Clinical Programs: Investigating People
- Names, Addresses, Phone Numbers & E-mail
- Vital Records
- Neighbors & Landlords
- Criminal Records
- Professional Licenses
- Motor Vehicle Registrations
Names, Addresses & Phone Numbers
The Ultimates: a metasite that searches multiple directories
Internet White Pages Address Finder
Skipease.com: In addition to many tools for locating people, you can look up death records, professional licenses and more through this portal.
Vital Records
Information about how to obtain birth & death certificates, marriage & divorce records, etc., from every state:
- Where to Write for Vital Records from the Centers for Disease Control
- Vital Records site
- SSI Death Index: a database of decedents for whom a Social Security claim was made by a survivor
Obituaries
- Search local newspapers for death notices. In Boston, search the Boston Globe (on Westlaw or LexisNexis ) or the Boston Herald (on Westlaw or LexisNexis)
- A wider range of Massachusetts newspapers can be found in Westlaw's Massachusetts Papers Combined database
- Note that Westlaw & LexisNexis databases are accessible by password only
Neighbors & Landlords
To identify the owner of real property, use the LexisNexis MAOWN database, which combines records from county tax assessors and deed transfers.
- suggested search: (house number /s street name) and city name
Use the same database to identify the owners of neighboring properties, searching on the street and city name rather than the exact address.
Criminal Records
Records of prior convictions or pending charges are very difficult to uncover without visiting the county courthouse where the action is being or was heard. For information about doing this, please refer to the following brief article, Navigating the Maze of Criminal Records Retrieval (updated 6/1/2001)
If you have reason to believe federal criminal charges were brought against the person you are investigating, and if those charges were filed within the last five years, there may be information available from PACER, the federal court docketing database.
(Note: You must see a reference librarian for assistance using PACER.)
Check local news sources for information about criminal charges, trials and convictions. Westlaw & LexisNexis databases are accessible by password only
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
- archives accessible in the law tower only
Boston Globe: Westlaw or LexisNexis
Boston Herald: Westlaw or LexisNexis
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune: Westlaw
Massachusetts News Publications Combined: LexisNexis
Massachusetts Papers: Westlaw
Massachusetts News Combined: Westlaw
Sex Offender Registry
As of January 2003, information on individual offenders is not available online for Massachusetts. However, the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board provides statistics on the number, and "level," of registered offenders, by community.
Some states have searchable databases. One site that compiles this information and links to the registry of each state (if available) is the Sex Offender Registry Information Center. See also Megan's Law by State.
Fee-Based Services
Rapsheets.com is a pay-as-you go service with instantaneous criminal record searching for 26 states (not Massachusetts)
Professional Licenses
The LexisNexis Massachusetts Professional Licenses database has records for 40 state licensed professions (attorneys and medical doctors not included).
Locate attorneys admitted to practice in Massachusetts using the Board of Bar Overseers Attorney Database Lookup. This site also provides answers to frequently asked ethical questions.
Motor Vehicle Registrations
You can request information on licensed drivers and registered vehicles directly from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles if you meet certain criteria. Information about how to make the request and who is permitted to do so is available at http://www.state.ma.us/rmv/privacy/index.htm.
LexisNexis has databases for both motor vehicle and boat registrations. However, one cannot access these databases with an academic password.
Page maintained by Steve Donweber
Last updated: August 2006