In today’s digital age, the sheer volume of information that’s available online can be overwhelming. And while the digital realm has greatly increased the ease with which data can be accessed, concerns remain around the accuracy and validity of much of the information found on the internet – including public records.
Can you trust this information? Are you sure it’s complete, accurate, and current? Being able to affirmatively answer these questions is especially crucial for public servants who work to keep our communities safe and employees who are tasked with protecting their company’s security and reputation.
Today, technology solutions exist that enable professionals in law enforcement, government, and corporations to conduct accurate and effective public records searches with the click of a few buttons. Why does this matter? Below we detail use-case examples that illustrate this technology’s power, utility, and relevance.
Daily law enforcement activities
Every day, law enforcement professionals face myriad difficult situations and decisions. To provide for their own safety and that of the communities they serve, having ready access to accurate and up-to-date public records information is paramount. Say, for example, that an officer is called to a residence for a domestic assault. That officer needs to know more about the situation they are walking into. Technology allows the police officer to quickly look up information on the individuals involved in the dispute to determine if they have been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor or felony. Additionally, the officer can quickly filter by charge and offense to drill down to more specific and relevant results.
Having quick and easy access to this type of information helps officers be mentally and physically prepared for what they may encounter. Does this individual have a history of assault? Was there a weapon involved? What about past incidents involving alcohol or drug use? Being able to quickly access this information helps officers more efficiently and effectively do their jobs.
Aiding criminal investigations
When conducting criminal investigations, agents must comb through vast amounts of information online to try to connect numerous data points. Central to building their case, agents often rely upon witnesses to discover and corroborate information and evidence. In cases where criminal charges are filed, a witness may also be called upon to testify in court. To protect the integrity of their investigation and case, it’s critical that witnesses are fully vetted.
In a matter of seconds, an investigator can find out if a potential witness has a criminal history and, if so, how serious the charges were and whether or not they resulted in a conviction. Having access to this type of timely and up-to-date criminal records data can help agents determine if an individual is a credible witness.
Benefits for businesses
Technology also offers numerous benefits for companies when it comes to vetting vendors. The cost of making a bad vendor selection decision is significant and can cause companies to suffer significant financial and other losses. When selecting vendor partners, companies can search by business name to determine if a potential vendor has a history of criminal activity.
Additionally, companies can filter out certain types of minor offenses to focus on more serious charges and convictions many of which pose real risks in terms of conflicts of interests and security. For businesses, having the capability to quickly search and filter up-to-date jurisdictional criminal records data is critical to maintaining their security, stability, and reputation.
Get the complete picture of your subject’s criminal history
Public records searches are notoriously time consuming. While a wealth of information exists online, law enforcement, government officials, and those within the private sector need assurance that they are relying on information that is accurate, current, and derived from trustworthy sources.
Improve the accuracy and efficiency of your public records searches – learn more about CLEAR Criminal Analytics today.
Thomson Reuters is not a consumer reporting agency and none of its services or the data contained therein constitute a ‘consumer report’ as such term is defined in the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. sec. 1681 et seq. The data provided to you may not be used as a factor in consumer debt collection decisioning, establishing a consumer’s eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, government benefits, or housing, or for any other purpose authorized under the FCRA. By accessing one of our services, you agree not to use the service or data for any purpose authorized under the FCRA or in relation to taking an adverse action relating to a consumer application.
