by Amy Nemmetz, Criminal Justice Department

OK, let me go ahead and tell you that I work in the Criminal Justice System. I'll admit that I'm likely more skeptical of people because of my chosen profession. But isn't it also true that we were all trained to be cautious in life? From the time we were walking, our caretakers were reminding us to "slow down...make sure to look both ways before crossing the street...and follow your gut feeling!"

I should also just go ahead and admit that after becoming a parent, my 'caution sensor' seems to be working on overload all the time! That's correct...I worry about anyone who remotely looks 'peculiar!' Oh, I know that you cannot judge a book by it's cover, but wouldn't it be nice if we had magic wands to pick out the 'bad eggs' living in our communities?!? Well thankfully, today's public record laws can really come in helpful when you have an inkling that someone may not be on the 'up and up.'

Although, I can not speak for all states, I can tell you that Wisconsin makes it a little easier to figure out the criminal record of those living near you, those you may be interviewing to watch your child, and those that you are inviting into your home for dinner parties!

The Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry holds a wealth of information at no cost to the browser. Their web cite provides information on victim services, offender information, non-complaint sex offender registrants (identified as Wisconsin's Most Wanted), pictures of sex offenders, and the opportunity to type in your Wisconsin zip code in order to see and read about any registered sex offenders living in your area. To learn more about service, check out The Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry online at: http://offender.doc.state.wi.us/public/home.jsp.

Many people have also discovered that the State of Wisconsin also publishes Circuit Court records on the Internet. By punching in a person's name, you can uncover dismissed cases, convictions, and pending cases. You can also gather additional court details once you've selected a specific case (i.e. the person's attorney, the alleged offense date, court dates, etc). So, if you're still wondering how your neighbor discovered that you received a speeding ticket last year or you're not getting a good feeling about your child's new friend, you may want to take a peak at the Wisconsin Circuit Court web site located at:
http://wcca.wicourts.gov/simpleCaseSearch.xsl;jsessionid=77BA02C5829C6C972E719B5890F926E7.render2?

These are just two very useful sites on the Internet which help keep me 'in the know.' Unfortunately, all this information can actually make you even more uneasy, but at the same time it's nice to know there is a location to do a quick search for those of us residing in Wisconsin. Now, if we could only figure out a way to pinpoint those serious offenders who have managed to evade the criminal justice system and subsequent publication...