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It is common for people to assume that police records offer the exact same information as criminal ones. However, this is not the case. Take a closer look at the differences between the two and how you can access them to obtain information which you are interested in.
What They Cover
The purpose of police records is to cover specific events including accidents and offenses. They naturally contain information about arrests too. For instance, you can obtain information about a robbery which has taken place recently. Naturally, the car accident reports are among the most searched records as various parties from the drivers and their families to the insurance companies, dealers and even vehicle manufacturers have interest in them.
The criminal records, on the other hand, contain information about the criminal activity of individuals. They usually contain details of arrests, all charges which the person has got over their lifetime including currently pending and acquitted charges and convictions. Using the example above, is a person is involved in a particular car accident, but it is no one’s fault, this will go on the police records. However, if it turns out that the person has caused the accident because of driving under influence, this will go on their criminal record.
Is it possible that some recent information found in police records such as details of an arrest is not yet on the criminal record of a person? This is highly unlikely as technical slowdowns are rare. Modern technology allows information to be transferred pretty quickly.
Gaining Access
All police records are handled by and accessible from town and city police departments. Usually, there is a special records unit responsible for the management of the documents. To obtain the copies which you need, you will have to send a written request to the department to visit it in person to fill out the required forms. Sometimes, it is possible to make a request at the nearest command center.
Courts are responsible for holding and administering criminal records. You can request them directly from the courthouse in your area. In some cases, you may be able to obtain copies of the documents which you need via the county sheriff’s department. Since practically all background checks cover these records, it is possible to use a specialized service for retrieving the necessary information about a person.
Overall, criminal and police records are not one and the same thing. Now that you know what information is contained in each of these types of public records, you can use them effectively.