Monday, February 11, 2019

Understanding the FBI Identity History Summary Check (IdHS)

Concept photo of FBI Identity History Summary Report

What is an FBI Identity History Summary Check?

An FBI Identity History Summary (IdHS) check, also commonly known as a Criminal History Report (CHRI) or “Rap Sheet”, contains information submitted to the FBI related to arrests, and in some cases, federal employment, naturalization or military service. It may also include sex offender registry information and other information.

If the information is related to an arrest, the IdHS report contains the date of the arrest, the arrest charge and the disposition of the arrest, if known and reported. The information in the IdHS report is taken from fingerprint submissions, disposition reports, and other information reported by authorized criminal justice agencies, including State, Federal, and other contributors, including other countries.

A U.S. Department of Justice Order 556-73, commonly called a Departmental Order, allows you to obtain a copy of your IdHS report for review, or to prove that one does not exist (that you do not have a criminal record). Other common reasons for requesting a Departmental Order include to meet a requirement to live, work or travel abroad; or to adopt a child.

What type of information is contained in the FBI IdHS criminal history report?

An FBI IdHS report or “Rap Sheet” contains information from agencies who report about arrests; interim and final court dispositions (if known); and warrant and wanted information. Arrest information includes the name of the arresting agency, arrest date, the charge, the name of the individual, and the individual's date-of-birth and other personal identifiers. Arrest information is fingerprint-based. An arrested individual’s fingerprints are retained by the FBI as part of the arrest record.

The rap sheet may include final and interim court disposition information and other criminal and/or civil event information. Criminal events may include items such as a filing decision from a States Attorney's office, or custody information from the Department of Corrections, or warrant and wanted information. A Civil event may include information such as a restraining order of protection. Again, this information can come from State, Federal and other contributors, including other countries. The report should not contain expunged criminal data events.

IdHS Record Access Restrictions

An IdHS report may be requested by an authorized recipient, permitted access through state or federal law (such as bank employees, or those who protect vulnerable populations) to verify an applicant for employment or licensing. Entities authorized to request FBI record information must notify the individual being fingerprinted that their prints will be used to check FBI criminal history records. A criminal history record may be used solely for the purpose for which it was requested and may not be shared outside the purpose for which it was intended.

If FBI record information disqualifies an individual from employment or licensing, the applicant has the right to review, complete, or challenge the accuracy of the information. An applicant should not be denied employment or licensing on the basis of information from an FBI report until an applicant has had a reasonable amount of time to correct or complete the information, or has declined to do so.

To Correct or Update an FBI IdHS Report

To review your criminal history for accuracy you can request a personal background check, a Departmental Order 556-73, from Accurate Biometrics. Click here

For example, if there were charges brought against you that were dismissed, the FBI record would not be updated until the agency that reported and owns the original information reported to the FBI,  forwards  the “dismissal” update to the FBI. After reviewing your report, if there is information that needs to be updated or corrected, your first step would be to contact the agency that submitted the information to the FBI.

For State information, most states require that changes to the IdHS record be processed through their State Identification Bureau (SIB). Click here for the FBI list of SIBs.

To request a change or update to Federal information, you can submit a challenge request electronically, or you can submit a written request to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) department.

An individual also may want to seek the help of a lawyer, for example with charges reported by other countries, or in the case of severe criminal charges.

Why Choose Accurate Biometrics?

Accurate Biometrics has nearly 20 years of fingerprinting service experience. We were one of the first companies nationally to submit fingerprints to a State AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) for non-criminal justice history record checks. In 2011, we became the first FBI channeler to successfully submit Departmental Orders to FBI, permitting individuals to obtain expedited FBI Identity History Summary Reports also known as FBI “self” checks. Today, we continue to be a leader in the fingerprint industry with our technological capabilities, expertise and dedicated service to state, local, and federal agencies; private industry; and individuals.

Should you need any assistance, please visit our website at: 
AccurateBiometrics.com, now offering live chat functionality, or contact one of our Customer Support Team at our toll free number: (866) 361-9944.

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