How to Find Out If Someone Has a Police Record
Criminal records are available to the public, but on a more limited basis than other court records. County and municipal courts will have records of criminal charges and convictions made in those specific courts. In order to get comprehensive interstate criminal records for a particular person, you may have to hire a private investigator or pay to use the kind of online database that investigators use.
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Instructions
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Contact the local county and municipal courts in the area in which you suspect the person was prosecuted. Contact the office of the clerk of the court and inquire how records of criminal charges and convictions are maintained. You may be able to access the records online, but you may have to visit the court in person. Make sure you have the person's whole name and date of birth to prevent an instance of mistaken identity.
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Contact the county and municipal courts of other jurisdictions to see how to access their records if you know of other places the person has lived and suspect he was prosecuted for crimes there.
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Hire a private investigator who will have access to a database with interstate criminal records if you want to access a more comprehensive interstate body of criminal record. Alternatively, you can pay to use a online database such as those used by private investigators.
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Tips & Warnings
The FBI maintains complete interstate criminal records for all individuals, but a person's FBI record will only be released to law enforcement or to the subject of the record himself.
If the person in question was prosecuted for certain misdemeanors, he may have had his record sealed or expunged. If so, you will not be able to access the records and the person in question is not required to supply information about those convictions, for instance, to potential employers.
