Why aren all criminal records available in the Nationwide Criminal Index?
Contrary to popular belief there is no “Master Criminal Database”, Reports suggest the even the FBI’s NCIC Criminal database that can only be accessed by law enforcement only contains about 60% of all available criminal records, Criminal records are more like a patch work quilt, with each county in a state contributing their piece, not all counties have the time or technology to report all of their information to the state database, creating holes in the quilt, and not all states have the time, technology, money, or desire to allow the public access to criminal information.
Contrary to popular belief there is no “Master Criminal Database”, Reports suggest the even the FBI’s NCIC Criminal database that can only be accessed by law enforcement only contains about 60% of all available criminal records, Criminal records are more like a patch work quilt, with each county in a state contributing their piece, not all counties have the time or technology to report all of their information to the state database, creating holes in the quilt, and not all states have the time, technology, money, or desire to allow the public access to criminal information. This is why no database is 100 % accurate, for the most accurate search we recommend combining the Statewide or Nationwide Criminal Index search with a “Hands On” County Criminal Search.
