The Illinois Department of Professional Regulation recently issued a “cease and desist” letter to a PRRN (Public Record Retriever Network – www.prrn.us) member based in Illinois for performing public record research and not having a private investigator’s license. The Department interpreted that the act of researching public records is considered to be performing an “investigation.” This is regardless if the PRRN Member was merely researching and reporting to a attorney, private investigator, or consumer reporting agency (CRA) what is found in a court’s public record docket. The licensing of Private Investigators is governed by 225 ILCS §447. Article 5 defines, in part, that a private investigator is someone who “…engages in the business of, accepts employment to furnish, or agrees to make or makes investigations for a fee or other consideration…” Articles 10 and 15 list exemptions. See the statute at www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=24
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