Public Records Resources and Searches

Not necessarily; you can look up the licensing of a contractor, see a problem and decide not to hire that individual or company. You no longer need to look further or pay a full background check; the licensing statement should be free to look up. Also, many recommend searching court cases, criminal and civil, to see what they need. If the courthouse you are searching for has decent resources, you can do most of it yourself. You can look up criminal and civil cases and request copies at a relatively lower cost. Plus, you can do the "search" and see what is available and which to get copies of. Obtaining copies of criminal cases is a lot better than criminal records. Criminal records are generally not as specific as having the entire issue. Additionally, you may not need to pay for copies if you are looking for information and can take notes, not to mention photos of the document using your phone or camera. Then you can email them and have copies saved for later. Another issue is how many different places you will have to look. If the source of your criminal investigation covers statewide searches, you may have to look into other states. This is why you should start with a people search, sometimes called people finders which will tell how many states and residence periods.

It depends on the type of background or records you are looking for. Background checks have different purposes: criminal records, addresses, past employment, schooling, professional licensing, court cases, and more. Your needs will differ if you're an employer versus looking up records for your information. Some only need to know an address; others may want to look at their credit history. There are services, with some restrictions, which will sell the information to customers. However, if you have an idea of what you are looking for, say a criminal history or rap sheet, you can choose to get that on your own and only that type of report. You can also select the background information similar to an a la carte menu when doing it yourself. Regarding a contractor being considered for a sizeable project, you may want to check the company's or individual's lawsuit history. A driver would need a driver's history report and so on. Once you know which information you're going after, the rest look it up. Sure, some prefer to use a background check company which can save time and maybe even money if you're not good at doing it yourself. The department or agency you are requesting the record from can have easy ways for the public to access or a difficult one. That also includes the state, as some are more transparent with better public access resources than others. The state of Wisconsin will give you just about any of their court cases for free online, which means you can look up court cases anytime freely at home. Oklahoma court's web pages do something similar. Court cases get requested often every day, so there may be better luck in obtaining them through the internet.

Public or criminal records are initially obtained from government agencies or departments. Whether at the federal level, state, county, or city. They come from the government. How readily available the records are to the public is left up to the agency so long as it conforms to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the state's transparency laws. Some agencies do not have the funds or other means necessary to make the records available online for free and convenient to requestors. Some agencies may not prioritize making records available to ease retrieval. Therefore, some forms are more accessible to obtain than others. Some are free online instantly, such as verification of professional licenses, business data from the secretary of state, etc. The fees imposed on the requestor are based on the agency's budget, cost of maintenance, staff, and so for Public record websites are not the same as background check websites, although they cover many duplicate records. Public record websites and background checks companies are different ways of searching for records with their positives and negatives. Background check companies gather the information they believe best completes their obligation to provide customers with records under their coverage. These private entities pay for some documents; some are collected from an agency with an agreement and feasible means. Public record websites list the sites where you can request the record yourself. This includes listing as many places with free instant online searches. With background check companies, you get a package of searches with one fee and order. Public record sites allow users to gather data specific to their needs and costs. When you do your quest, depending on the state, you can obtain information by accessing the agency's databases directly. However, when you're looking to add a criminal history search, you may have to pay the agency to provide you with the records. For example, an employer is more likely to select a background check company as they look for a uniform standard check for all prospective employees and save time from conducting their search. Background check companies can also conform to a type of search that suits a regular client. Private individuals looking for someone to verify a contractor's license, just a deed that may be online, and more can benefit from public record sites. Since the websites that provide public information are government agencies, ranking high on general search engine results and being easily visible to users is not a priority. Many valuable databases that provide the information sought by the public need to be looked for beyond a search engine's general query. This is where the public record site can be helpful. You can peruse a list of what you can get online for free or the following best available resource found. So the answer to 'are there any truly free online records' is yes and no, it depends on what you're looking for and where

1968 President Lydon Johnson enacted the gun control act due to the assassinations of Robert F Kenedy, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. In 1993, President Clinton signed the Brady act into law after President Reagan’s near-fatal assassination attempt. The FBI implemented the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) on November 30th, 1998. The NICS is a national center that performs background checks for Federal Firearms Licensees or also referred to as FFLs. All FFLs must conduct a NICS search. This process begins with an applicant purchasing a firearm to complete and submit the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm (ATF) form 4473. This form can be submitted by calling 1-877-FBI-NICS or logging into the NICS E-Check website. The applicant's identifying information will be processed and compared to millions of records stored in 3 nationally held databases. The Interstate Identification Index holds criminal history records, the National Crime Information Center NCIC holds warrants and protection orders, and the NCIS records individuals prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms.

Metropolitan Statistical Areas are regions with large dense populations having an impact, generally economical, on the state or region but are not cities or counties. New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas are among the highest population and typical examples of metropolitan areas. The government uses MSAs to reveal public data, including unemployment figures, housing, income, etc. There are three hundred and sixty-six MSAs defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The areas have an urban core area with a minimum population of fifty thousand persons or more. Other factors in designating an MSA include the adjacent counties and various social and economic impacts. Of the 366 Metropolitan Statistical Areas of the United States, the smallest is Carson City, Nevada, with just over fifty-five thousand residents. At the bottom or worse unemployment rates amongst these areas is El Centro in Imperial county, CA, with 26.8%, Yuma in Yuma County, AZ, 26%; Yuba in Sutter County, AZ, 18.8%; Merced, Merced county with CA 18.8% and Modesto in Stanislaus County, CA with 16.4% unemployment. Data is not always obtained by looking at the population or demographics of the area; they can reflect employment rates of industry, occupation, education, training, and other categories. Occupational data shows the fastest-growing sectors and professions. The 2010 employment projections show Personal Care Aides at the top of the list with a 70 percent growth in the next ten years. Averages are other statistics provided that would reveal information such as the average employment and wage for an occupation. For example, the mean hourly wage (total of all salaries divided by the employees of a particular field) across the U.S. for all occupations is $24.96

The latest numbers from the bureau of labor statistics reported in its latest finding released on July 20th show 27 states with rising unemployment, 12 states that had no change, and 11 states, along with the District of Columbia, doing better for June 2012. Compared to last year, 47 states and the District of Columbia are experiencing better employment numbers, with three states experiencing a rise in their unemployment rate. The most significant one-month employment increase was in California, adding thirty-eight thousand jobs, with Ohio adding 18,400 jobs and North Carolina with 16,900 jobs. For the same period, the worst was Wisconsin losing 13,200 jobs, Tennessee losing 12,100 jobs, and Maryland losing 11,000 jobs. But When looking at the percentage of rising employment, the picture is quite different. Alaska added one percent to its workforce, making it the number one state in increasing employment. South Dakota and North Dakota are number two and three for June in the best percentage employment gain. The most significant decrease in percentage still has Wisconsin in the top 3 after new Mexico and Vermont. Even percentage statistics can be misleading as the West still has the worst unemployment, with a 9.4 percent unemployment in June. The ranking or order of best and worse keeps changing as some terms differ. Although the West has the worse unemployment, Nevada’s unemployment is at 11.6 in June, with Rhode Island second at 10.9 and California third with 10.7

What is the safest city in the U.S.? It depends on which list you are viewing. Forbes released an article stating Plano, Texas, as one of the safest cities, Henderson, NV, second, and Honolulu, HI third. The reports note the data that were looked at and factors in common amongst the safest cities. This information concerns violent crimes, including murders and manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The Business Insider lists Irvine, CA, as one of the safest cities with zero murders per one hundred thousand, thirty robberies, and 55 violent crimes. According to the FBI, crime rates have been dropping in the United States. Violent crime dropped 4% in 2011 and 5.5% in 2010. Nationally, murder dropped almost two percent. A look at the most dangerous cities shows the opposite. Violent crimes have increased by more than half of the cities that were the worst in the U.S. The state of Michigan has the top 2 spots of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. First on the list is Flint, Michigan, with 23.4 violent crimes per thousand and fifty-two murders in 2011; Detroit is second with similar numbers. The worse cities have several things in common such as a low tax base, high unemployment, low median income, and police cutbacks. Flint, MI, laid off over 10 percent of its police departments by letting go 20 of their 140 officers. The safest and most dangerous data can be based on different factors and outcomes. For example, city streets generally congested with traffic are safer than rural areas where traffic deaths are higher due to higher driving speeds. Worse cities for women are different in which. Forbes has Saginaw, MI, Anchorage, AK, and Fairbanks, AK. There are other statistics for other purposes. The FBI releases national crime data encompassing its findings to the public yearly.

Although different companies use various background check companies, they're looking for the same information. Most background checks look up criminal records. Credit, driving records, and so forth are additional searches by the employer. Even when an applicant knows their history, many still want to see what the employer can obtain. Therefore, before applying, prospective employees will search for themselves. It also helps with deciding what to disclose. Criminal records in other states may not appear if it's a state search only. Nationwide searches can also be conducted; one example is when an individual is purchasing a firearm. Since casinos are regulated, these background checks tend to be mandatory. The state imposes this step before employers acquire new personnel. So, the state may disclose which background or type of search to conduct coinciding with their regulations. Most states offer a criminal history check through their law enforcement agency, such as the state police. The prospective applicant already knows where (city, county, state, or federal) the criminal records may appear and, after that, look into that area only. The state of New Mexico offers several searches that include a letter of good standing.