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The Public Record Retriever Network (PRRN) has long been known as a resource to find a reputable, onsite researcher of public records.  Now, when a county, parish, or city is chosen to find a researcher at www.prrn.us or www.brbpub.com/prrn/search.aspx, a warning will show on the screen if the associated government online system from that jurisdiction provides inadequate or incomplete records. While most government search sites provide a degree of value, too often these government online resources do not provide the same search results as compared to the same search performed onsite. This is because the online search is not displaying the same content as shown when using the facilities at the local courthouse.

 

Some of the typical shortcomings noted for the online search of court records compared to the identical search done in-person include missing cases, incorrect/missing IDs, wrong charge codes, missing dispositions, lack of sentence details, and missing probation updates/violations. The date range of online records online is often compared when searching in-person. These same shortcomings are consistent for recorded documents as well. For example, at some recorder search sites the domestic relations judgments/court papers may not be viewable, older records are missing, identifiers lacking, and records posted online lag weeks behind.

 

As a result, many government online sites provide merely a supplemental search service. Unfortunately, many business entities are using these supplemental online sources as the sole search locale even when a high degree of due diligence is required. And this is in spite of the warnings and disclaimers shown at these sites.

 

A good example is to view is a county from Minnesota. At this time, over 15% of U.S. counties are noted for shortcomings, and the list is growing.

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