Sometimes, research means heading to the library to look up what others have written on a particular subject. Sometimes, it means interviewing people to hear the truth firsthand. Other times, it means accessing information catalogued by others. But in some cases, just because the information is catalogued doesn't mean that you can access that catalog at will.

Consider, for example, someone who knows a license plate number and wants to find out who owns the vehicle associated with that number. They might take the license plate number to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, expecting the BMV to help lookup the license plate number. Unfortunately this reverse license plate search will be a waste of time,because the Ohio BMV is not able to release that information to the public.

After being turned away from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, most people ask their local police department for help obtaining information. They might even try asking a police department in one of the large cities, such as Cleveland or Columbus for help. But, all police departments are legally prevented from giving out sensitive information to people without the proper clearance or authority. Since neither the BMV nor the police department can give you the information you need, you need to find a different method of conducting your search. The public institutions cannot help you, but private companies can.

Private database companies can maintain their own databases as long as they come by the information in them legally. This means that many companies have just the information that you're looking for, and are at liberty to release that information to you, since the laws that apply to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the police doesn't apply to these private companies.

Of course each license plate search is different. You may find that the license plate number or VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) you are looking is in the database, but a free preliminary search in a database will help you be sure. A simple license plate number can be just the piece of information that leads you to the results you are looking for.

If you need to get more information from a smaller piece of information, such as a license plate number, using a private database is your best route to success. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the police cannot give your the information you want, but these privately maintained databases can.

The simplest route for a reverse license plate search or VIN search is to see if private database company can give you the information you need. This simple, easy and affordable way to find someone can be a lifesaver.