BRB's Public Records Blog

New Webpage for Finding Local Record Retrievers

The Public Record Retriever Network (PRRN) is pleased to announce a new webpage at www.prrn.us. The page allows the public to search by state and county (or parish) to find a local public record retriever PRRN member who can research a name or access a record file at the local the court or recorder's office. The webpage also has several informative articles with facts about record searching. The other web location for searching a PRRN member is still active at www.brbpub.com/prrn/search.aspx. 

Maine - Cumberland County Courts - Criminal Record Search

In Maine, the District Courts handle misdemeanors and the Superior Courts handle felonies. Recently, one of Cumberland County's three District Courts merged its criminal record division with the county's Superior Court. Records from Portland District Court - South 9 were merged with the Superior Court criminal record database. The new court is designated as the Unified Court.  A criminal record search at the Unified Court will include a search of both courts. This merger does not affect civil or probate records held by the Portland District Court. Note the two other District Courts in Cumberland County (Bridgton District Court North 9 and Bath District Court East 6) each have a separate record database. Therefore, for a complete countywide criminal record search with misdemeanors, all three courts must be searched.

Status Checks on New York Vehicle Titles

New York provides an online application to check the status of a NYS-issued vehicle title. Status Check displays the date the title was issued by the DMV, number of liens (if any), and the lien holder. No personal information is displayed. You must enter the VIN, vehicle model year, and vehicle make. For more information, go to http://www.nysdmv.com/titlestat/default.html. Statues of titles or liens on watercraft are not available online.

© excerpt from The Public Record TIPS Book

Commerce Department - Import/Export DBs

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides  three lists described below that are relevant to import/export transactions.  www.bis.doc.gov

Denied Persons List

The purpose of the Denied Persons List is to prevent the illegal export of dual-use items before they occur and to investigate and assist in the prosecution of violators of the Export Administration Regulations. www.bis.doc.gov/dpl/default.shtm

Unverified List

This is a list of parties whom BIS has been unable to verify in some manner in prior transactions. The Unverified List includes names and countries of foreign persons who in the past were parties to a transaction with respect to which BIS could not conduct a pre-license check (“PLC”) or a post-shipment verification (“PSV”) for reasons outside of the U.S. Government’s control. If you would like to be informed when changes occur to the Unverified List, consider subscribing to the BIS Email Notification Service.

www.bis.doc.gov/enforcement/unverifiedlist/unverified_parties.html

Entity List

The Entity List, available in PDF or ASCII text format, is a list of parties whose presence in a transaction can trigger a license requirement under the Export Administration Regulations. The original purpose of this list was to inform the public of entities whose activities imposed a risk of diverting exported and re-exported items into programs related to weapons of mass destruction. Now the list includes those with any license requirements imposed on the transaction by other provisions of the Export Administration Regulations. The list specifies the license requirements that apply to each listed party. www.bis.doc.gov/entities/default.htm

© excerpt from The Public Record TIPS Book

 

Free Public Relations Webinar

This topic is outside our normal scope of public records but in the light of the current economy we thought it would be a useful resource. 

Title: "Public Relations Tactics to Build and Promote Your Business"
Date: Thursday, February 12, 2009
Time: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM EST
Cost: FREE
Presenter:  search it right™

Every business and nonprofit can use free publicity.

And an effective public relations campaign using professional-level tactics should be an essential component to your marketing plan. Using PR tactics to distinguish your business, products and services from your competitors’ can help you to garner the attention of newspapers and other media sources, including the internet, and ultimately help you to build your business on a shoestring budget.

What you'll learn:

1. Learn how to effectively use the one major public relations tool you’ll need to succeed.

2. Understand the difference between advertising and publicity.

3. Determine what is considered newsworthy in the eyes of a journalist.

4. Understand what an angle is and how to thread it throughout your PR effort.

Click here for more information. 

Research Tip - Toxic Hazards

TOXNET

TOXNET, the Toxicology Data Network, provides multiple databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases. TOXNET is managed by the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program within the National Library of Medicine (NLM). TOXNET provides free access at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov for easy searching of the following databases—

·         HSDB® (Hazardous Substances Data Bank) is a factual database focusing on the toxicology of over 5,000 potentially hazardous chemicals. www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hsdbfs.html

·         IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System) is a database from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) containing carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk information on over 500 chemicals.

·         The ITER (International Toxicity Estimates for Risk) database contains data in support of human health risk assessments on over 600 chemical records.

·         CCRIS (Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information System), developed and maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), contains over 9,000 chemical records with carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, tumor promotion, and tumor inhibition test results.

·         GENE-TOX (Genetic Toxicology) is a toxicology database created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) containing genetic toxicology test results on over 3,200 chemicals.

·         Tox Town (Also provided by the National Library of Medicine, this interactive web page is a great source of non-technical descriptions of chemicals, assorted links to selected, authoritative chemical information, and lists everyday locations where one might find toxic chemicals. http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/

·         Household Products Database indicates the chemical ingredients found in household products and who manufactures specific brands. The database contains information on over 7,000 products. Email tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov or visit http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov.

To reach TOXNET by telephone, call 301-496-1131.

© excerpt from The Public Record Research TIPS Book

New Pre-employment Screening Blog

Now Online - www.safehiringblog.com - an informational, fact-based blog dedicated to pre-employment screening topics.  A valued resource for employers, business owners, HR Professionals, hiring managers, security professionals, screening firms - anyone with hiring and/or screening responsibilities.

The site is facilitated and monitored by BRB Publications, Inc. and Lester S. Rosen, ESQ, publishers and author of The Safe Hiring Manual and The Safe Hiring Audit.

VIN Numbers

VIN stands for "vehicle identification number." This number is internationally recognized as the way to identify an individual vehicle. When buying a used vehicle, many people and dealers check the history of a VIN with a private vendor to help make an informed decision about the quality and value of the vehicle. Vehicles have a metal plate stamped with unique VIN located somewhere on the dashboard or door, but the VIN may also be found attached to other locations on the vehicle.

A VIN consists of 17 characters (vehicles manufactured before 1981 may have fewer characters) in a highly coded but strict format structure.  A code table that shows all the possible meanings for each position is a very extensive document, and it changes frequently. Web resources to decode a VIN include:

·         www.autocheck.com

·         www.cardetective.com

·         www.carfax.com

·         www.decodethis.com

  © excerpt from The Public Record Research TIPS Book

 

High School Records

Searching for high school records can be a difficult task. Over the years, schools can close, merge, or be renamed. A high school name can be misspelled or not quite remembered.

There are several excellent websites that provide comprehensive lists and data pertaining to high schools as well as junior highs and elementary schools.

The site maintained by Standard and Poor’s at www.schoolmatters.com provides detailed information on each school including the school’s address, telephone number, total students and also very detailed comparisons on performance matters. Click on the Site Map to begin an alpha search on a state basis.

Check out the subscription site at www.schoolinformation.com. Designed for entities marketing products to schools, this resource is valuable if extensive searching or due diligence is required.

Also, a Google search will reveal a number of state lists.

Of course, an on-site visit of a school is a good way to view a yearbook to find pictures and activity information about individual students.

© excerpt from The Public Record Research TIPS Book