Arrest records contain details regarding an individual’s suspected criminal activity. Based on the availability of the information, you may be able to learn if the suspect was questioned, detained, arrested, taken into custody/detention, charged, indicted or tried for a crime. It is important to note that these are different from criminal conviction records, as explained below. Typically, you’ll be able to find information if the suspected crime involved a vehicle, was considered violent, included theft or robbery and if it involved drugs or was related to business. Here is some of the things you can find within an arrest record:
In the United States, there are three branches that have the power to make an arrest:
In many cases, an arrest results in a conviction, but it would be a mistake to consider arrest records and criminal conviction records synonymous – they are two completely different things. An arrest occurs when someone is suspected of committing a crime, but a criminal conviction comes later if the subject is found guilty. For this reason, arrest records serve a different purpose than criminal records, and it’s important to understand the difference. An individual is presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. Sometimes these records are temporarily made private if they concern an investigation that is active or ongoing. Additionally, certain states do not allow information made public if the suspect was never charged, was acquitted or successfully had their records expunged.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the United States was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. This freedom of information law allows for full or partial disclosure of information and documentation controlled by the US Government that was previously unreleased. In short, this law aims to promote federal government transparency. Certain states have followed this model with their own similar laws that give citizens access to records at a state level. This includes arrest records. In 1996, the Electronic Freedom of Information Act was passed to allow for the information to be made available via electronic means. Prior to this, the public records were limited to those who contacted their local law enforcement agency or filed a request in order to gain access. Now, anyone can view public records from the convenience of their computer or mobile device using a service such as CheckThem.com.
Our customers use criminal arrest records for many reasons, some include:
Checkthem runs comprehensive court searches to supply you with vital information in a timely and cost-effective manner. Count on us to keep you and your loved ones informed.