Ask an Ohio employer about background checks and two different types of screening can easily get grouped together.
One is a BCI or FBI fingerprint-based criminal records check completed through Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and approved WebCheck locations.
The other is an employment background check an employer orders through a consumer reporting agency like CIC.
Fingerprinting can be an important, and for some positions, legally required, part of the hiring process. But fingerprint-based does not automatically mean more comprehensive. A fingerprint check searches criminal-history information that has been submitted to the applicable state or federal repository. A court-based employment background check searches different sources and can uncover information that may not appear in a fingerprint repository.
That is why the two are not interchangeable. For some Ohio positions, BCI and FBI checks are required by law. Employers may still choose additional screening depending on the position and the information they need to verify.
What is a BCI check?
A BCI check is a fingerprint-based criminal records check processed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, part of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
For most civilian checks, fingerprints are submitted electronically through Ohio’s WebCheck system and compared against BCI’s database of criminal fingerprints.
The advantage of fingerprinting is identity matching. If a criminal-history record is associated with the individual’s fingerprints, the search is less dependent on matching a common name or date of birth.
But fingerprints do not create a complete database on their own.
The record still depends on arrest and disposition information being submitted to BCI and connected to the appropriate criminal-history record.
An FBI check works similarly at the national level by searching fingerprint-based criminal-history information maintained by the FBI. It is not a search of every courthouse in the country, and it is not the same as a federal court search.
Ohio requirements may call for BCI information, FBI information, or both depending on the position and statute involved.
When does Ohio require BCI or FBI checks?
For certain positions, fingerprint checks are part of the statutory or licensing requirements rather than simply an employer preference.
Ohio Revised Code §109.572 provides the framework for many of these criminal records checks, but the actual requirement usually comes from the law governing the particular position, license, or facility.
Examples include certain:
- School employees and other education-related positions.
- Child-care employees, owners, and providers.
- Foster care and other child-welfare roles.
- Healthcare, direct-care, and long-term-care positions covered by specific Ohio statutes.
- Applicants for certain professional licenses or regulated positions.
- The exact requirement can vary significantly from one role to another.
Some require both BCI and FBI information. Others have different requirements depending on residency history, the type of position, or when a previous check was completed.
The reason for the check also matters. Ohio background-check requests are submitted under specific statutory purposes, and employers in regulated industries should confirm the correct requirements with the licensing agency, state regulator, or legal counsel rather than assuming every fingerprint check is interchangeable.
What a BCI or FBI check may not show
This is probably the biggest misconception about fingerprint checks.
A fingerprint match can be a very strong way to establish that a criminal-history record belongs to the person being searched. But the search can only return information that made it into the repository in the first place.
Not every criminal event necessarily creates a fingerprint record. Ohio law requires fingerprinting for certain categories of arrests and offenses, but not every possible arrest or court case will automatically create a record that appears in a BCI fingerprint search.
Repository records also depend on reporting. Arrest information and case dispositions have to be submitted and connected to the appropriate record. If information has not yet been submitted, updated, or properly associated with the fingerprint record, a repository search may be incomplete or may not reflect the most current court information.
The FBI faces the same limitation at the national level. Its criminal-history system is built from information submitted by participating agencies, so information may be missing if arrest fingerprints or later dispositions were never submitted.
That is why fingerprint-based and comprehensive are not the same thing.
Direct court research answers a different question. A county criminal search looks at the court records in a specific jurisdiction as they exist at the time of the search. That can provide current case and disposition information directly from the jurisdiction rather than relying solely on information that was previously transmitted into a state or national repository.
Fingerprint checks also do not verify employment history, education, professional credentials, motor vehicle records, drug testing, healthcare sanctions, or the other information that may matter for a particular position.
None of this makes BCI or FBI checks less valuable, especially where Ohio law requires them. It simply means employers may want to understand what the search is actually designed to do and avoid assuming that one fingerprint check represents every possible criminal or employment-related record.
Which one does your business need?
The answer depends first on the position.
If Ohio law or a licensing authority requires a BCI or FBI check, the employer needs to follow that specific requirement.
CIC does not perform BCI or FBI fingerprint checks. Employers needing those checks should use an authorized Ohio WebCheck location or follow the process required by the applicable state agency or licensing body.
That does not necessarily mean the fingerprint check is the only screening an employer may need.
A regulated employer may separately choose an employment screening program that includes searches or verifications outside the fingerprint process, depending on the position, employer policy, and applicable law.
For example, an employer may need to confirm someone’s education, employment history, professional license, motor vehicle record, or other information that a fingerprint-based criminal-history check simply does not address.
For employers without a statutory fingerprint requirement, a consumer-reporting-agency background check may instead form the basis of the employment screening program and can be built around the responsibilities of the particular role.
If there is any uncertainty about whether a position requires BCI, FBI, or another statutory check, the employer should confirm the requirement with the appropriate Ohio agency or legal counsel.
How CIC supports Ohio employers
Corporate Intelligence Consultants is a consumer reporting agency headquartered in Perrysburg and has worked with Ohio employers since 1977.
CIC does not provide BCI or FBI fingerprint checks.
Instead, we help employers with the employment screening components that may sit alongside, or separately from, the statutory fingerprint process.
Depending on the position and employer’s screening program, that can include county, state, federal, and multi-jurisdictional criminal research; employment and education verification; professional license verification; motor vehicle records; drug screening; healthcare sanctions; and electronic I-9 and E-Verify services.
Our research and quality assurance teams review reports before release, and CIC provides screening information for employer review while the employer remains responsible for making the hiring decision.
For employers in industries where fingerprint checks are required, the goal is to understand where the statutory BCI or FBI requirement ends and whether there are other parts of the applicant’s history the employer still needs to verify.
The two processes can serve different purposes within the same hiring program.
Closing thought
“Background check” can mean very different things depending on who is using the term.
In Ohio, a BCI or FBI fingerprint check is a specific criminal-records process that may be required for certain positions. An employment background check through a consumer reporting agency can include a broader mix of criminal research, verifications, and role-specific screening.
Neither should automatically be assumed to replace the other.
The better question is: What does this position require, and what information does each part of the screening process actually provide?
CIC works with Ohio employers to build employment screening programs around their positions and hiring needs. When a role also carries a BCI or FBI requirement, employers may want to complete that fingerprint process through the appropriate authorized provider and determine what additional employment screening, if any, makes sense for the role.
This blog post is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or compliance advice. Ohio’s criminal-record-check requirements vary by position, industry, licensing authority, and statute and may change over time. Corporate Intelligence Consultants is a consumer reporting agency and is not a law firm and does not provide BCI or FBI fingerprint checks. Employers may want to confirm applicable fingerprinting and screening requirements with the appropriate state agency, licensing authority, internal compliance team, or legal counsel.