Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Free Police Records Online Record Provider

By Claire Dowell


Police records in Texas are public records and made available through several channels. Police records are reports made by the local enforcement agency, which contain information on the case including the type of case, the parties involved as well as the report of the officer who filed the case. Police records are divided into 3 types - criminal, traffic and administrative cases. The first and most common are criminal records. These records include those cases that have felony or are criminal by nature. Access to these records are restricted especially those that are still under investigation or have juveniles as suspect(s). Those records that have reached conviction though are open to the public.

Records that are classified as administrative involve officers of the government who have committed violations or misconduct and violated the police policy. Traffic reports, on the other hand, are those cases that involve traffic incidents, infraction and can include the vehicle name, driver's license as well as the case filed.

To access the police report, one only has to know the case or file number to make a written request. A defendant or a party has direct access to their police records and a copy is usually sent to the parties involved. For third parties, they can also access public information copy of the report. Reports that are criminal in nature are restricted while ongoing and can only be accessed after a conviction is made. To request for the report, one can walk in person to the office, send an email, a fax or a mail request.

Austin police records are available from the local police department although it can also be accessed online by checking out the APD incident police database. To make a search, include the police jurisdiction area or district, zip code and case number. Cost for each page is about $.10 each. The Records section is not open daily and as such, one needs to phone in or check the office schedule.

On the other hand, those who want a copy of the reports in Houston can obtain copies in several ways. They can email the Houston police open records division, in person request and through fax. One can obtain a copy of an open case by submitting an ''open records request" to the Attorney General's office. Processing time would take about 60 days. To obtain public copies of the report, one can send in a request through mail, attach a US$6 with a self-stamped envelope. For walk in persons, crash reports cost about$6 and are payable through cash, money order or cashier cheques only.

To make access to public records easier, one can also access some of the information online. Aside from the government site, there are online commercial sites that offer free police report(s) and other public record searches. This is by far the easiest and most convenient way to obtain records.




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