How to Get an NCIC Background Check in Georgia

The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is an FBI database built for police work. It contains records on wanted persons, missing persons, and stolen property. It also links each officer to the FBI's national index of criminal history records. Law enforcement and authorized criminal justice agencies across the country share that information in real time.

For most people in Georgia, the system matters for one reason. Its files show up in background checks. Those checks come up when you apply for a job, a license, or a gun, and in immigration cases. Some people simply want to read their own file. If you have been arrested or charged in any state, the FBI may hold a record of it.

No private citizen can search the system. Access is limited to criminal justice agencies. That list covers police departments, sheriff's offices, and federal law enforcement. Contractors working for those agencies may reach it too, under a signed security agreement. State licensing and regulatory boards do not search it on their own. They ask the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) for your record, and they must send your fingerprints or a consent form you signed. To read your own record, you must use a different route. We map out each one below.

It pays to know how the system works. You learn what an employer or a licensing board may see. You also learn how to fix a bad entry before it costs you a job, your home, or your gun rights.

What Is NCIC Certification?

NCIC certification is a training credential for police, dispatchers, and other cleared staff. Those users operate the terminals and pull records. It is not a credential a private citizen can earn. It is not a background check report, either.

This point trips people up. Many search the phrase and hope it leads to a way to run their own check. It does not. The term describes a professional qualification. Only staff hired by an authorized law agency can earn it.

The word "certified" gets used two ways:

• NCIC operator certification – the credential that lets a person work the terminals and pull records
• A certified NCIC printout – a printed copy of a record that a cleared agency hands out, often stamped or signed to show it is real

When an employer or a licensing board asks for a "certified background check," they mean a fingerprint based criminal history report from an authorized agency, not operator training.

Do you just need a copy of your own record? Georgia gives you a way to get one. The next sections walk you through it.

How to Obtain NCIC Certification (For Law Enforcement Users)

Only staff hired by an authorized law agency can earn this credential. A private citizen cannot.

In Georgia, the path runs through four steps:

1. Employment with an authorized agency. You must work for, or be tied to, a police force, a dispatch center, or another law agency cleared to reach the system.

2. GCIC and NCIC operator training. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) sits inside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). The GCIC runs operator training. The state system ties straight into the federal one, so one course covers both. Georgia agencies often call the result GCIC NCIC certification. Under Georgia law, the GCIC council may adopt rules and forms needed to carry out record sharing and to guard the identity, confidentiality, and security of that data.

3. The certification exam. After the required coursework, candidates must pass a certification exam. It covers system operations, data entry standards, privacy rules, and proper use of criminal justice information.

4. Ongoing training and recertification. Agency heads must keep every person with network access trained the way GCIC directs. That training covers system changes, security rules, and legal duties. Agencies also sit for audits.

In Georgia, one credential covers both the state system and the national one, because the two are linked. An agency that lets its operator training lapse can lose access.

How to Get an NCIC Background Check in Georgia

You cannot pull this report yourself. The system is restricted to authorized criminal justice agencies. Even so, you have several ways to read your own criminal record in Georgia.

Request a Georgia Criminal History Record Through GCIC

You can ask for your own Georgia record through a local law enforcement agency. Under Georgia law, the GCIC shall make an individual's criminal history record information available for review upon written application.

Here is how it works:

• Stop by your local sheriff's office or police station
• Submit a fingerprint based request on the form prescribed by GCIC
• Pay the fee. State law caps the charge to inspect your own record at $15.00, on top of what the fingerprinting costs.
• Receive your Georgia only results, most often within a few weeks

Request an FBI Identity History Summary

The closest thing to a personal copy is the FBI Identity History Summary. People once called it a rap sheet. You request it directly from the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.

To file your request:

• Go to the FBI's website for Identity History Summary checks
• Submit your fingerprints through an approved channeler, or mail a standard fingerprint card
• Pay the FBI's $18 fee for the record. A channeler adds its own charge on top.
• Processing times vary, but electronic submissions are typically faster than mail.

This report covers the federal and multi state criminal history information reported to the FBI.

Authorize an Employer or Licensing Agency

Many people in Georgia meet this kind of check through an employer or a license board. Those organizations typically use approved fingerprint vendors such as Fieldprint or IdentoGO. The vendor takes your prints and sends them off for a state and federal check. You show a photo ID and sign a consent form. A DUI background check may come up for work that involves driving or public safety.

NCIC vs. GCIC vs. FBI Identity History Summary

People mix these three up. Here is the short version:

• NCIC (National Crime Information Center) – The FBI's real time national database. It contains records on wanted persons, stolen property, missing persons, and criminal history from jurisdictions nationwide. Only law enforcement and authorized criminal justice agencies reach it directly.

• GCIC (Georgia Crime Information Center) – The state version, run by the GBI. It holds Georgia arrest records and links to the federal system. A Georgia officer with GCIC NCIC certification can search both from one terminal.

• FBI Identity History Summary – The one report you can ask for yourself. It pulls together what state and federal agencies have sent the FBI about you. This is the route for a private citizen who needs a record that spans more than one state.

Which one you need depends on the purpose. A Georgia only check may be enough for a state license. The FBI summary casts a wider net for federal work or an immigration case.

What to Do If Your NCIC or GCIC Record Contains Errors

A record may show an old arrest, a dropped charge, or an entry that Georgia law lets you restrict. A bad entry can cost you a job, a home, or a license.

Georgia gives you more than one way to fix it:

• Challenge the agency that holds the record. Once you have read your file, you may ask the agency with custody of the entry to correct it and notify GCIC within 60 days.
• Record restriction petitions. Certain arrests and convictions may be eligible for restriction, which limits public access to the record. What you qualify for turns on how the case ended and what the charge was.
• Correcting sealed or restricted records. Sometimes a record that should have been restricted still appears on background checks. For an arrest occurring before July 1, 2013, you may ask the arresting law enforcement agency to restrict it, and the fee is capped at $50.00.

What you qualify for turns on the charge, the outcome of the case, and other facts. A Georgia criminal defense lawyer can read your file with you and flag which records may qualify.

Speak With a Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney About Your Record

Your record may hold errors, old entries, or charges you can restrict. Kohn & Yager LLC may be able to help. Our firm focuses on Georgia criminal defense. We help clients restrict records and clean up files that block a job, a license, or a home.

When you contact us for a free consultation, we can:

• Read your current Georgia criminal record with you
• Discuss which arrests or convictions may qualify for restriction under Georgia law
• Lay out the next steps to ask the court or to fight a bad entry

Every case is different. What you qualify for turns on your own facts. Call Kohn & Yager LLC today to talk through your record and your options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Request My Own NCIC Background Check as a Private Citizen?

No. No private citizen can search the system. It is restricted to law enforcement and authorized criminal justice agencies. You do have two ways to review your record. You can ask for your Georgia record through GCIC at a local police agency. You can also ask the FBI for an Identity History Summary. Either one shows you what is on file.

How Much Does It Cost to Get an FBI Identity History Summary in Georgia?

The FBI charges $18 for each person, by mail or online. Mail takes longer. A channeler or print vendor such as IdentoGO adds its own charge on top of the $18, so plan for more than the base fee.

What Is the Difference Between GCIC Certification and NCIC Certification?

GCIC certification is the Georgia credential for running the state's own criminal justice information system, administered by the GBI. NCIC certification covers the federal system the FBI runs. In Georgia you tend to earn both at once, since the two link through the same terminals. Only cleared law agency staff can earn either one.

How Long Does It Take to Get an NCIC or GCIC Background Check in Georgia?

Processing times vary by method. A fingerprint based Georgia request at a local police agency can take several weeks. An online FBI request often moves faster, at times within a few business days. Employer initiated checks through vendors such as IdentoGO typically take one to two weeks.

Can I Remove an Arrest From My NCIC or GCIC Record in Georgia?

In some cases, yes. Certain arrests and convictions may be eligible for record restriction in Georgia. Eligibility depends on the disposition of the case, the type of offense, and whether the arrest occurred before or after July 1, 2013. Restriction hides the record from most public view, but it does not erase it. A Georgia criminal defense lawyer can tell you if your arrest qualifies.