Free and Low Cost Public Records Research on the Web

1. Free and LowCost Public RecordsResearch on the Web Cuyahoga County Bar Association CLE, "Attorney's Internet Research Guide“ Sue Altmeyer, JD, MLS Electronic Services Librarian Cleveland Marshall College of Law Library December 18, 2007

2. URL for this presentation • http://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/documents/REVISEDinternetresearch.ppt

3. What will be covered • Free resources on the Web • Low-cost databases on the Web • Doing Web searches

4. What is available? • Only public records. • Ohio records: See ORC 149.43 Some items excluded from definition of public records: ▪ medical records ▪ probation records ▪ adoption records ▪ confidential law enforcement investigatory records

5. What is available? • Federal government will not disclose ▪ national defense information ▪ personal and medical information ▪ ongoing law enforcement investigations and confidential sources ▪ certain geological information ▪ information exempt under federal law See 5 USC 552(b).

6. What is Available? • Statutes limiting access to government records. eg, Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, 18 USC 2721 • Courts limiting records available. See blog post re: Proposed Ohio Supreme Court Superintendence Rules See article re: New Federal Court Rules re Privacy • Public records may not be published or readily available – may have to do information request.

7. Is “free background check”on the Web possible? • Only to a certain extent. • Free materials available on-line are discrete bits of information. Pay databases retrieve information from many sources. • Not every court and government agency makes records available via a Web site.

8. How can I get access to fee Databases at a low cost? • Check to see if your Westlaw or LexisNexis “all you can eat” package includes public records. • Members of Cleveland Law Library may request searches on: OpenOnline, Accurint, LexisNexis, Westlaw. • Accurint signup is free – you only pay for each search. • Openonline has minimal set-up fee and annual cost, then you pay for each search.

9. Doing the Search – Starting Points and Portals • Cleveland Law Library’s Public Records FAQ • Virtual Chase Public Records Resources • Netronline • SearchSystems.net • Public Record Finder.com • Cleveland.com: Your Right to Know

10. Types of Info on the Web about People • Addresses and Phone Numbers • Bankruptcy and Lawsuits • Criminal Records • Marriage and Divorce Records • Birth and Death Records • Professional Licenses and Discipline • Campaign Donations

11. People Finders • Cleveland Law Library’s People Finder FAQ • Cleveland Public Library: Reference USA; Directory Hot Line (216) 623-2922 • pipl.com: Can return phone, address, etc. Searches Deep Web. • Professional license databases. • Some voting records.

12. Example: Use portal and voter records to find an address • Connect to searchsystems.net • Search terms “voter registration Ohio” • System lists online voter registration databases. • To go further via searchsystems.net costs money. So, just google Franklin County Board of Elections. • Franklin County Voter Inquiry

13. Problem – Cell phone and Unlisted Numbers • Articles: Telephone Numbers - Zimmerman's Research Guide; Unlisted Phone Numbers • Cell Phone Search; Intellius – name search for fee, reverse lookup is free. • Web Detective – cell & unlisted – for fee. • Mobile Phone Number .com – voluntary listings free. • National Cellular Directory – free, but must provide YOUR cellphone for the directory.

14. Other options for finding addresses & phone numbers • Driver’s record from BMV. • Court cases, look for “return of service.” • Accident reports – Mail request to Department of Public Safety in Columbus. Some accident reports online: Policereports.us. Some States and cities do so too (eg, Arkansas) but usually have fee.

15. Finding Married/Divorced Women • Look at marriage licenses, divorce dockets, possibly probate court name change records to determine woman’s current name. See vital records section, below.

16. Bankruptcy and Court Records • U.S. Party Case Name Index (PACER) - Almost all federal courts. 8 cents per page. • Justia Federal District Court Dockets – Free, basic case info only. • LLRX Court Rules & Dockets ; National Center for State Courts ; Butler County Statewide Court Records Seach – Links to dockets. • Know-X Civil Lawsuit Finder – Searches all states at once for $2.95.

17. Criminal Records • So-called "national" databases inaccessible to non-governmental users. See “National Criminal Background Checks: Myths, Realities & Resources” by Jackie Walters. • Pay databases– LexisNexis, Westlaw, Openonline and Accurint may not pick up misdemeanors or all arrests. Examine scope of database before pay to search it.

18. Criminal Records • Cuyahoga County felony arrest records can be obtained at County Sheriff’s office. Cost = $6.00. Back to early 1970s. • Do docket search of individual courts.

19. Criminal Records • Federal Bureau of Prisons (Incarcerated 1982 to present. Minimal info.) • Ohio Dept of Corrections Offenders sentenced to serve time in a STATE facility. • Corrections.com – Links to other states’ databases. • Sex offender databases: • National Sex Offender Public Registry: Search for names of sex offenders in multiple state databases at once. • FBI's State Sex Offender Registries: Links to state sex offender databases.

20. More options for Criminal Records • Ohio Attorney General’s Office WebCheck: For fee, need fingerprints and driver’s license. Arrests for felonies and escalating misdemeanors. • Virtual Chase Federal Criminal Records resources – ex. Federal denied persons list • Newspaper searches. • BMV records, if permissible purpose.

21. Newspaper Articles • Cleveland Public Library: Databases & Links Library • Cuyahoga County Library System

22. Assets – Generally • Check recent divorce filings. • Portico: real estate, aircraft, boats, horses

23. Assets – Real Estate • Butler County Clerk Statewide Property Search – Links to recorder's office for each county in Ohio. • Statewide Real Estate Tax Search – From Butler County Clerk's office, links to county auditors' offices. • Foreclosure Sales – Cuyahoga county. • Neo Cando – Property, tax and transfer information for properties in Northeast Ohio. • Property Assessment Databases – Search by county.

24. Assets – UCC • UCC filings – Ohio Secretary of State • National Association of Secretaries of State – Links to Secretary of State offices in all fifty states. • Searchsystems.net for UCC filings. • UCC Article 9 filings may be with county recorder. • Airplanes - Landings

25. Vital Records –Birth & Death Records • National Center for Health Statistics • Ohio Department of Health – order online or info on local offices’ Web sites. • Cleveland Necrology File • Social Security Death Index • Americas Obituaries and Death Notices • Online Searchable Death Indexes

26. Vital Records –Marriage and Divorce • Abstracts can be ordered from Ohio Dept of Health • Cuyahoga County Probate Court Marriage License Index • Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court Docket

27. Social Security Numbers • In court documents (especially divorce and UCC filings), but recently courts enacted rules to redact this information. • Most pay databases have removed social security numbers or mask last four digits, including LexisNexis, Westlaw, Openonline, Accurint and KnowX. • LexisNexis, Openonline will provide authorized users with certain type of account that gives access to Social Security numbers. • Some free social security number verifiers on Web – see CLL Public Records FAQ

28. Campaign Donations • FECInfo: Donor look-up for federal campaign contributors. • Opensecrets.org: Donor name lookup for federal elections. • Ohio Secretary of State • Follow the Money.org: State political campaign donations.

29. Professional Licenses • Cleveland Law Library’s Public Records FAQ • Ohio License Center • Ohio.gov Professional License Verification • Ohio Medical Board Disciplinary Actions • Ohio Supreme Court: Attorney Information Search • Certified Financial Planner Look-up

30. General Internet Searches • “Googling” someone • Blogs - Blog Search Engines • Searching Social Networking Sites: Myspace.com; Friendster.com; Facebook.com; Classmates.com, Google Groups; Yahoo Groups. See article – Mining Social Networks for Personal Information by Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch.

31. Information about Companies • Cleveland Law Library Guide to Business Information. Many links to free Cleveland Public Library databases. • Secretary of State – Corporate charters, articles of incorporation, UCC financing statements and termination statements, except article 9 • Same databases used for people –court cases, political contributions, news articles,etc.

32. Fee databases targeted to consumers • May be in violation of Fair Credit Reporting Act or other statutes restricting access to information distributed by “a consumer reporting agency” – any company that compiles “consumer reports”. • Misleading as to information that can actually be provided. Only 35% of public records online. • KnowX is said to be a reputable one. • When using ANY public records provider, double check information with another service for accuracy.

33. Further reading • The Sourcebook to Public Record Information (BRB Publications, Inc., 7th edition, 2006).