Monday 30 December 2013

Missouri Public Records

By Ben Kingsley


The state of Missouri is only one of the many states that have implemented the Freedom of Information Act. This means that the residents can request for any of the public records Missouri issues to its people. The records that the government keeps include the birth, death, marriage, divorce and criminal records.

Most of the family-related files: birth, death, marriage and divorce, are used when doing genealogy research. Such documents are used to prove one's identity. However, each still has its own unique function. For example, death certificates are required when claiming the insurance of the deceased. Marriage and divorce licenses are used when dealing with transactions that would verification about the marital status of an individual. Criminal records, on the other hand are used when conducting a background check. Employers refer to the criminal history of an individual to make sure they have clean records.

The public documents that the state of Missouri issues to its people would contain the personal information of the one involved. The document has unique information that is related to the type of file it is. Death records would have information about when and where the person died while a marriage certificate would have information about the date and the place where a couple got married. One can find all of the crimes that an individual has committed on a criminal record.

Although, these documents are public files that the residents of Missouri can request anytime, access to it is limited only to the involved individuals and their immediate family. The information that can be found on a public document is also limited only to the basic details about the event or incident. Sensitive information is kept private only to the people involved. A good example would be the reason for the divorce of a couple. It is not visible on a public record since it is one of the sensitive information that may affect the privacy of the couple. In criminal records, the names of the witnesses as well the investigator who handled the case are kept confidential to protect their security.

The retrieval of each document would follow certain guidelines. Fees have to be paid but it depends on the type of document being requested. Family related files are only released if the date it was registered is not earlier than 1909. The Vital Records Section of Missouri and the county clerk office are offices where family related files can be requested. The office of the Department of Public safety is the one responsible for managing the criminal records of the state. Application forms have to be filled out by the requesting individual and it can help if the basic information about the record being requested is provided. Mail requests can ales be made in order to get a copy of any of the public document that Missouri provides.

Government public records in Missouri can now be obtained online. There are several websites now that offer to do the search for you. Some offer it for free while other would charge certain fees. Fees may be higher than the usual but the convenience and the speed in the search process is priceless.




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