There are free sites and there are many fee sites to research names in criminal records indexes. When you need to use a fee site you want one that is most specific to your needs but is comprehensive. Keep in mind that the databases are not a substitute for court research but may uncover unexpected locations of filings or offer initial background on the nature of the charges.

My findings on some of the services that offer multi-jurisdictional searches:

• A higher cost does not equal a better repository. Westlaw is a subscription service with a use fee but some vendors like Merlindata, Intelius or Rapsheets charge based on an individual search, and may be a better value, as well as having a more comprehensive product.
• Vendors buy from each other and one may sell the same offering at a lower price than the competitor from whom they buy. Ask and compare. You’ll often be able to tell the originator of the data by looking at the state jurisdiction detail.
• There are many sources within a state that provide criminal index information to an aggregator: State Corrections divisions, which report convictions; Individual County Courts, which list felonies and/or misdemeanor charges, or sometimes, just convictions; Statewide County Court centralized information systems; State Justice Departments’ records of sex offender convictions, sometimes listing juveniles.
• Inclusive dates for county data varies between the services that offer data for the same counties.
• Most data providers have the Department of Corrections and sex offenders information but the cost can vary. For example, a nationwide sex offender search on IRB is $1 but has the hidden cost of a monthly service fee in the usage month. Whereas the $5 search on Merlindata does not incur any additional cost.

Here are examples of how variable the data is from vendor to vendor within one state.

• Ohio: Rapsheets provides data from 19 counties; Lexis Nexis provides data from 1 county; and National Background Data (the source for Merlindata national criminal) from the Department of Corrections only. IRB covers 2 counties.
• Texas: Rapsheets provides data from 12 counties; Westlaw and National Background Data from 8 counties; IRB covers 18 counties.
• California: Rapsheets provides data from 4 counties; Westlaw and Merlindata from 18 counties.

Finding good deals depend on how you buy the data. Searchsystems.net offers a discount on the Rapsheets searches for DirectPass customers (a $50 annual fee). A search across the multijurisdictional databases is $19, which is cheaper than a search at the Rapsheets site. Merlindata is a good value search in the states in which the data is strong. Their multijurisdictional criminal search is $25 but there’s no subscription fee. The $1 search is a great deal on IRB, if you use the service enough to cover the additional cost of the monthly fee. And, with all elements being equal, the best service is the one that covers what you need!

[Technorati tags: public records criminal index

If local or federal government employees clam up when you try to interview them or secure public records it may be because they’ve signed a non disclosure agreement with the Department of Homeland Security that overrides any state public records act. The
Department of Homeland Security Non-Disclosure Agreement is inspecific in its characterization of material, the disclosure of which could subject the signatory to criminal penalties.

“As used in this Agreement, sensitive but unclassified information is an over-arching term that covers any information, not otherwise indicated above, which the loss of, misuse of, or unauthorized access to or modification of could adversely affect the national interest or the conduct of Federal programs, or the privacy to which individuals are entitled under Section 552a of Title 5…”

This was the topic of the moment by former Washington Post investigative reporter Scott Armstrong when he spoke at the California First Amendment Coalition annual gathering.

Armstrong railed against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s new nondisclosure agreement, which is so ambiguously written, it can be construed to cover, well, just about anything.

The agreement restricts use of what the government calls “sensitive but unclassified information” by all officials, employees, contractors, subcontractors or people asked by the department to sign it.

That means that officials receiving homeland security grants or disaster preparedness information could be asked to sign the agreement requiring them not speak about what they know.

Police chiefs. Fire chiefs. City managers. Disaster planners. Officials of levee districts. They could all be prohibited from discussing even the most innocuous information, such as how a city will respond to a flood or major fire.

[Read the article [Bypass reg.: ajacks@melee.com/ajacks5]

[Technorati tags: public records homeland security]

A recent federal ruling suggests that some Securities and Exchange Commission files of companies it’s investigating are public records. Minnesota U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson delivered a partial victory to SECInsight, which brought suit against the SEC on behalf of its investor clients.

In a decision handed down in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed in the wake of corporate scandals, a Federal judge this week concluded that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) failed to follow proper procedure in responding to litigation brought by SEC Insight, Inc., an independent and private investment research firm. SEC Insight brought the action in 2004 in response to the SEC’s increased denial of records under the FOIA. The Court also remanded 10 requests to the SEC for immediate processing and ordered the agency to provide better basis for records it continues to deny.

[Technorati tags: public records securities and exchange commission]

Genetic markers can be used to trace a family lineage, developing a potentially different, or more expansive, family history than that reported by individuals. The Sorenson Foundation is collecting genetic profiles to aid genealogical research. Here’s there program description:

The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF) is a non-profit organization committed to developing the world’s foremost database of correlated genetic and genealogical information, and making this information freely available to the public.

View the Paternal Line Surnames that have been cataloged in this ongoing genealogy project.

[Technorati tags: genealogy search tools

California law supports the requirement that all visitors to public schools, except the media, must immediately register with the school office.

“No outsider shall enter or remain on school grounds during school hours without having registered with the principal or designee, except to proceed expeditiously to the office of the principal or designee for the purpose of registering. If signs posted in accordance with Section 627.6 restrict the entrance or route that outsiders may use to reach the office of the principal or designee, an outsider shall comply with such signs.” (Pen. Code, ·· 627- 627.11.)

The Manteca California school district is exploring the possibility of requiring journalists to register, which appears to be in conflict with state law, based on a vague statement in an Attorney General opinion: “Reasonable restrictions may be placed upon members of the news media…”

[Technorati tags: california journalists

Crime records in Alabama may become available on the Internet within the next two years, under a proposal being considered by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center Commission. Unfortunately, the Commission is also considering redacting the names of crime victims from the public portion of the incident reports.

[Technorati tags:police records]

The auto marketplace could see a flood of used but damaged cars and boats from, well, THE FLOOD resulting from the Katrina hurricane. Search this online database by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or Hull Identification Number (HIN) for some vehicles originating from the affected region.

[Technorati tags: database]

You may be familiar with the Google fee service that connects you to a live person to answer any type of question you want researched. Google Answers index of questions asked and answers given can be retrieved with a simple search. Find the document retention schedule for individual tax returns, for example.

[Technorati tags: internet research]

A common annoyance is the challenge of finding files and emails on your computer. The Microsoft search mechanism that comes with Windows is verrry slow. You’re way behind the curve if you haven’t already started using a free add-on desktop search tool. Simply, find files by name or words within the document (including your emails) within seconds. I’ve been using Copernic but the Yahoo Desktop was recently recommended at the Internet Librarian Conference. Let your computer organize your files so you don’t have to!

[Technorati tags: desktop search

As electronic discovery becomes more far reaching even personal electronic items may be subject to scrutiny.

Companies are becoming worried about staff downloading sensitive information from office computers. And according to Kroll Ontrack, the electronic discovery arm of the giant private detective group, US workers have had their iPods and mobiles searched as part of investigations into possible security breaches, and as part of the “discovery” process in legal actions.

Text messaging is still shielded because, according to the private investigation agency, Kroll, there’s a technological stumbling block to retrieving deleted messages.

[Technorati tags: electronic discovery