There are a number of reasons why someone may feel compelled to conduct free public records searches. Perhaps you're considering renting a property to someone, or maybe you've noticed suspicious behavior at a neighbor's house. Perhaps you have an uneasy feeling about your daughter's new boyfriend, or you want to run a background check before you decide to enter a serious relationship. Sometimes the motivation can be innocent, like a desire to locate a long lost friend - criminal background isn't the only information available via a public records lookup.

The big question is: can a free public records search yield the information you are looking for?

While it is true that you can conduct public records searches on your own for free, there are a number of disadvantages. First, public records are maintained in a variety of different city, county, and state agencies. To make sure you review all of the possible public records in your area, you'd have to contact multiple police departments, sheriff's offices, the state patrol, and local, city, state and federal courts, just to name a few. Consider also that the person that you are investigating may have public records available in other regions of the country, making it impossible to obtain records from all of these agencies. You simply don't have the resources to contact every single law enforcement agency in the country. This is why many people turn to websites that claim to offer public records search services for free online.

A big problem with these sites is that the databases are often infrequently updated. Since no one pays for these services, site owners aren't as motivated to keep information up to date. This is why it is well worth the expense of paying a nominal fee for a public records search. A paid search will yield accurate and valuable information for a small fee, and you will have the peace of mind of knowing the criminal background and other public history of the person you are investigating. The data supplied is not only limited to criminal history - you will also have access to data about marriage and divorce records, bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings, and other matters of public record.

The bottom line is that free services will not yield fully up-to-date information. Whether you want to locate your best grade school friend, or you need to protect yourself and your family, you can only do so if you are armed with accurate information. The small fee you pay for a public records search service is well worth your safety - and your peace of mind.