A police record is a general term used to describe a compiled record of crimes that a person has committed or has supposedly committed.
Usually in the United States, state and federal authorities keep records listing arrests, prosecutions, or convictions of an individual.
Police records prove to be extremely important, as they contain all the information that helps the police maintain peace and order.
They carry information on crimes committed in the past.
At the same time it also contains detailed information on various criminals.
This information helps the police in analyzing various criminal activities.
Officers use these past records as an outline to help them solve the crime.
The records department forwards report copies to the suitable courts and agencies and makes available to the public copies of requested public information.
Along with that, the department also handles statistical requests and compiles uniform crime reports (UCR).
Police records are extremely important and need to be compiled and preserved with utmost care.
It used to be that maintaining the records was considered to be a mammoth task because all files and reports were completely on paper.
As such, preserving such records for a long period of time was considered to be a daunting task.
Records on paper tend to deteriorate over a period of time.
Hence, better alternatives for preserving them have been developed.
The introduction of computers has revolutionized the entire process of maintaining data and record keeping.
The advent of computers has made the entire process of record keeping more organized.
By maintaining a centralized database of all the records, the information is made available to everyone in the department.
Police officers requiring this information can access the records through their respective computers using the Internet or an intranet connection.
With the advancements in technology, the process of maintaining records has become extremely sophisticated.
Security measures applied to the databases have also become extremely stringent.
Over the years, the maintenance of police records has evolved considerably.
The limitations and shortcomings have been overcome in order to facilitate efficient dissemination of information.