Hidalgo County, Texas

Home to about 850,000 people, Hidalgo County is a fast-growing county with its own metropolitan area anchored around the city of McAllen. Nearby counties include Brooks, Cameron, Kenedy, Starr, and Willacy. Significant employers include HEB, Wal-Mart, and the school district.

With the region’s growing manufacturing sector and reputation as a job hub, Hidalgo County employers do not struggle to find applicants for open positions. A high degree of competition for jobs allows businesses to be more selective. While it may be simpler to find talent, employers must still weigh the risks of each hire and understand how to avoid negligent hiring practices.

Without a crystal ball, how can you discern an applicant’s suitability beyond considering his or her resume? Adopting a well-developed plan for pre-employment background checks is the key. 

While you may ask an individual in an interview about his or her criminal history, you cannot guarantee that you will hear the truth. Verifying what you know is the right choice. Using a criminal background check, employers gain a more complete view of an applicant’s past that may or may not line up with what an applicant says.

In your procedures, you should prioritize looking at local criminal records held by Hidalgo County courts. Do these records tell the story of a trustworthy individual or someone who may pose a risk to your business and its customers? The absence of local records does not always indicate that your applicant has no criminal past: for your next step, you must widen your view and consider anywhere your applicant may have lived or worked.

To be effective, background check policies must also be legally compliant. Neither Texas nor Hidalgo County restricts an employer from asking about an applicant’s criminal history with a “ban the box” law. Federal law, including the Civil Rights Act and the FCRA, still applies. Employers must avoid actions defined as discriminatory under these statutes and obtain applicant consent before ordering a background check. 

Once your business rests on a firm legal footing, acquire the right tools to conduct pre-employment screening. At backgroundchecks.com, we have developed solutions suitable for small businesses, nonprofits, and major enterprises alike. Choose a county-level background check to start your search within Hidalgo County, and for additional details over a broader area, move on to our US OneSEARCH to include all of Texas and nearby states.

These tools source data from state and local authorities unaffiliated with backgroundchecks.com. Data is subject to change. For sensitive positions, we offer direct, on-site searches of local courthouse records. Results are available within three working days. 

Our products source information from systems such as the:

• Texas Department of Public Safety – Statewide felony and misdemeanor records from 1975-present, updated weekly
• Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Parole and conviction information from 1979-present, updated monthly
• Texas Sex Offender Registry – Records from 1951-present, updated bi-weekly

These reports may contain a subject’s:

• Name
• Offense
• Sentence

Make the best use of the talent available to your business in Hidalgo County with assistance from backgroundchecks.com. 

Learn more about our county background check options