Sunday, 15 September 2013

Texas Arrest Records

By Ben Kingsley


To access public records such as prosecutions and other cases that have received a conviction or were charged with a Class B violation and higher as arrests in Texas, one can do so by visiting the Department of Public Safety of Texas website. Under the site, one can click on the Computerized Criminal History System that houses the conviction database for all of Texas. The arresting agencies, prosecutors and counties update all files in the database regularly as required by the State under Chapter 60 of the State's code.

To start conducting a research on any public records, the State requires the researcher to create an account in the State's official website. Once one is able to create their account, they are required to purchase credits, which they can use to pay for the search being done. Each credit is good for one search and each search query is a flat rate of $3 although additional fees may be charged depending on the method of payment that one is enrolled in or has availed of.

Those who would be using their credit cards to buy credits will have to pay a convenience fee of 2.25% plus $.50 for transaction cost. On the other hand, those who would be using checks will have to pay an additional $1.25 for convenience fee. Credits purchased by credit cards are readily available for use. Those who choose to mail their checks will have to wait for the checks to be approved before being able to use the credits.

It is imperative that researchers fill in the entire requested fields to ensure that the search would be successful. It is recommended to include the first name, middle name, surname and the person's birth date. Do keep in mind that credits are non-refundable and as such, a credit is debited from the account's credit even if the return result is a no-match. Having a no-result does not automatically mean that the record is not available. In some instances, the records might be restricted from public access such as in juvenile records or those records that are already sealed and expunged.

There would be times when matches might result in several entries. To avoid having credits debited from the account, researchers can click on the preview button to see a small sample of the record to verify that the record is what they need. Do remember that once the record is opened, a credit is debited from the account. Accuracy concerning the matches is not guaranteed as in most cases, the person in the record can only be authenticated if the report includes a fingerprint specimen card. To ensure the accuracy of the report, one might want to check out the arresting agency that filed the report.

There are some instances when records are not complete. If the person is checking out their personal records and wish to change something or add something, they can do so by contacting the office. Those who want to do some arrest search can also check other online sites that offer public record searches free or for a minimal fee. This is the most expedient and resourceful method to find information without having to open up an account and maybe effective for those who want to do some research one time.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment