Some business owners believe that conducting federal criminal record searches is the most effective way of unearthing information in bulk. As it turns out, however, this is not necessarily the case. While searching nationwide is indeed a possibility, there are a few things to consider before doing so.

One is that no easily accessible private sector federal database exists for felons, no matter what cop shows and movies might lead you to think. There are a few rare cases of federal crimes related to kidnapping and interstate drug trafficking, but for the most part records are maintained on a local and state level, meaning these are the best search options at one's disposal. Moreover, the federal criminal record searches that are available are much more costly than alternative measures that yield the same (if not better) results.

How Federal Criminal Record Searches Work

As there's no centralized federal database to query, most federal criminal record searches simply cull their data from lists of regional courts and county clerks. These lists are far from exhaustive, however, as many states are left out of these broad searches. Consequently, you could end up paying for a nationwide search and still not receive the results that are lurking right beneath your nose at a state or county office.

Most federal criminal searches gather information that's stored on databases instead of active registers. The upshot of this is that records are frequently outdated and don't cover the latest felony and misdemeanor convictions. While longstanding databases are fine for cases you know were tried years ago, they're inadequate for pinpointing recent criminal activities.