How to Search Florida Criminal Records

Florida criminal records are maintained by the Computerized Criminal history System or CCH of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/home.aspx. The Department, a division of the Criminal Justice Information Service, is the repository of information in the state. It features information related to sexual predators, crime statistics, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System and Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.

Which Criminal Records Can Be Accessed

Applications for background checks for non-active cases need to be addressed either to the Office of Public Information or the FDLE Office of General Counsel. The former can be reached at (850) 410-7001.  Requests for information on active criminal cases are not made available to the general public and need the formal approval of the Governor of the state. Criminal Records in Florida pertaining to an ongoing investigation may be acknowledged by the law enforcement authorities but information related to it cannot be given away. It is only after the investigations are over that the details related to it can be made available for background checks.

Online Criminal Records in Florida

Online criminal records for FL are maintained by the Florida Statistical Analysis Center, or FSAC. The Center operates under the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and is partly funded by the U.S Department of Justice, The Bureau of Justice Statistics and Justice Research and Statistical Association. The Center sources its data from the FDLE and makes reports covering criminal justice issues. These are accessible by the general public.  The information also includes the number of arrests made, statewide county offense reports and a list of county and municipal offenses.

How Can These Records Be Obtained?

In order to access Florida state criminal records, you need to contact the office of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and apply for them. You can also get in touch with the General Counsel for information related to post-conviction appeals in cases of death sentences. This information cannot be furnished by any other department.
 
A Florida criminal public record includes data that is available to employers, citizens and government licensing entities when running a background check. The records which are available for public access can be obtained by forwarding a request to the FDLE and paying the processing fee. If you wish to access the data online, then a similar request can be made by visiting https://www2.fdle.state.fl.us/cchinet. You need to pay $24 for a background check with your credit card. You can also reach them at (850) 410-8109. You can screen potential employees by conducting a background check through this website. You need to be sure of the data that you provide to the system in order to get accurate results.

After you have entered all the necessary details, the results will be flashed on your browser. You can also request for the report through e-mail.  In order to be sure of the identification, you need to review the physical details, personal information as well as the Social Security Number of the individual. If you do not have a credit card, you can take a printout of the criminal history information request form https://www2.fdle.state.fl.us/cchinet/_docs/CrimHistInfoRequest.pdf and send it to:

 Florida Department of Law Enforcement
 User Services Bureau
 Criminal History Services
 PO Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302

You also need to post a money order of $24.  If you are looking for wanted suspect files, then you can conduct your search at http://pas.fdle.state.fl.us/pas/pashome.a. There are no charges applicable for this service.

Things to Remember When Conducting Your Search

While searching for background records, you need to provide precise information. In case the search takes up a lot of time for the FDLE staff, then you may have to bear additional expenses. Specific information will save considerable amount of time and energy.

Whenever a request for retrieving a Florida criminal record is made, the FDLE authorities review the records in order to determine whether the information can be made public in conformation to the law of the state. You cannot set a time limit for the records to be made available to you, but that does not mean that you have to wait for an eternity to receive them. The laws of the state direct the enforcement authorities to process the request as soon as possible.

Search for Sex Offenders in Florida

Background checks are often made to identify sex offenders. The FDLE maintains a comprehensive database of all individuals found guilty of sex crimes since October 1993. The sex offenders list can be accessed at http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/homepage.do. it features personal information, present addresses, photographs and vehicle information of the offenders. You can also call (850) 410-8572 or 1-888-357-7332 for an immediate response. You can register at http://www.flsexoffender.net for regular alerts on sex offenders.  You need not pay any fee to access the sex offender registry.

Record Search for Employers

Employers can register with FDLE for maintaining fingerprint cards of their employees in order to facilitate a more accurate background check. After the registration of the employers with the FDLE, the employees are asked to submit their fingerprints with the help of a livescan device through an agency. These records are then fed into the system for future reference.

Florida criminal records are updated on a regular basis by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. These records, maintained by the FDLE along with the support of other state-run agencies, go a long way in ensuring public safety and in boosting domestic security.