• Relatively small budgets*
• Rely on a large pool of private providers
• Hand out money either annually or on a revolving basis, 
  in the form of contracts or payment vouchers

• A caller says the port authority chairman is a slumlord
• A news story says an after-school tutor abused a student
• An emailer says kids are at risk at unregulated camps

• If the slumlord is earning tax dollars
  to house the homeless ...
• If the tutor is hired by the school district ...
• If the camps are paid for by the county ...

• Ask for provider directories.
  Try to get them in spreadsheet form.
  
  
• Ask for a breakdown of all payments
  to providers in a given time period.

• One or two hundred?
  
  Check them all out.
  
  
• Significantly more?
  
  Use payment data to home in
  on the top earners.*

• By searching corporate records on file with the state.*
  
• By checking with regulators for ownership info
• By requesting provider applications.
• By requesting contract documents.
  Who's signing for the companies?

• Police calls for service
• Code enforcement/building inspection reports
• Health department records
• Civil suits
• State/local regulator reports

And don't just rely on the paperwork. Visit the places.

• Police reports (listed in any capacity)
• State and federal criminal history
• State and federal civil courts
• Sex offender registries
• State and local licensing bureaus and regulators
• Employee directories/personnel data
  for the contracting agency*

• Lists of vendors who are barred
  from doing business with the agency.
  
• Complaints against vendors.
• Contract terminations, with letters.
• Inspector general reports and audits.

• Clip searches
• Audits and inspector general reports
• Personnel files of key staff
• Emails