FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

What Makes Your Man in Washington Qualified to Be Your Provider?

Experience

We have been a court record research firm since 1992. Our managerial and investigative experience laid the foundation for the remarkably effective research team that we administer. We are experts in conducting on-site courthouse records research and retrieval for the background screening industry.  We pride ourselves on our effectiveness and our focus. Unlike many of our industry peers, we do not compete against our customers: we are a wholesale provider only. 

Knowledge

Many years of daily contact with the courts have given us extensive and highly specialized knowledge of our local court system’s infrastructures, processes, and protocols. We adhere to all industry standards and are fluent in the unique and often complex legal terminology and organization of the material from the jurisdictions in which we work.   

Reputation and Integrity

Most providers simply meet search expectations. We exceed them!  Just ask our clients. We will gladly provide references to vouch for the quality of our work, the speed of our response, and the integrity of our results.  We are a founding member and seed money contributor to NAPBS and a contributor to NAPBS’  “I Made a Difference” campaign.  We are members of the PRRN network. Membership in these organizations allows for continuing education and updates on legal issues and lessons learned relative to the industry.  

Research Methodology

All work is performed by trained and experienced researchers. Our deliverables are the result of established procedures that incorporate quality assurance practices every step of the way.  We maintain a secure network system and use secure document shredding to dispose of documents from clients that contain private information.  We do not hire subcontractors or depend upon remote access systems.  And we still provide results with all of these quality assurances within the same or by the next day. SCI has Errors & Omissions coverage. 

Price

Fees are subject to volume and jurisdiction.  Please call for a quote.  We recognize your need to keep costs low, and SCI works hard to accommodate your needs.  But be careful of competitors who have not incorporated the security and quality assurance measures and personnel standards that SCI has.  The results will simply not equal what we deliver.  

What is the scope of search?

·         Default criminal search: All information within the last 7 years regardless of disposition and all convictions regardless of age (assuming that information is available in the index; additional fees may be assessed if dispositions are obtained through document retrievals or archival research).   

·         Alias names.  AKAs are separate separates.  Our researcher reports alias names as provided to them but we can never guarantee the infinite spellings or nicknames someone might have.                

 ·         Court Fees. There are no court fees for the Virginia and Maryland courts or for the criminal court in the District of Columbia. However, there are court fees associated with the family court  in the District of Columbia:  this court charges $10.00 per search.  This is the only court in D.C. that charge for searches.  These court fees are charged back to the client. Lower and civil upper courts are in different buildings, separated by several blocks.  Civil upper and lower courts are separate searches.

Last Updated October 2008