Conduct Effective Background Screening with “Pentagon Check”

We’re frequently asked if there’s a “best practice” for employment screening and background checks. Unfortunately, there is no “across-the-board” answer; every screening depends on a variety of unique factors. Sentinel’s five-pronged Pentagon Check solution covers the screening canvas as completely as possible, providing clients with detailed and accurate background information on potential hires. Pentagon Check provides a comprehensive overview of a candidate’s background while avoiding the critical history gaps typical of the “$29.95” online background checks that are readily available. Pentagon Check’s five points of protection include:

  • SSN Trace & Address Locator

This service is the foundation of our background screening process. It not only reveals identifying information such as name, name variations, and date of birth, but also provides a resident history by uncovering current and former addresses associated with that Social Security number. We then cross-reference those addresses with the ones provided by the applicant. If necessary, additional criminal searches are recommended.

  • National Criminal Records Indicator

Since people can commit offenses in jurisdictions in which they visit or travel, Sentinel searches multi-jurisdictional criminal databases to uncover hidden records. Our National Criminal Records Indicator searches information from multiple trusted sources, including: state sex offender registries; statewide repositories of criminal information; multiple online county records; the Office of Foreign Assets and Control; the FBI’s Most Wanted List; Interpol Wanted List; and State Department Terrorist Exclusions.

  • Statewide & County Criminal Record Searches

Sentinel evaluates the information gleaned from the SSN Trace & Address Locator and National Criminal Records Indicator, and if warranted, orders the appropriate criminal record searches for a minimum seven-year period. We order statewide searches when available. If no statewide records are available, we order a county search.

  • Federal Criminal Record Searches

Many serious crimes are only reported in federal district courts and therefore may not be found during standard county or statewide criminal record searches. These crimes include child pornography offenses, mail and wire fraud, drug trafficking, immigration law violations, bank robbery and others. We use address history and records to determine the scope of our federal searches.

  • Driving Record Search

Since motor vehicle information can offer valuable insight on an applicant’s character, we search motor vehicle records in their current state of residence. From this we can learn about suspended licenses, failures to appear in court, arrest warrants, and drug- and alcohol-related driving offenses that can serve as a warning of potential substance abuse problems. These searches are subject to state availability.

How secure is your newest potential employee? Let Sentinel eliminate the doubt. Contact Sentinel Management Group today for a background screening you can trust with Sentinel’s Pentagon Check.