Text Size
Print
Email
National News
- Text Size
- Print
- Email
OSBI (Oklahoma) Criminal Reports Available Online, For $15 Each
Criminal history background checks from the state's top investigative agency are available online for the first time, for a price.
The service costs $15 per search. Additional searches of the sex offender and violent offender registries cost $2 each, and each online transaction includes an additional one-dollar fee.
Results on the Criminal History Information Request Portal come back within minutes. The site can be reached at chirp.osbi.ok.gov.
Oklahoma's State Bureau of Investigation has long offered background checks to the public, but they were only available by filing a written form by fax, snail mail or in person.
"It is the exact same service we've offered since 1985, as far as criminal background checks. It's just the convenience of being able to do it from a computer," said OSBI spokeswoman Brook Arbeitman. "It's definitely a lot faster than if you live out in rural Oklahoma and have to drive or mail it."
Much of that information can be found elsewhere on the internet for free, however. The Department of Corrections makes its violent offender and sex offender registry database available at no cost.
The public can search names and case numbers on the state's somewhat-clunky court records site, OSCN, to retrieve both civil and criminal filings from Oklahoma district courthouses.
A similar court records service, ODCR, offers a free basic search.
Where OSBI's Criminal History Information Request Portal (CHIRP) service stands out from the rest is that a search will include arrest records, regardless of whether the individual was convicted of a crime.
CHIRP only includes records from Oklahoma, including state and local law enforcement that take fingerprints and submit records to OSBI.
The agency's IT team built the program in house, from the ground up using the state's software development resources. OSBI purchased two new high-end blade servers to scale up its existing Computerized Criminal History System, Arbeitman said.
Using a background search like CHIRP brings comfort in knowing more about people in sensitive positions, she said. For example, parents can check whether their babysitter has a rap sheet.
"Or you have small businesses that are wanting to background check potential employees to make sure they're a good fit for their business. The biggest thing is it provides peace of mind," said Arbeitman. "Whether you've got a kid who's got a new boyfriend, or you need to hire help for your parents, you can just check into who's hanging out with the people you love the most.
2025 The Background Investigator. All Rights Reserved.