The West Virginia State Police maintain criminal records that may be searched by employers, law enforcement and others. Your criminal record reflects your history of involvement with the law.
What Are Criminal Records?
Criminal records contain your criminal history. You will find that your record has local, state and federal information. Specific information about you will be included in the record, such as:
- Your nationality
- Your birthdate
- A set of fingerprints
- A list of all offenses
- A list of distinguishing features
- Mugshots
- Your name
Your criminal records may include:
- Past arrest information
- Dismissed charges
- Warrants
- Current charges
- Pending charges
- Misdemeanors
- Felonies
- Acquittals
How Are Criminal Records Used?
Criminal records are used for varied purposes. Normally, they are searched when an employer, school, business or individual wants to perform a background check on you. A background check may be necessary for several reasons, such as for:
- Employment purposes
- School admissions
- Property rental agreements
- Security clearances
- Military service
- Adopting
- Fostering
- Adopting a pet
- Purchasing firearms
- Pursuing naturalization
- Law enforcement purposes
Since these records contain so much information, it’s important that you review them from time to time to make sure they’re accurate. If not, then you should take action to get those records corrected as soon as possible.
How Can Someone Access Your Criminal Records?
You will need to give consent to another person before they can request your criminal records. All criminal records searches go through a third-party vendor called Identogo.
General Public
All background checks and general searches have to go through the third-party vendor Indentogo. The Criminal Identification Bureau can also provide background checks with the approval of the West Virginia State Police Superintendent.
The general public may request records, but these are limited. Requesters must have written authorization from the individual who they’ll be looking up in order to get their information.
Sex Crimes
West Virginia has its own sex offender registry, much like other states in the country. The West Virginia State Police maintain this registry and require people to agree not to use the information to harass or intimidate those who may be listed.
When looking up someone on the sex offender registry, you can search by last name, street name, city or county. You also have advanced options, such as selecting to search only for violent predators or wanted offenders. To search by email or username, you can click on “internet” in the search tab.
How Can You Request a Criminal Record?
If you would like to get a copy of your criminal record or the records belonging to another person, you can do so by visiting the L1 website provided by the West Virginia State Police at www.identogo.com. You can also call 855-766-7746 to request a background check. You are no longer able to request a background check in person at the West Virginia State Police Headquarters, so go online or call to schedule an appointment.