Public Records Basics

Know public records basics to track down the information that you need

Knowing public records basics can help you find the vital information that you need. From tracking down a person who hasn't paid his or her bill, to keeping a predator out of your neighborhood, knowing who lives where and who has done what can be valuable knowledge.

When you access public records, you will find all kinds of information. Public records include death records, marital records, criminal records, arrest records, absconder records, jail records, sentencing files, parolee information, most wanted criminal lists, sex offender information, mugshots, missing children and adults, court records, civil records, bankruptcy records, census reports, addresses, phone numbers, births, business information, campaign financing, charitable organizations, court records, liquor licenses as well as unclaimed property.

To make the most of public records basics:

1. Use online public records to find contact information for people.

2. Pull public criminal records to help keep your business and neighborhoods safe.

3. Take advantage of public record metadatabases for target searches like unclaimed property or campaign financing.

 

Access public records to pull up contact info

Use public records online to find out contact information on people you are needing to get a hold of. Friends, family or people who owe your business money are all prime candidates for people you might search for in a public record database.
Try: Search for people by name, phone number, social security number, address or email address through PeopleLookup. PeopleLookup will then when available provide you with the individual's current address, phone number, age, birth date, household members as well as additional information, such as previous address(es), and relatives names, which can be helpful in confirming if this is indeed the person that you are looking for. PeopleFinders.com is another person look up search engine, but they also offer background checks, criminal record checks, business ownership information and public record information as well.

Use online public records to keep your neighborhood safe

Public records and public criminal records can also tell about criminal backgrounds and where the sexual predators are in your state and neighborhood.
Try: Look up a potential threat on the Indiana's Sheriffs' Sex and Violent Offender Registry. For your particular state, go to Google or your search engine and type in your state name followed by "Sex Offender Registry." Crimcheck.com offers free criminal public record information.

Use a public record search metasearch site

Take advantage of a public record search site that allows you to search for more than one category type while you are on the same search engine. Look for sex offenders on the same site that you are researching campaign funds, or look up who has received workers comp on the same site you are pulling up address information.
Try: Use an all in one search engine like Gov-Resources.com. Their site covers a wide variety of public record information including marital records, death records, criminal records, sex offender records, court records and people's contact information. Search Systems lets you public records by type of record, by state or by country. They cover a wide variety of topics including campaign finance, workers comp, unclaimed property, missing persons and more.

 

• A word of warning before you go searching public records on the person you are interviewing. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), your small business is required to have potential new hire employees sign a disclosure form that grants you authorization to perform a background check during the interview process. Signing this disclosure doesn't restrict you to just credit reports, and it can include all "consumer reports." Laws will vary from state to state, though, on what information can be used during the pre-employment screening process, so find out what laws are applicable to your particular state.

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