Learn About Washington Warrant Rules and Regulations

Any warrant, issued by a neutral judicial official, is a document that authorizes a law enforcement officer to arrest a person, search his/her property or premises, or seize his/her physical possessions. It is issued on the basis of a reasonable belief, substantiated by concrete evidence, that a crime has been committed.

A valid warrant contains the name of the person to be arrested or the precise location of the premises to be searched or a detailed description of the possessions of a person that are to be seized. It also states the nature of the crime for which it has been issued.

Washington Warrant Types

There are four main kinds of warrants issued in Washington: arrest warrants, search warrants, warrants of attachment, and bench warrants.

A Washington arrest warrant is a court order to detain a person, who is suspected of having committed a crime.

A Washington search warrant empowers a police officer to conduct a search of a person, any personal belongings of an individual, or a particular premise. This search warrant is also considered adequate to carry out arrests if narcotics are found on a person or within the confines of the area being searched.

A Washington attachment warrant is issued in instances of conflicts regarding the ownership rights to a property. This warrant allows a police officer to seize a defendant’s properties before the trial commences.

A bench warrant is issued against a person when s/he fails to appear before the judge on a pre-assigned date.

Washington Warrant Records

Expungement of criminal records refers to their removal from the public domain, so that no one can access them without obtaining special access rights. Washington criminal law states that warrant records can be expunged only if a person has been charged with committing a non-violent offense, after an individual has completed his/her prison sentence, or has resided in the community for two to ten years without committing any criminal act.

The Washington State Patrol authorities deal with the expungement requests of individuals who have been arrested but not convicted. Also juveniles, after reaching adulthood, can request the Patrol board to expunge their warrant or criminal records.

As per guidelines of the Freedom of Information Act, all Washington warrant records, except those concerning juveniles or those sealed by the court, are accessible.

The Central Records System maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contains a database of all state warrant records. You can search Washington warrant records from:http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/foiaindex.htm.

You can also look up Washington arrest warrant records at FBI’s Reading Room at FBIHQ, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington DC between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. Reserve beforehand by calling at 202-324-4682. You may also send a request to access a record to FBI, Record/Information Dissemination Section, 170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843.

The Criminal Justice Information Services as well as the Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lists information on warrant records. These are clubbed state-wise and you can search for those pertaining to Washington from: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/cjis.htm. You can also mail your request to FBI’s CJIS Division, Attn: SCU, Mod. D-2, 1000, Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306. Enclose some identity proof of the individual whose warrant record you are searching, his/her fingerprint records, and an authorized check or money order amounting to USD 18 along with your request.