Have you ever wondered if someone was a criminal, arrested for violating the law? Generally, police reports are a matter of public record and can contain a wealth of information. A public record is simply information maintained by a government agency that can be linked to a specific person. You can complete a thorough background check of someone just by researching these records.

What type of information is in a police record?

Examples of police reports may include but are not limited to: domestic disputes, traffic accidents, thefts, fraud, assaults, burglaries, and stalking incidents. Other information that may be available includes crime surveys, crime statistics, calls for service, and traffic accident surveys.

Information that can be obtained from police reports includes identifying information of all involved parties and witnesses, such as full name, address, phone number, date of birth, social security number, drivers license number, and any other identifying information. The report can also contain motor vehicle information, as well as specific details of the incident being documented, including any evidence recovered.

Where can I find a police record?

Access to these records varies greatly from one jurisdiction to another. In some areas, the information may be freely available, while in other areas the information may only be accessible to the parties involved in the incident or their agent (such as a lawyer). It is also possible that the record of a specific incident is readily available, but the identifying information of involved parties has been removed.

All requests for copies of police reports are made through the records division of the reporting agency. Some have online services, and you can receive the information directly over the Internet or through your personal e-mail. Other agencies require you to appear in person to request the information. They will normally charge a nominal processing fee to provide you with a copy of the report. The originating agency may also require a form of written disclaimer stating the information contained in the report will not be used for solicitation purposes.

If you wish to request a copy of a police report, you will normally be required to provide the first and last name of at least one of the involved parties, the location, date, and time of the incident, and in some cases, the incident or case number.

Some jurisdictions have regionalized their crime information into a joint database. Such information systems allow citizens to research crime statistics, view crime maps, see who is currently in jail, search for arrest warrants, and retrieve information about sex offenders living or working in a given area. Much of this information is readily available via the Internet.

Whatever your reasons for requesting police records, begin by researching the requirements of the police agency responsible for the jurisdiction in which the incident occurred, then follow their exact protocol for requesting and receiving those records.

Finding police records across multiple jurisdictions

Conducting your investigation can become complicated if you need to do a background search on someone who has lived in multiple jurisdictions. To simplify things, an internet-based specialized investigation company, such as Net Detective, can provide a comprehensive, multi-state search in one easy step. This allows you to search multiple records from all over the country quickly and easily, without the hassle of tracking down individual records from various government entities.

Whether you want to find out what someones criminal past contains, or you are trying to locate someone who was involved in an accident with you, a background check using police records will likely give you the results you seek.