What is an arrest record or an arrest warrant in Florida?
An arrest record is an official, state-provided resource that seeks to detail as much information about a particular arrest as possible. Depending on the nature of the arrest, an arrest record in Florida can contain a wide variety of information.
All arrest records will contain the name of the individual arrested, details about the incident that led to the arrest (such as the location of the arrest, the date and time, and other persons involved with the incident), and what was done with the arrested person.
Some arrest records may also include conviction and sentencing information, details about if and where the suspect was incarcerated, and photographs of the suspect and the crime scene.
It should be noted that only those arrests made in Florida will appear when searching for Florida arrest records. Other resources will need to be consulted to search for arrest records and arrest warrant information for other states.
An arrest warrant is an authorization on behalf of the state government of Florida that allows for the pursuit and ultimate arrest of an individual named by the arrest warrant. For an arrest warrant to be issued, police officials must appear in court, be sworn in, and testify that a specific person is guilty of a crime. If the presiding judge believes that probable cause exists that implicates this individual, then he will authorize and sign the arrest warrant.
Florida arrest warrants can be issued for a variety of different reasons in addition to being the primary suspect in a crime. For example, if an individual is in contempt of court, such as by not following court procedural laws or even not appearing at a scheduled court hearing, then a bench warrant can be issued.
How can I search for Florida arrest records and arrest warrants?
There are a number of different ways that persons can obtain arrest record information and arrest warrant information. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement provides two resources for these kinds of searches.
To look for criminal history information, which will also include arrest records, you can utilize the Criminal History Information Search at https://web.fdle.state.fl.us/search/app/default?3. This service costs $24.00.
You are also able to perform a Wanted Persons Search through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at http://pas.fdle.state.fl.us/pas/restricted/PAS/person/WantedPersons.jsf, which will provide a listing of all of the persons with active warrants in Florida.
Additionally, you can also get into contact with local law enforcement officials, such as the sheriff, of the county you (or the person you are searching for) reside in.
Crime and Arrest Statistics in Florida
During the year 2010, there was a total of 770,518 crimes committed and recorded in Florida, and of those, 101,906 were violent offenses. 1,020,497 arrests were made during the same period, according to the 2010 Annual Report filed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/cms/FSAC/Documents/Excel/offcty_index10.aspx.
In Florida, a murder is committed every nine hours, and a violent crime is committed every five minutes. Property crimes occur at an interval of more than one each minute, with burglaries occurring every three minutes. You can view more timed crime statistics at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/cms/FSAC/UCR/2010/CIF_Annual10.aspx.