Monday 31 March 2014

Quick Access To Florida Free Public Criminal Records

By Ben Kingsley


Individuals who are interested in checking out a person's history or their own would find the Florida Arrest Records by the FDLE a perfect way to do so. The State's central repository holds all records that are criminal by nature and updated regularly. The FDLE or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement includes a self-service central, which everybody can access.

Although arrest records are public records, there are some reports that are restricted for the public. These reports include sealed and expunged cases and juvenile cases that have not been charged with felony. These reports are only available for authorized agencies and law enforcement agencies.

To ensure faster and efficient services, those who are looking for records can check the site's self-service application. The self-service application costs $24 per search and per report. Should the service return with more than one search, the results are displayed for the researcher to choose which one they want. Each additional report would cost $24.

The researcher must indicate his/her credit card information before being able to access the self-service application. Once the person starts searching, the fee is charged to their credit card. A no-result or match might come up in certain cases. As the fee is non-refundable, it is important to make sure that one fills in the information completely. The FDLE will send an email to verify that the fee is charged on the person's credit card as well as other services that the latter might use. The site is SSL encrypted and does not keep a record of the person's credit card so one has to indicate it manually every time they avail of the service. Records are available and can be printed directly by the researcher or sent to their own email address. The FDLE does not send information via regular mail. Should the researcher need certification, it is highly advised to do it by sending the form to the office as well as the payment.

For those who cannot access the online application, they can still obtain a copy of the criminal report by printing the criminal history information sheet and send it to the FDLE. Fees and charges may apply and processing can range from two to five days. Please note that although the FDLE houses thousands of records, the office cannot verify the record unless they have in their possession a fingerprint card and that the person in the records has undergone an actual fingerprinting to verify the person's identity.

Although FDLE provides access to public criminal records, there would be times that the request might return no results. Reasons for this might be (a) the records are sealed and expunged, (b) juvenile records, (c) subject to NCIC rules, (d) arrest was not made in Florida and (e) the law enforcement agency failed to take fingerprints of the person. However, other online sites do allow access to these records that one can check out on their own. Some provide basic information free and a small payment for full access.




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