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					Originally Posted by gscsj
					
				 
				For you guys who are more familiar with these checks that I am, what does the $30 (or whatever the cost) go towards?  Is it strictly the time spent by the law enforcement officer to go through the process?  If this is the case and the price is a factor, you might find a few officers who would be willing to do this in their off-the-clock time for much cheaper...especially if they are active or retired officials. 
 
Just a thought. 
			
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The FBI charges a fee to agencies/companies which send in  fingerprints for criminal history checks using the nationwide fingerprint database.  I think the fee is currently $18.    Many states have their own fingerprint repositories and typically charge a fee for checks of them.  There is no way you are getting much more than a standard check of fingerprints for $30.  A "real" background investigation will costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars.