2026 CLEET Phase 3 Private Investigator Exam Practice Guide

Public records are official government-maintained information that investigators regularly consult to verify identity, residency, and locate people. Voter registration lists are designed to reflect who is registered to vote in a given area and include the name and current address of the registrant. Because these records are kept to support elections, they’re routinely updated and widely accessible, making them a prime source for quickly confirming a person’s residence and locating them across jurisdictions.

The other options don't fit as well. Employee time sheets are private personnel records not publicly accessible, so they aren’t a general public-record source. Business licenses are public in many places, but they don’t consistently provide accurate, up-to-date residence information or be as useful for rapid location work. Fire department incident reports exist in some jurisdictions but are more about specific events and may be restricted or less useful for routine background checks. So, vote registration stands out as the most frequently used public-record source.