How to Find, Access and Understand Information in California Arrest Records

All California arrest records are retained by the state's law enforcement authorities. However, the authorities need to share this information with the residents of the state in accordance with local access laws. Consequently, all records containing the details of California arrests are considered to be public records. This has been done in order to promote greater levels of safety and security to the residents of the state. California is a huge state having a substantial number of migrating populations as well. Checking out the CA arrest records from time to time may prove to be invaluable for some residents.

 

Public Access Websites

Visiting the website of the California courts at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ may help you find out the specific arrest details of an individual. You may actually have a number of reasons for doing so and viewing arrest records in California. Checking out the past history of a prospective business partner may help you make up your mind about investing money.  Searching for previous misdeeds of your live-in help might make you protect your family in a much different way as well. Although background checking is much more varied in content, arrest records are an important part of investigating the background of an individual and may often be the sole reason for reconsidering any potential deal.

Available Information in the Records

Almost all California arrest records are ‘open records,’ except for a selected few. The information given out by the police departments of California contain relevant information about both of the offender and the victim. However, some of them may be restricted-particularly if considered to be detrimental to an ongoing criminal trial or for reasons of public safety. Individuals can also request the authorities to seal off their records in case they are found to be innocent.

How to Request the Appropriate Records

All California citizens can demand information about a criminal and obtain his arrest record as a matter of right. However, going through the proper channel can help you to obtain the desirable search results more quickly.

Making a request to the Public Records Ombudsman will make it easier for the authorities to track down the specific California arrest record that you require. You can mail a request to Public Records Ombudsman, P.O. Box 944255-2550, Sacramento,CA  95814 or call them at  (916) 445-4069. You may also e-mail them at PublicRecords@doj.ca.gov.

Although the department accepts requests made verbally, it is easier to return an accurate search result if the request can be made in writing. All information of CA arrests held in the department in the form of hard copies, electronic documents as well as audio visual documentation can be accessed by the members of the general public.

 

Information Needed

Identifying a particular record may take some time if you do not have specific information. Requesting a record by name only may result in unnecessary time wasted. Date of birth or Social Security numbers may help to track down the subject individual. You can also help to limit your search results appreciably if you are aware of  the local area where the crime was committed, or the name of the enforcement authority responsible for the arrest. The staff of the department will be more than willing to assist you in proper identification of the required arrest record.

Find the Arrest Record Online or In Person

However, you can view practically all California record from the Attorney General’s website if you visit http://www.ag.ca.gov/ . This is a much better option to retrieve records if you are not too concerned about authenticating it with the aid of proper documentation.

You can also simply walk into the office at normal hours on any weekday to check out the public records, including arrest information. There is no need to notify the department in advance if you intend to look up a particular record. Reviewing, retrieval or scrutinizing of documents may take some time. A department employee may be present for inspection in order to prevent the loss, damage or destruction of arrest records.

 

Charges and Wait Times

As a member of the general public you are at liberty to request a copy of records as well. However, obtaining copies is not free of charge; you need to pay 10 cents per page for receiving the required documents. You will also be required to bear additional charge if the department has to compile the data from an electronic source or undertake computer programming procedures in order to comply with your request.

You also need to remember that such requests cannot be dealt with instantly and the department will require a minimum of 10 days in order to  consider and grant your request for copies. There may be a further delay of about 14 days in case the department needs to contact other divisions or external agencies for retrieving your data.