The Future of CCAP and its Use.

Yesterday, Jerry Bader on WTAQ proposed to discuss CCAP. CCAP is the Circuit Court Access Program for Wisconsin. Using CCAP you can search public court records for cases. Typically it is used to find cases against a particular person.

You go to CCAP, you fill in as much info on the person as you have and hit search. Moments later your screen fills up with recent court actions that person was involved in both as defendant and plaintiff. Of course, if there are no court actions against that person nothing comes back. The cases range from traffic offenses, to lawsuits, small claims, and out and out criminal offenses.

Why would someone want to use CCAP? I first became aware of CCAP via relative who would perform basic background checks for others.

Can it be used for fun and games? Sure. I have plunked the names of friends and relatives into it. Some of it for business related to the non-profit I am trying to start up. Of course, I would be less than honest if I did not say that some searches are just to see out of curiosity.

Other searches have been (I will be frank here) explicitly for opposition research. I have plunked in the names of people opposed to my projects or politics. You only need go back a week or so to see an example of this.

Well, a lawmaker (and I am foggy on the details) in Madison is proposing to restrict the use of CCAP. Certainly, the Government is under no obligation to make such public records available via the Internet (obtain them the old fashioned way).

The searches performed in needle-aquitick contributed very little to the discussion. However, I certainly want access to CCAP to research those who may want to join my non-profit efforts, I don't want convicted embezzlers handling the foundation's money!

I say leave CCAP as it is.