Michigan Background Check
How to Run a Michigan Background Check
One of the most objective methods of figuring out who someone is, and their character, is to run a Michigan background check on them. These checks will indicate if someone has criminal record, if they have been incarcerated, what is in their driving record, and all their public records. A MI background check can be considered an objective resume that is publicly available for anyone to view.
There are multiple options for running these types of checks. The first step is to determine what you want to use it for. Such as employment applications, rental agreements, or just for personal reference. This will determine which type of background check you will want to run. If you need to run one for official purposes, such as a job application, you must use an FCRA certified service. But, if you just want to run one for personal reference, then you can use any third-party public records website. Both will give you a lot of the same information however the official checks are more expensive, while one that is for personal reference is less expensive and easier to obtain.
What Michigan Background Checks Are Used For
Background checks are typically used to verify an individual's history. It is an objective means for making informed decisions in various sectors. These checks are often used by employers, landlords, security clearances, and for personal reasons.
Legal professionals also use these checks, as they can provide valuable information for court cases. They show whether or not a person has been previously convicted of a crime, sentenced in prison, has a DUI, or even how many traffic tickets they have. The information included in these reports are based of information collected from various government agencies. These are publicly available for anyone to research online.
What is Included in a Background Check?
These are publicly available records that document a person's past. They include not only their criminal past, but can also include their credit history, judgments, liens, and driving records.
Here is a list of what is included in these checks:
1). Criminal History
3). Convictions and Sentencings
4). Incarcerations
5). Active Warrants
6). Judgments and Liens
7). Driving Record
8). Traffic Tickets and DUIs
9). Credit History
10). Arrest Records
It is important to point out that only FCRA certified services will show credit history or other specific personal information. To utilize these official services you will need to verify the identity of the person in question with either a social security number or driver's license. To use the non-official resources you will only need to know the name and age of the person you want to research.
How to Run a Michigan Criminal Background Check
The process of conducting an official Michigan criminal background check can be performed through state agencies. These will be official records that can be used for official purposes. To execute one of these official checks you can contact the MI State Police. They offer official criminal history checks using a person's fingerprint and SSN. These reports from the state police will only show that person's criminal history within the state. It will not include information from other states.
Another option, if you do not need an official record of a person's criminal history is to use a third-party public records site. These online resources often offer much more detailed information from every state in the US. Many of these third-party sites index information from a multitude of various resources which paint a better picture of a person's past. They will usually also include civil records, driving records, and vital records.
How Long Does a Background Check Take in Michigan?
For official criminal history checks, like from the state police, this can take several days. This is a involved process that requires manual processing and verification of a person's identity. These will also cost more than the non-official checks.
Non official checks will cost quite a bit less, and results only take a few minutes. These are automated reports for the most part where you input a name into the search fields of a public records site. Then all you need to do is to verify the results match the person you are looking up, and your report will be ready. These reports, like mentioned above, cost quite a bit less, a fraction of the cost of an official check. However, these reports can only be used for reference only, and not official purposes.
Federal Laws and Regulations For Official Record Retrieval
State ICHAT laws require that it is necessary to obtain consent before running an official Michigan background check on someone. Federal laws also affect Michigan background checks. For instance, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) sets standards for any request that requires personally identifiable information such as SSN, driver's license, or any other form of personal identifying information that is not public record. They also require that these official checks are fair and accurate, and give people the right to dispute any inaccuracies.
