GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RECORDS
If the subject of your people search is a deadbeat parent and owes child support, you may be able to get assistance with the government public records from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). The program assists with federal records for tracking down participants in child support cases, collection of child support payments, enforcement of child support orders, and communication between States, among other information.
Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE)
(202) 401-9373
If the subject of your people search holds or held a U.S. passport and has traveled abroad, you may be able to obtain government public records from the Department of State. Again, you will have to us the Free of Information Act and provide good reason as to why you are requesting such information. Someone’s passport information and international travel records, which are part of the federal records, can really help to give clues as to what was going on and may help to locate where the person is currently. Government public records can really make a difference.
U.S. Department of State
Office of Information Programs and Services
A/ISS/IPS/RL
U. S. Department of State
Washington, D. C. 20522-8100
If your people search reveals that your subject has relocated to a country outside of the United States, you might want to ask for assistance for public records from any number of U.S. Consulates and U.S. Embassies in foreign territories and foreign countries. The list can be found here: PUBLIC RECORDS -Federal Records.
If the subject of your people search has applied for any kind of U.S. immigration assistance, there is a government public record of such information at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. For example, if your subject applied for U.S. citizenship for himself, or tried to sponsor a foreign relative or spouse, there are public records for these applications and requests. Through the Freedom of Information Act you maybe be able to find out about these federal records and activities.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
National Records Center, FOIA/PA Office
P. O. Box 648010
Lee’s Summit, MO 64064-8010
(816) 350-5570
Fax (816) 350-5785
uscis.foia@dhs.gov
To do a proper people search, you have to consider all the possibilities. If public records are not available from one federal resource, try another one. Your subject may have an extensive paper trail in the federal system. Just because you have not been able to find anything, it does not mean that such information is unavailable; you just need to go to right federal agency. Here are some other federal agencies to consider when searching for government public records:
Central Intelligence Agency
Information and Privacy Coordinator
Washington, D.C. 20505
telephone number: (703) 613-1287
United States Secret Service
Disclosure Officer
Bldg. 410
245 Murray Drive
Washington, D.C. 20223
telephone number: (202) 406-5838
fax number: (202) 406-5154
Selective Service System
FOIA Officer
1515 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22209-2425
telephone number: (703) 605-4100
fax number: (703) 605-4106
Department of Education
FOIA Service Center
400 Maryland Ave., SW, 2W202
Washington, D.C. 20202–4536
telephone number: (202) 401-1995
fax number: (202) 401-0920
telephone number: (202) 927-7425
Peace Corps
FOIA/PA Officer
1111 20th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20526-0001
telephone number: (202) 692-1186
fax number: (202) 692-1385
Social Security Administration
FOIA Office, Room 3-A-6 Operations
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21235
telephone number: (410) 966-6645
fax number: (410) 966-4304
And lastly, I want to provide you with some other federal/national resources. When you are doing a people search, you have to look under every stone and follow all possibilities. Persistence is everything, and one lead could be the difference in finding someone and not finding someone. With public records, you just have to dig hard enough to find the information.
American Red Cross National Headquarters
2025 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 303 5000
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Charles B. Wang International Children’s Building
699 Prince Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3175
1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
The Salvation Army National Headquarters
615 Slaters Lane
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313
(703) 684-5500
