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Best Bets for Public Records

Best Bets for Researching Iowans—Whether you are looking into the background of a politician or a new hire, visit this site for a step-by-step guide to researching newsworthy people.

Campus Security Statistics Website—Compiles the number of alleged criminal offenses on 6,000 U.S. college and university campuses. Updated every October. Provided by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education.

City of Ames—Access the municipal code, read meeting agendas and minutes, learn about city officials and more.

FirstGov—The U.S. Government's official Web portal.

FOI Letter Generator—From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, this Web site helps journalists use the federal Freedom of Information Act and create a simple FOI request.

Guidestar—Investigate nonprofit organizations at this site.

Inmate Locator—Find information on current and former federal prison inmates. This Bureau of Prisons site provides release dates as well as expected release dates. Also check Free Inmate Locator to find information on prisonsers in state institutions.

Iowa Bureau of Professional Licensure—Learn about the state's license requirements for professionals, such as chiropractors, athletic trainers, massage therapists, etc... and find out which professionals have been charged or disciplined.

Iowa Courts Online—Provides current trial and appellate court records.

Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals Food and Consumer Safety Bureau—Access inspection reports for restaurants, grocery stores, motels, etc ...

Iowa Freedom of Information Council—Provides information on Iowa's public records and open meetings laws.

Iowa State Code—Look up state laws and access the state constitution.

Landings.com—Find Federal Aviation Administration records on pilots, aircraft and accidents.

Office of Citizens' Aide Ombudsman—Responds to complaints regarding access to Iowa public records and open meetings.

OSHA Inspection Data—Locate inspection reports and accident investigation summaries.

Public Records Sites from the American Press Institute—Like researching public records? This list links users to even more records on the environment, FOIA, vital records and more. Some information is fee-based.

Search Systems—Access a wide variety of federal and state public records, such as physician licenses.

The Smoking Gun—Highlights the public records of celebrities.

State of Iowa Web Site—Access corporation records, the Sex Offender Registry and much more.

Story County Web Site—Perform property searches to learn who owns what in the county, access the county supervisor's meeting agendas and minutes, find election results, request vital records and look up budget information.

Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet—Find information on pending and enacted federal bills back to 1989. Legislative summaries are available back to 1973. Search the Iowa Legislature General Assembly for information on state bills.

WHOis Source—Discover who is responsible for Web sites by looking up domain name owners.