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Common Records |
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Record: Physician records What it shows: Background of state’s doctors, education, where and what they practice, summaries of claims against them. Where to find it: The state’s Board of Physicians maintains a Web site with a database searchable by the physician’s name. Why you need it: To ensure that your doctor has not been cited by the Board or been party to multiple malpractice claims or judgments.
Record: Planning reports What it shows: Details concerning development in a specific community. Where to find it: You local, county or state planning department. Why you need it: Business, commercial and residential development need to go through their local planning offices for approval. Planning documents, master plans and other documents can show proposed roads or other areas slated for change. The planning office can be a source of information for future development in an area, and is a good research tool for people considering a move into a new area.
Record: Police Logs What it shows: Police logs chronicle the daily activities of police and include calls they respond to. Where to find it: Police departments are required to maintain these logs and to produce them upon request. Why you need it: Police logs can be helpful when searching for a new home or for finding out about crime in your neighborhood.
Record: Property Assessments What it shows: The value of a given property. Where to find it: Most counties have a state Department of Assessments and Taxation office where residents can get their latest assessment information. It is also available online at the agency’s Web site. Residents can also request the notes used by the assessor in determining the value of the home and neighboring homes. Why you need it: Checking on home values in the neighborhood or seeing whether your home assessment matches others in the neighborhood can be valuable when shopping for a new home or selling an existing home.
Record: Records Retention and Disposal Schedules What it shows: A list of records maintained by an agency, along with guidelines concerning how long they need to be maintained by the agency, and what is supposed to happen to them after they are no longer needed. Where to find it: By law, agencies are required to maintain these schedules. They must submit these schedules to the state Records Management Division. Why you need it: These schedules are essential to an agency’s ability to properly maintain its records. They also provide an easy reference for anyone who needs to know if a specific record exists. For instance, a person may want to know about acts of violence in their school. By getting a copy of the records retention and disposal schedule from a local school system or the state, the person would immediately see that records are supposed to be kept on school violence reports.
Record: Restaurant Inspections What it shows: The cleanliness and healthiness of eating establishments. Where to find it: The county Health Department. Why you need it: Restaurant inspection reports protect restaurants with good reputations and help highlight for the public restaurants that have problems maintaining minimum health standards.
Record: School Safety What it shows: Various records show instances of violence in schools, the number of expulsions and suspensions, drug activity, sexual assault, physical attacks. Where to find it: School systems maintain these records, and copies are forwarded to the state Department of Education, where they can also be obtained. Why you need it: These reports can provide vital information for parents considering a move into a specific school district, or to track how their district is doing in addressing dangerous situations in their schools.
Record: Sex Offender Registry What it shows: People who have been convicted of sexual offenses must register with the state upon their release. They must also register with the police in the jurisdiction they live. Where to find it: The state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services maintains a Web site of sexual offenders. Local police departments also should maintain a list of convicted sex offenders living in the community. Why you need it: Many states enacted laws creating these registries after a series of high-profile cases of youngsters being abducted or sexually abused by offenders who had just been released from jail and moved into a community without anyone knowing their history.
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