Be Your Own Private Investigator

[lady cop]

i get a LOT of questions from my non-law enforcement friends, the public and even here at Forum Garden about how to protect ourselves against predators of all types. so i thought it might be helpful to offer some basic information i hope will be useful to someone reading here. you have the absolute right to any and all public information, i.e., criminal records and sex offenders registries. first, be an informed citizen in your state. go online and find your police or sheriff dept. website. it will give you the option of reading the wanted "posters" and the sex offenders registry. with booking photos. also, if you are considering renting to someone, call your local jail booking dept. and find out if they have a criminal record. you don't need to pay a PI to do this. but do have a birth date or SS number, the more info the better. if the booking dept. is busy, be polite and call back later. do not let them tell you they can't give the information. that's not true, it's just that booking gets slammed. this goes for prospective boyfriends or girlfriends. may sound less than romantic, but better to know the truth. i encourage people to check out those who may have access to their lives or children. it's not a leave-it-to-beaver world anymore, cons are everywhere... and PLEASE check out child caregivers and elderly caregivers. abuse of the elderly is RAMPANT! whether physical or financial abuse, they are particularly vulnerable.

[3kidzforme]

Iowa Sex Offender Registry

Iowa Courts Online ~ Trial Court Searches

Here are the 2 links for Iowa that I use on a regular basis. Sex offenders are broken down into city.

Another way the courts online can be used is if you are going through a custody suit ~ any info you can get on the other person or people around the child may help you!

[lady cop]

great Mary, thankyou! i have asked Beth to come and post sites also. anyone here, please contribute, this could be a valuable public service. i have also emailed and asked Carla to come and give us her expertise, she is very familiar with elderly issues. i am thinking this subject should possibly be a 'sticky'. we have many members who are not in the US, perhaps they could tell us how to go about it in their respective countries as well.

[3kidzforme]

I added the links because some people may not know where to begin and will in turn give up before even looking. Some of my fellow classmates think I am insane because I look up my kids' friends parents ... I think I'm just being more informed than I was before.

[Beth]

WWW.myflorida.com will provide info for any county in the state. The url is also now on our new, generic license plates.

URL to the Hillsborough County arrest inquiry.

Florida sexual predators database.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. You can explore links and find those with active warrants. Finding criminal history info in Hillsborough County.

Polk County Sheriff's Office. Go to the quick links and you can scroll to find the link to warrants, arrest records and sexual predators.

Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

[lady cop]

BETH, you're the greatest!!

[BabyRider]

http://www.mipsor.state.mi.us/

There's the info for Michiganders.
Great idea LC.

[lady cop]

Thankyou Babyrider, i hope this idea catches on and everyone pitches in, i am trying to imagine the good it (hopefully) could do people can take back some control against criminals!

[capt_buzzard]

This is a great idea and thanks for bringing it up.

[Beth]

Originally Posted by lady cop

BETH, you're the greatest!!

Thanky much! I think this thread was a great idea. Many people don't know local resources for such things.