Public Arrest Reports

Posted by Jed Elaine

June 1, 2008

by Jed Elaine

While it’s reassuring to see so many websites on the net posting Public Arrest Reports for people’s awareness and information, it’s also disturbing to note the rate of occurrence of such incidents. These reports send informative and cautionary messages simultaneously to both the public and potential delinquents alike. They can also be individually retrieved for its own specific purpose.

An Arrest Report is a record by law enforcement authorities of apprehensions that lead to detention or confinement. It constitutes a list of all arrestees with their personal details plus other information surrounding the incidents together with the ensuing charges if any. Individually, they form part of the Public Arrest Records of the offender.

Public Arrest Reports are mostly generated by the Police although there are other government agencies which are also authorized to do so. As a result, they are also known as Public Police Reports. Police come under state jurisdiction so there may be variations between the states but by and large, the function in regards to Public Arrest Reports is tasked to the respective individual Police Departments.

By procedures, an Arrest Report is prepared shortly after an arrest is made to record the incident in official document. It is then submitted to an assigned Case Intake official, who is usually the assigned Prosecutor for subsequent action. The report would detail all the facts pertaining to the arrest. In general, they present the personal particulars and bio-data of the arrestee, the time and place of occurrence, case number and type, witness information, surrounding factors like weather conditions, crowd, noise and so forth.

Public Arrest Reports are posted on various media by many Police Departments and Sheriff Offices for public viewing and attention. Weekly update is the norm but there is no fixed schedule, with some as frequent as live and some at monthly intervals. Cumulative lists over the years are also commonly available. Such reports are usually of a collective nature listing all arrests conducted over a certain period within a particular locality. Expunged records and those of arrestees below a certain age are usually omitted.

The primary purpose of Public Arrest Reports is to document those incidents on record. Being effectively an official statement, it is also often used as evidence or substantiation to make charging decision by the Prosecutor or Grand Jury. Although it is well known that Public Arrest Reports are almost always one-sided, it will still have a strong bearing upon the Prosecutor in his willingness to plea bargain, trial tactics and case approach.

Public Arrest Reports are a public service. They are accessible by anyone and information further to what is posted can be requested from the responsible government departments. They can also be privately purchased from commercial information providers who basically derive them from the same government sources but value-add with data refinement and extras from private and proprietary sources.

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Now that you know the benefits of Using Public Arrest Reports, find the resources at Free Arrest Reports Website.

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