GAO/OSI-97-2
Investigators Guide to Sources of Information
Chapter 1
Local and State Governments
Local Government
- Building Inspector
- Coroner/medical Examiner
- Court Clerk
- Health Department
- Personnel Department
- Public Schools
- Recorder
- Registrar of Voters
- Regulatory Agencies
- Surveyor
- Tax Assessor
- Tax Collector
- Welfare Commission
State Government
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
BUILDING INSPECTOR
The following information is available from a building inspector's office:
- building permits, which generally show the name of the applicant, the address of construction, the estimated cost of construction, and the name of the builder or contractor;
- blueprints and plans, which show construction details and are often submitted with applications for building permits; and
- building inspectors' reports, which contain information regarding compliance with construction specifications.
CORONER/MEDICAL EXAMINER
Coroner registers generally contain the name or description of the deceased; date of inquest, if any; property found on the deceased and its disposition; and the cause of death.COURT CLERK
Court clerks often maintain court files on such civil actions as liens, name changes, and divorces. These files generally include the complaint (identifying the plaintiff(s), the defendant(s), and the cause of action); the answer to the complaint; and the judgment rendered. Also, depositions introduced as exhibits become part of the court records. The court clerk's minutes or the file jacket may indicate whether a transcript of the proceedings was taken.Divorce case complaints usually identify the plaintiff and defendant; place and date of marriage (which points to the appropriate county recorder's records); date of separation, if applicable; names, ages, and birthdates of any children; community property; and grounds or charges, if any; and the attorneys retained by the parties. The plaintiff's signature is usually on the complaint and the defendant's signature can be found on the cross-complaint or answer.
Probate indexes will list probate actions alphabetically, by name of the estate or petitioner, and will give the filing date and the docket number. Individual case files often list causes of action and rulings regarding the estate, and status of potential beneficiaries who may be minors, adopted, incompetent, or insane.
Court clerks also maintain criminal court files, which may contain information describing the crime and the charges in an indictment. These files may also contain the complainant's signature (exemplar); a transcript of the preliminary hearing (usually consisting of testimony of the complainant, defendant, witnesses, and arresting officer); the names of the prosecuting and defense attorneys; the probation officer's report, with complete background investigation of the defendant; and any subpoenas issued in the case.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Health departments often license and inspect properties, identify and investigate local health problems, educate businesses on local health issues, and provide direct emergency services.Death certificates are usually available at health departments. A death certificate provides the decedent's name; address; sex; age; race; social security number; birthplace; birthdate; and date, place, and time of death. Additionally, a death certificate generally provides the medical and coroner's certificate and information about the decedent's parents, including their occupations.
PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT
Personnel departments maintain the following information:
- personal history statements on employees and political leaders; and
- employment records, efficiency reports, and records of salary liens on employees.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Public schools maintain the following information:
- student records showing grades, disciplinary actions, and, in some school districts, biographies; and
- teacher biographies showing personal background, education, and former employment.
RECORDER
Recorder offices maintain the following information:
- documents pertaining to real estate transactions, including deeds, grants, transfers, mortgages, releases of mortgages, powers of attorney, and leases that have been acknowledged or approved;
- mortgages on personal property;
- wills admitted to probate;
- Uniform Commercial Code filings;
- official bonds;
- notices of mechanics' liens;
- transcripts of judgments that are made on real estate liens;
- notices of attachment of real estate;
- papers pertaining to bankruptcy;
- certified copies of decrees and judgments of courts of record;
- Department of Defense DD 214 forms that are recorded by some veterans as evidence of veteran status, particularly in those states that grant veterans reduced property tax rates; and
- marriage licenses and certificates that can provide the names, ages, cities of residence, and places of birth of the licensees; date and place of marriage; names of witnesses to the marriage and their residence; and names of the cleric, judge, or justice of the peace who performed the ceremony.
REGISTRAR OF VOTERS
Registrars of voters may maintain the following:
- affidavit of registration, which includes the registrant's name and age, occupation, and address at the time of registration, and
- nomination papers of candidates for public office.
REGULATORY AGENCIES
Applications for business licenses, which are filed by local regulatory agencies, have valuable information on certain types of businesses and professions. Also, such applications often have useful information about individuals engaged in those businesses or professions. In many cities, the following types of businesses and professions would be regulated and their owners and/or practitioners would be required to apply for licenses:
- businesses seeking liquor licenses;
- professionals, including those trained as certified public accountants, dentists, doctors, plumbers, electricians, and optometrists;
- businesses that health and fire departments periodically inspect, including restaurants, bars, and night clubs; and
- businesses operating under names other than the owners' names (such businesses must register under assumed names and are included in the "doing business as" files).
SURVEYOR
Surveyor offices maintain maps of elevations, baselines, landmarks, important sites, roads, rights of way, and easements.TAX ASSESSOR
Tax assessor offices maintain maps of real property, including information on a property's dimensions, address, owner, taxable value, and improvements.TAX COLLECTOR
Tax collector offices maintain the following information:
- names and addresses of payers of property taxes, including payers who are not the apparent owners;
- legal descriptions of property;
- amounts of taxes paid on real and personal property;
- delinquency status of taxes; and
- names of former owners of property.
WELFARE COMMISSION
Information filed by welfare commissions is gathered by social workers, psychologists, and physicians. Generally, the information gathered--frequently provided by welfare recipients--is not verified. Welfare commission files contain such information as the recipient's address, previous employment, prior earnings, and property owned. Welfare files also contain information on (1) the property owned by the recipient's relatives and (2) the relatives' health and criminal records.STATE GOVERNMENT
ATTORNEY GENERAL
State attorneys general are good sources of information on (1) efforts made in the areas of statewide criminal justice, civil enforcement, and consumer protection and (2) the functions or administrative structure of the state offices responsible for these areas. The following table lists addresses and telephone numbers for state attorneys general.
| State | Address | Telephone number |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State House, 3rd Fl. 11 South Union Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3760 |
(334) 242-7300 |
| Alaska | Post Office Box 110300 Diamond Court Building Juneau, AK 99811 123 Fourth Street, 6th Fl. Diamond Court House Juneau, AK 99801 |
(907) 465-3600 |
| Arizona | 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 |
(602) 542-4266 |
| Arkansas | 323 Center Street 200 Tower Building Little Rock, AR 72201 |
(501) 682-2007 |
| California | 1300 I Street Post Office Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 |
(916) 323-5370 |
| Colorado | 1525 Sherman Street, 5th Fl. Denver, CO 80203 |
(303) 866-4500 |
| Connecticut | 55 Elm Street Post Office Box 120 Hartford, CT 06141-0120 |
(860) 566-2026 |
| Delaware | Carvel State Office Building 820 North French Street Wilmington, DE 19801 |
(302) 577-8338 |
| District of Columbia | Office of the Corporation Counsel 441 4th Street, N.W., Rm. 1060 North Washington, D.C. 20001 |
(202) 727-6248 |
| Florida | The Capitol Building Plaza Level, Suite 01 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050 |
(904) 487-1963 |
| Georgia | 40 Capitol Square Atlanta, GA 30334-1300 |
(404) 656-4585 |
| Hawaii | 425 Queen Street Honolulu, HI 96813 |
(808) 586-1282 |
| Idaho | 700 West Jefferson Street Post Office Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0010 |
(208) 334-2400 |
| Illinois | James R. Thompson Center 100 West Randolph Street, 12th Fl. Chicago, IL 60601 |
(312) 814-2503 |
| Indiana | Indiana Government Center South, 8th Fl. 402 West Washington Street Indianapolis, IN 46204 |
(317) 233-4386 |
| Iowa | Hoover State Office Building, 2nd Fl. Des Moines, IA 50319 |
(515) 281-3053 |
| Kansas | Judicial Building 301 S.W. 10th Street Topeka, KS 66612 |
(913) 296-2215 |
| Kentucky | Capitol Building, Suite 116 700 Capitol Avenue Frankfort, KY 40601 |
(502) 564-7600 |
| Louisiana | 300 Capitol Drive Post Office Box 94005 Baton Rouge, LA 70804 |
(504) 342-7013 |
| Maine | Six State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 |
(207) 626-8800 |
| Maryland | 200 Saint Paul Place Baltimore, MD 21202-2021 |
(410) 576-6300 |
| Massachusetts | One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 |
(617) 727-2200 |
| Michigan | Law Building, 7th Fl. Post Office Box 30212 525 West Ottawa Street Lansing, MI 48909-0212 |
(517) 373-1110 |
| Minnesota | 102 State Capitol St. Paul, MN 55155 |
(612) 296-6196 |
| Mississippi | Post Office Box 220 Jackson, MS 39205 450 High Street Jackson, MS 39201 |
(601) 359-3692 |
| Missouri | Post Office Box 899 Jefferson City, MO 65102 207 W. High Street Supreme Court Building Jefferson City, MO 65101 |
(573) 751-3321 |
| Montana | 215 N. Sanders Post Office Box 201401 Helena, MT 59620-1401 |
(406) 444-2026 |
| Nebraska | 2115 State Capitol Building Lincoln, NE 68509 |
(402) 471-2682 |
| Nevada | 198 South Carson Street Carson City, NV 89710 100 North Carson Street Carson City, NV 89701-4717 |
(702) 687-4170 |
| New Hampshire | 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301 |
(603) 271-3658 |
| New Jersey | Dept. of Law and Public Safety Office of Attorney General Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex CN 080 Trenton, NJ 08625 |
(609) 292-4925 |
| New Mexico | Post Office Drawer 1508 Santa Fe, NM 87504-1508 407 Galisteo Street, #260 Santa Fe, NM 87501 |
(505) 827-6000 |
| New York | N.Y. State Dept. of Law - the Capitol Albany, NY 12224 |
(518) 474-7330 |
| North Carolina | Post Office Box 629 Raleigh, NC 27602-0629 2 E. Morgan Street Raleigh, NC 27601 |
(919) 733-3377 |
| North Dakota | State Capitol 600 East Boulevard Avenue Bismarck, ND 58505-0040 |
(701) 328-2210 |
| Ohio | Rhodes Tower 30 East Broad Street, 17th Fl. Columbus, OH 43215 |
(614) 466-4320 |
| Oklahoma | 2300 North Lincoln Boulevard Suite 112 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 |
(405) 521-3921 |
| Oregon | 1162 Court Street, NE Salem, OR 97310 |
(503) 378-6002 |
| Pennsylvania | Strawberry Square, 16th Fl. Harrisburg, PA 17120 |
(717) 787-3391 |
| Rhode Island | 150 South Main Street Providence, RI 02903 |
(401) 274-4400 |
| South Carolina | Post Office Box 11549 Columbia, SC 29211-1549 1000 Assembly Street Columbia, SC 29202 |
(803) 734-3970 |
| South Dakota | 500 East Capitol Pierre, SD 57501 |
(605) 773-3215 |
| Tennessee | 500 Charlotte Avenue, Suite 114 Nashville, TN 37243 |
(615) 741-6474 |
| Texas | Post Office Box 12548 Austin, TX 78711 209 W. 14th Street Austin, TX 78701 |
(512) 463-2191 |
| Utah | 236 State Capitol Salt Lake City, UT 84114 |
(801) 538-1326 |
| Vermont | 109 State Street Montpelier, VT 05609-1001 |
(802) 828-3171 |
| Virginia | 900 East Main Street Richmond, VA 23219 |
(804) 786-2071 |
| Washington | 1125 Washington Street S.E. Post Office Box 40100 Olympia, WA 98504-0100 |
(360) 753-6200 |
| West Virginia | State Capitol, Building 1, Rm. E26 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East Charleston, WV 25305-0220 |
(304) 558-2021 |
| Wisconsin | Post Office Box 7857 Madison, WI 53707-7857 114 E. State Capitol Madison, WI 53702 |
(608) 266-1221 |
| Wyoming | 123 Capitol Building Cheyenne, WY 82002 |
(307) 777-7841 |
BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS
Bureaus of Vital Statistics have birth certificates on file and are an excellent source of information about people. Birth certificates can provide a child's name, sex, date of birth, and address of place of birth; the names of the attending physician, midwife, and/or other assistants; the parents' names, ages, addresses, race, places of birth, and occupations; the mother's maiden name; and the number of siblings. (In some states, birth certificates may be found at the local level, such as at the health department.)DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
State Departments of Motor Vehicles maintain information on driver's licenses, vehicle registrations, titles, automobile transfers and sales, car dealers, car salespersons, emission inspection facilities, and--in some states--auto repair businesses. Of those states requiring that photographs of licensed drivers appear on their licenses, most maintain the photographs. Many states are changing to digital photographs.REGULATORY AGENCIES
Departments and agencies that regulate individual and business activities within a particular state can be valuable sources of information. Individuals obtain licenses for activities such as driving, hunting, and fishing and for such professions as medical, legal, and public accounting. Businesses are also often required to obtain licenses and permits to operate and file periodic reports such as for worker's and unemployment compensation, sales tax, and state income tax. The following state regulatory departments and agencies maintain information valuable to investigators:
- Bureau of Professional and Vocational Standards or Department of Licensing;
- Controller/Treasurer;
- Department of Agriculture;
- Department of Industrial Relations;
- Department of Natural Resources;
- Gambling Commission/Horse Racing Board;
- Secretary of State;
- Department of Corrections;
- Liquor Commission;
- Lottery Commission;
- Securities Commission; and
- Utility Commission.
This document was last updated April 20, 1997
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