Sunshine Week ’07: Bevy of Data on Crime, Criminals Found Online

By Clifton Adcock, Tulsa World, Okla.

Mar. 14–Editor’s note: The Tulsa World is marking Sunshine Week, March 11-17, with stories each day on how citizens can get basic public documents. Sunshine Week is a national initiative about the importance of open government and freedom of information. For more information about Sunshine Week, go online to www.sunshineweek.org.

Almost every run-in with the law leaves a paper trail, and in most cases, that paper trail is accessible by the public.

Several Web sites give ordinary people the opportunity to know the history of the people they are doing business with, working with, or hiring.

“If you have an inclination, it’s an opportunity for you to put a name into a computer and find out who the person really is,” Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham said.

Two Oklahoma Web sites list criminal prosecutions. Another tracks a criminal’s prison history. The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office’s jail information and roster and the Tulsa Police Department’s crime tracker are all available with the click of a mouse.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court Network covers criminal offenses and case status in 13 Oklahoma counties: Adair, Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche, Ellis, Garfield, Logan, Oklahoma, Payne, Pushmataha, Roger Mills, Rogers and Tulsa.

The Oklahoma District Court Records Web site covers the status of cases in 51 Oklahoma Counties: Alfalfa, Atoka, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Carter, Cherokee, Cotton, Craig, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Garvin, Haskell, Hughes, Jefferson, Kay, Kingfisher, Latimer, LeFlore, Lincoln, Major, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Texas, Wagoner, Washington, Washita, Woods and Woodward counties.

Both sites are relatively easy to search, by entering first and last names or case numbers. Searches also can be restricted by date.

Entering a name into the search engine brings up results that can range from divorces and civil suits to traffic citations and murder cases.

For local searches, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office’s Web site has a roster of inmates in the Tulsa Jail.

Another local information source is the Tulsa Police Department’s online crime tracker, which lists current calls for police by address. The tracker is updated every few minutes, Willingham said.

Of course, no search would be complete without a look at the Department of Corrections’ Web site. It contains data on any offender — including sex offenders and violent offenders — parole searches, sentence information, and pardon and parole docket results.

The offender search feature allows users to find people who served time in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Many Corrections Department search results include information such as mug shots, body marks and tattoos, offense, sentence, prison facility and scheduled release date.

“It’s not an end-all, be-all,” said Jerry Massie, a department spokesman. “There are some limits to it, but the more information people can obtain, the better off they are.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

For information about criminal charges and civil filings in 13 counties, go online to the Oklahoma Supreme Court Network, www.oscn.net. Court dockets can be searched by name, case number and date. The Tulsa County Court Clerk’s Office can be reached at 596-5000.

Oklahoma district court records in some other counties are available on the Oklahoma District Court Records Web site at www.odcr.com.

For information about people who are in the Tulsa Jail, see the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office’s Web site at www.tulsacounty.org. Click “Jail Info” on the left side of the home page. Jail information also is available by calling 596-8900.

Information about Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ inmates can be found on the DOC’s Web site at www.doc.state.ok.us. Click on “Offenders” near the top of the home page. The DOC can be reached by phone at (405) 425-2500.

Find out why police cars are near your house by looking at the Tulsa Police Department’s Web site at www.tulsapolice.org. Click on “Live calls near you” on the left side of the home page. The Tulsa Police Department’s Records Division can be reached by phone at 596-9286.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Tulsa World, Okla.

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