIN, Twitter, Google if they own a computer
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