- 1). Visit police agencies that cover the areas where the person lives. The time limits for maintaining old arrest records varies by department, county and state. Start with the person's name and provide any other information you know about him, which may help officers narrow in on certain records. According to the Student Press Law Center (Reference 1), you are not required to say why you want to see the documents.
- 2). Stop at the municipal county courthouse that covers the area or areas where the person was arrested. Violations of ordinances and most misdemeanors may have been handled in town, city or village court houses, while felony cases go to a county or state court. Give the court clerk the subject's name and arrest date. She should be able to tell you if the person was convicted of the same charge or a lesser one of if she was acquitted. The court file may have been sealed or expunged if there was no conviction.
- 3). Contact the state agency that maintains the criminal records repository. In some states, that task belongs to the state police, while others have a Department of Criminal Justice Services that overseas all police departments as well as the state prison system. The rules and procedures also vary for obtaining criminal records. In New York, for example, criminal histories can only be released to the record's owner or law enforcement personnel. In Florida, by contrast, criminal history reports on state residents are available to anyone willing to conduct the search online and pay $24 via credit card.
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