Wednesday, October 22, 2014

In Search For Public Criminal Records

By Claire Dowell


Every applicant for positions and rights for employment, immigration, identification, security clearance, professional licenses and adoption has to undergo series of rigorous scrutiny before acquiring them. This is done to ensure that any future liabilities will be alleviated or avoided. It is the responsibility of any approving institution to obtain background checks for such applicants by utilizing appropriate documents such as public arrest records.

The reasoning behind the reliability of criminal records in background checks is that these documents are a comprehensive presentation of a person's previous dealings with the Law. They usually contain any concurrent charges for minor infractions to serious felonies, and will also include sentences and dispositions, including civil offenses recorded in a particular place.

In the State of Texas, the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Crime Records Service (CRS), Bureau of Access and Dissemination is responsible for archiving and maintaining such documents and accepting and responding to every request made for a copy of criminal history records information of a particular person. In compliance with the Texas Government Code, Section 522.023, any individual or their appointed representative can have access to and obtain their own criminal history records information. Moreover, deferred adjudication and conviction records can be made available to the public.

In order to get a hold of Texas criminal records, one must refer to the Department of Public Safety for the apropos procedures. There are two approaches as to how to obtain a copy of your own arrest record. First, you can register an account in the Criminal Records Section page in the official website of the Department of Public Safety. Basic information is required for this search, such as a complete name of a person along with the middle name, birth date, and the date of arrest, along with other information. You will be charged $3.00 per name searched. Such approach is a good medium for searching for criminal records for persons other than you.

The latter approach provides faster and more accurate results. You must first make an appointment online to have your fingerprints scanned and submitted to the DPS. The said department has contracted with a company to provide state-wide electronic fingerprinting services. You must also prepare a written request asking the DPS to obtain your personal arrest record. Next is to have your fingerprint scanned via DPS-authorized Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST). You can also alternatively acquire a fingerprint card approved by the DPS from the county Sheriff's Office. If using the FAST service, you are charged $9.95 for the electronic fingerprinting step, and the stipend $15.00 fee to the Department of Public Safety. Alternately, mail the accomplished fingerprint card along with the $15.00 payment to the DPS via check or money order payable. Requests are typically processed within ten working days.

An important value implanted in our nature as humans is to persistently seek out ways and means to improve life. A good portion of this need has been satiated in the 21st century by current advancements in technology, spearheaded by the Internet. Such needs have been partially subdued because the Internet has continuously provided man with information and almost all services. This has inspired government repositories, like the ones discussed above, and several private entities to put up online databases for public records. The goal for such actions is to allow requesting parties to obtain the records that they are seeking at the shortest amount of time possible, just after entering a few bits of information. In recent years, such endeavors have become the most popular search activity done over the Internet.




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