How well do you really know your neighbors?
Whether you just moved in or you’ve lived in your home for decades, you probably don’t know much about all your neighbors.
You live around these people every day. Your kids walk past their homes on the way back from school. They know when you leave the house on vacation and they know when your lights get turned off at night.
You may be surprised who your neighbors really are. Today, we’re teaching you 4 ways to learn more about your neighbors that may be unethical – but they’re also totally legal.
1) Run a Criminal Records Search
Running a criminal records search on someone is perfectly legal. In fact, all you need is a first name and last name – which is something you can get from searching the phonebook or through property title searches.
If you already know the names of your neighbors, then you can skip right ahead to the fun part: finding their criminal record and other background information using their first and last name.
At CheckCriminalRecord.com, all we need to get started is a first name and last name. Then, you instantly get information about everyone with that name across America. You can narrow down your search by city or state or get more information about that specific individual.
Yes, this is completely legal: criminal records are public records. They’re accessible to the public – although they’re not something anyone can just search online.
A public records search can turn up more than just a criminal record: it can reveal misdemeanors, traffic violations, parking tickets, and even charges that were dropped.
Remember: approximately one third of the adult working age population in America has a criminal record. Think of the houses on your street or around you. Of those houses, there’s a good chance that someone, somewhere has a criminal record.
Maybe it’s something relatively innocent: like white collar crime. Or maybe it’s a non-violent drug crime. Or maybe it’s something much worse.
Until you run a criminal records check, you just don’t know. Remember: criminal records checks are legal and untraceable back to you.
2) Check Free Sex Offender Registries
The law requires sex offenders to register their location with state authorities. This location information is then available in public records.
Websites like http://www.familywatchdog.us will show the offenders living around you. All you need to do is enter a ZIP code. Then, you’ll immediately see pins pop up around your neighborhood.
Those pins are surprisingly detailed. For most of your neighbors, you’ll see a name, a mugshot, their date of birth, height, weight, and home address. You’ll also see which type of crime they committed.
There are countless other online services and apps that offer similar functionality. Check these sex offender registries regularly to stay updated on which types of criminals may be living around you.
Some may consider it unethical. But if you’re like most people, then protecting your family is more important.
3) Check the FBI Sex Offender Registry
The FBI’s Sex Offender Registry directs you to the sex offender search engine for your state. Select your state from the list and then start browsing through your state’s sex offenders.
Most state sex offender registries let you search by street, city, and ZIP code – kind of like the online services we mentioned above.
You can also search by name, alias names, and other information. It’s all free and easy.
If you don’t want to restrict your search to just one state, then you can also search the national registry of sex offenders, which is a service offered by the US Department of Justice. They even have an app you can download for Android or iPhone!
4) Search Public Records By Contacting State Organizations
Check Criminal Record will perform a criminal record and public record search on any individual on your behalf (as long as you’re not searching for someone for employment reasons or for any other reason requiring FCRA compliance).
In that case, the search you performed in step 2 may give you enough information about your neighbors. You don’t have to contact any state departments because we do all that for you.
Some of the things that can turn up in our record searches include:
- Birth and death certificates
- Marriage license certificates
- Deeds, mortgages, and other property record information
- Licenses, including professional licenses and business licenses
- Driving records
- Criminal and sex offender records
- Court records
- And much more
If you want more information about a particular person, then you can also request a public records search through a state organization. The DMV has a good explanation of how to do that here. Basically, it involves contacting the agency in your state that handles public records. You can start this process by contacting your local town or city hall or courthouse.
Or, if you want to search public records on the national level, you can also make a Freedom of Information Act request to the US Department of State, or to a specific federal agency.
Of course, this is a time and labor-intensive process. And, many state organizations will turn you down if you don’t have proper credentials or a good explanation. That’s why many people rely on services like CheckCriminalRecord.com
Remember: You Sleep Beside Your Neighbors Every Night
Many of us just assume our neighbors are good people with clean criminal records. In reality, your neighbors could come from all sorts of different backgrounds.
You fall asleep within a stone’s throw of your neighbors at night. Your kids play in the yard in front of your neighbors. For better or worse, you and your neighbors occupy the same space in this world.
Why not learn a little more about them?