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How may we investigate? Let us count thy governmental and law enforcement ways.
In alphabetical order, here’s a list of the ones we know about.
AMERIDEX – Subscription database on the Web containing names and address of 200 million Americans (with date of birth on 170 million), up-to-date nationwide death index, and database with several million military personnel.
CANADIAN INTERFACE – US and Canadian law enforcement agencies exchange police information, interfacing via Interpol.
CENTRAL INDEX SYSTEM (CIS) – The INS system that contains everything you ever wanted to know about anyone who’s ever passed through the US immigration offices.
CONSULAR LOOKOUT AND SUPPORT SYSTEM (CLASS) – A Department of State system containing names of aliens not eligible for visas.
DEFENSE CENTRAL AND INVESTIGATIONS INDEX (DCH) – The Department of Defense maintains this database of all matters investigated by their agency.
EDGAR – The Security & Exchange Commission Web site containing the filings of publicly traded companies.
EL PASO INTELLIGENCE CENTER (EPIC) – Fifteen federal agencies contribute and maintain intelligence information concerning drugs, money laundering, weapon smuggling and alien smuggling. Member agencies are the DOD, DEA, Customs, INS, FBI, IRS, ATF, FAA, USMS, Coast Guard, CIA, Secret Service, Department of State, Defense Intelligence Agency and Department of the Interior.
ELECTRONIC DATA GATHERING, ANALYSIS AND RETRIEVAL (EDGAR) – Contains all corporate information filed with the SEC.
FEDERAL PROCUREMENT DATA CENTER (FPDC) – Contains all government procurement information since 1979 on 60 federal agencies.
FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION RECORDS SYSTEM (FIRS) – At least 24 millions automated records of individuals fingerprinted during an arrest process, military service, government employment, alien registration/naturalization and voluntary inclusion are maintained in this database by the FBI.
INTERPOL CASE TRACKING SYSTEM (ICTS) – International criminals are tracked by the USNCB. This system has information of persons, property and organizations.
INTERSTATE IDENTIFICATION INDEX (III) – A compilation of FBI records on criminals born during or after 1956 or those born earlier but arrested for the first time during or after 1974.
JOINT MARITIME INFORMATION ELEMENT (JMIE) – A database cooperatively run by the DEA, Department of State, Military Sealife Command, Office of Naval Intelligence, Customs, CIA, Executive Office of the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, Maritime Administration, INS, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Energy. It obtains information on maritime related law enforcement, including but not limited to narcotics, smuggling border control and sea and defense zone surveillance.
KNOWX – Bills itself the “most comprehensive source of public records on the Web.” Subsidiary of Information America. By subscription. Many free searches, especially during off-peak times.
LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT CENTER (LESC) – Contains data on aliens with a US arrest record.
LIST OF PARTIES EXCLUDED FROM FEDERAL PROCUREMENT AND NON PROCUREMENT PROGRAMS – A monthly list of those parties excluded from receipt of federal contract money, assistance and benefits.
NARCOTICS AND DANGEROUS DRUG INFORMATION SYSTEM (NADDIS) – A DEA system on narcotics-related matters.
NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION CENTER (NCIC) – Contains a potpourri of information on approximately 24 million people and pertains to law enforcement. Includes stolen license plates, stolen vehicles, stolen (numbered) articles, stolen/missing guns, stolen (or missing/embezzled) money (or securities, bonds or stocks), stolen boats, unidentified persons file, missing persons file, index to individual criminal histories, foreign fugitives, Secret Service protection file, gang/terrorist file, deported felons file, originating agency identifier file, protective order file and ATF violent felon file.
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (NLETS) – A link for all criminal justice and law enforcement agencies in the US to Canada’s system. US agencies included are the DOJ, FBI, Customs, Secret Service, Department of State, Department of the Interior, USMS, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Department of the Army and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This database includes US-based information on DMV records, vehicle licenses and VINs, criminal records, parole/probation/corrections information, sex offenders, aircraft registration, hazardous materials information, boat registration, snowmobile registration and diplomatic license plate information. It includes a Royal Canadian Mounted Police interface that contains information on wanted persons, criminal history, stolen cars, stolen guns, stolen boats, stolen articles and stolen securities.
NATIONAL TRACING CENTER (NIC) – System maintained by ATF that tracks firearms used in the commission of crimes – from manufacture to point of sale.
NATIONAL WHITE COLLAR CRIME CENTER – Database contains information on businesses and individuals suspected of economic and/or computer related crimes. Includes credit card fraud, computer fraud, investment fraud, securities fraud and advanced fee loan schemes.
NON IMMIGRANT INFORMATION SYSTEM (NHS) – Maintained by the INS and contains entry/departure information on non immigrants, aliens or students entering the US on a temporary visa. Contains separate fields on nationality, admission class, port of entry and date of entry.
PACER – The nationwide online system of the federal courts. Look up criminal, civil and bankruptcy cases by name, case number, etc.
REGIONAL INFORMATION SHARING SYSTEM (RISS) – Consists of six regional projects covering all 50 states and Canada. Each region chooses crimes to target and services to offer. Some of those covered include organized crime, gang activities, violent crime, narcotics and professional traveling criminals.
SCORPIO – Maintained by the Library of Congress (LOC), it includes The Bibliographic Citation File, the LOC Computerized Catalog and the Congressional Bill Status File. Much of this is public record and is also available via the internet.
SECURITIES INFORMATION CENTER – Contains reports, records and inquiries on missing, lost, counterfeit or stolen securities.
SENTRY – Everything you always wanted to know about federal prisoners incarcerated since 1980.
SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE NETWORK (SPICIN) – Information on drug trafficking, white collar crime, organized crime, terrorism and criminal acts occurring within the jurisdictions of American Samoa, Australia, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia (Tahiti), Guam, Kiribati, the Kingdom of Tonga, Marshall islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua – New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa. Available information includes location of suspects/fugitives/witnesses, driver’s license information, license plate information, firearms checks, criminal history checks, missing/wanted persons, vehicle registration, military checks and stolen vessels.
TREASURY ENFORCEMENT COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (TECS) – Supports information sharing by US Customs and is maintained by the Department of the Treasury.
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And if that’s not enough, some additional (alphabetically listed) non-federal databases include:
ALL CLAIMS DATABASE – A combination of records from the American Insurance Services Group (AISG) and the National insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) representing claims history from more than 1,000 insurance companies and self-insured companies.
ART LOSS REGISTER (ALR) – Supported by IFAR, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, Nordstern Insurance, Aon Corporation, the Society of Fine Auctioneers and the British Antique Dealers Association, this database contains over 80,000 stolen or missing items of art/antique. This is a global database available to buyers (prior to purchase), victims of theft or law enforcement entities.
CDB INFOTEK – contains more than three billion public records collected from local, county, state and federal government sources, and various businesses with advanced software capabilities. PROBE, People Tracker and Nationwide Consumer Reporting Agencies and National Address Check are unique tools of CDB Infotek.
CHOICEPOINT – Formerly EQUIFAX. Supplies the risk management information needs of the property and casualty insurance market, the life and health insurance market, and the business and government markets. Credit and commercial information, analytics and consulting and financial software.
CYBERHOUND ONLINE – A veritable international dictionary/encyclopedia of databases, discussion groups, libraries, companies, people, associations and newspapers that maintain homepages on the internet.
DATASTAR – A Knight-Ridder Information, Inc. service providing worldwide access to over 350 databases containing business data.
DBT TECHNOLOGIES – Features AutoTrack, a tool enabling investigators to access and cross reference (including limited link analysis function) almost four billion publicly available records. DCS INFORMATION SYSTEMS – A unique collection of more than one billion public records. National real property, MVR’s, credit header reports and people locators. Does amazing things with a date-of-birth search.
DELUXE CHEXSYSTEMS – Five years of records on individuals or businesses who have had their checking accounts closed due to ATM fraud, check-kiting, writing checks on closed accounts of other forms of abuse.
DIALOG – A Knight-Ridder Information service supplies access to over 450 on-line databases and more than 45 CD-ROM titles. It also links to over 100 full-text newspapers, plus thousands of magazines and journals.
DUN & BRADSTREET USA – Business information on companies with more than 10 employees.
EXPERIAN – Formerly TRW Information Systems, provides services on consumer and business credit, direct marketing and real estate information. Credit card processing, risk management and target marketing are available from Key Experian. Business Snapshot Reports summarize credit histories of small businesses and contractors.
GLOBAL SCAN USA INC. – A part of Equifax Europe, and founded in 1991, they provide a multinational on-line gateway service to credit reports and financial statements on any public or private company in the world.
LEXIS-NEXIS – provides legal text services (federal and state), public records on-line, and 7,100 sources of news, including newspapers, wires, magazines, trade journals and more.
MEDI-NET – A ChoicePoint company specializing in providing information on physicians. Includes educational background, licensing data, residencies, certifications, fellowships, disciplinary actions and sanctions.
MERLIN INFORMATION SERVICES – A unique approach to record searches. Provided via CD-ROM or via the world wide web. Includes national name/address search, bankruptcy filings. Property searches and criminal indexes available in some states.
METRONET – Provides consumer databases for change of address, address verification, telephone numbers and neighborhood searches.
NATIONAL FRAUD INFORMATION CENTER (NFIC) – Maintains a database of consumer complaints and assists in reporting to the correct authorities.
NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU – See listing for the ALL CLAIMS DATABASE.
QUESTEL-ORBIT – Information from many countries covering trademark, patent, chemical, scientific business and news information.
STANDARD & POOR’S – Company information is available on the database of this McGraw-Hill entity.
TRANSUNION – Provides consumer credit information, skip tracing, search tools and more. Specialized software applications include ATLAS, IDSearch, TRACE and TRACEplus – all search/information services. USDATALINK – Includes criminal records, workers’ compensation claims, credit reports, employment histories, vehicle records and company information.
WESTLAW – More than 9,000 databases to assist the legal community.
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