11 Nov
A Safety Precaution: Public Criminal Records
Posted on 2008 under Criminal Records, Public Records | No CommentToday there are laws that allow public criminal records to be available for general information. This allows individuals in the community to know what sex offenders are living in their neighborhoods, what the crime rate is in their area, and more.
Vital Information
For individuals who are contemplating moving to a new area, or who have been in a changing neighborhood, there is now the ability to simply type in a zip code and a list of all the sex offenders in that area to come up. There are usually maps that show precisely where the sex offender lives. These precautions allow individuals to take precautions, especially if they are women or children. It also shows what the individual was incarcerated for, so that it can be further determined what the risk factors are. For instance, young men who were convicted of statutory rape when they were eighteen and their girlfriends were not yet of age after the parents found out they were having sex is one end of the spectrum, whereas a serial rapist is at the other end.
The FBI an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) Most Wanted are other public criminal records that are available. These records show the criminals that are still on the loose so that individuals can possibly recognize them and help to bring them to justice. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s fugitives are also available for the public’s viewing and help. Most wanted terrorists, especially in this day and age, are also available for the security of this country.
In addition to these lists, there is also a search for federal prison inmates, both past and present in public criminal records. Besides specific individuals who are in the system for crime, there is also an organized crime and crime statistics site that gives more general information about different communities. Help for victims is also available, such as the search for missing and exploited children, in which individuals can help to identify these children, as well as for parents who are missing their children.
Finally, there are other listings of most wanted individuals in public criminal records by different crime fighting organizations, some of which are not normally though to be a crime fighting organization. US Customs Service, US Marshall’s, and US Secret Service (Treasury Department) are more commonly thought to have a most wanted list for fugitives. The US Postal Service, those who serve in both rain and shine, also has a most wanted list of fugitives.