Iowa Criminal Records are used to describe any arrests and consequent dispositions that can be accredited to an individual.
Iowa Criminal Records are established typically when an arrest or a conviction is made when there has been an act of crime.
Criminal Records for the state of Iowa (IA) are also stored in the State's databases like all other criminal records in the other states.
Typically, these Criminal Records are kept as per geographic location and jurisdiction where the crime was committed.
Consequently, the local Iowa database possibly will only include records of crimes that have taken place in that particular community.
The data enclosed in these databases are collated and sent to the county index where they collated once more and sent on to the State storage area.
An Iowa Criminal Record history carries the tag of being 'public information'.
It indicates that information stored in the Iowa State repository is open to the general public and it can be accessed by all because the restrictions are few.
The Iowa Criminal Records database is also known as the Iowa Criminal History Records.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has undertaken the maintenance of these records and they are kept at the Wallace State of Office Building in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Iowa Law requires that the sheriff and police departments submit fingerprint cards to the DCI for those criminals who have been arrested for serious transgression.
Reports of some simple misdemeanors can be sent too.
Another condition of the law is that they initiate the disposition form through the system with the clerk of court.
In due course, when the case is done, the disposition form is sent to the DCI.
The arrest information will not be recorded in the DCI files if fingerprint cards and disposition forms are not received by the DCI.
This is one reason why the DCI does not guarantee or verify that a person has been convicted in an Iowa court or not and also the fact that the person in question has no records.
The DCI files are exclusive only to the Iowa Criminal Records.
So you cannot find other states' records, FBI records or even those of subjects who have been convicted in federal courts within Iowa.
For Iowa Criminal Records requests, two forms need to be submitted to the DCI.
These forms can be obtained by mail, fax or one can even pick them up at the DCI itself.
Of the six forms that are available you need to submit the appropriate form.
Form 'A' is for Iowa Criminal Records requests and is obtainable at the official website of the State of Iowa.