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Free Online California Arrest Records

By Claire Dowell


The central repository for vital records in California is the Department of Justice. In Fresno County, it is the Department of Records Bureau that is responsible for organizing and maintaining criminal history and crime report files, and providing law enforcement officers with access to this information. However, Fresno County criminal records are not public records. Hence, only the people named on the record and those who are authorized have the right to review or obtain a copy of a criminal record in the state.

Across the world, background screening is quickly becoming a standard practice in many workplaces and businesses. Doing a background check is an effective and easy way for organizations to mitigate their risk. In scrutinizing the background of an individual, the records heavily relied on are criminal records, although other records can be used as well.

However, unlike any other states in the US, California restricts access to such records maintained by the aforementioned agencies to legitimate law enforcement purposes, authorized applicant agencies, and those individuals named on the record only. Individuals have the right to obtain their own records. Requests from third parties are not catered and will never be processed.

Should you wish to obtain a copy of your own criminal record for the purpose of reviewing such for accuracy and completeness, you have to provide images of your fingerprints. A $25 fee will be charged for the processing. All California applicants should provide Live Scan fingerprints. You have to use the Live Scan form, fill it out with all your significant personal details, and take the complete form to any Live Scan site for fingerprinting services. Fingerprinting services are available to most local police departments, sheriff's offices, or any public applicant Live Scan site. Submit the form, along with your fingerprint images, and with the payment for the processing to any agency mentioned above.

In Fresno County, aside from the Records Bureau, criminal records can also be obtained from the Superior Court, and the Office of the County Clerk. Additionally, Fresno County Sheriff's Office is another valued resource for compiling information about county individuals for a background check. Official copies are restricted but informational copies are not. California does restrict who is allowed to obtain certified official copies of vital and court records, especially those which are usually used for identification purposes. This is largely due to a rise in identity theft.

California has imposed many special rules in obtaining vital and court records. Hence, conducting background checks may be difficult to do especially when a third party does the investigation. In such case, you may have to settle for an uncertified informational copy. However, if such copy does not yield adequate information, you can try hiring the services of online records providers. These providers have their own database which may contain the records you need. Furthermore, in lieu of the usual days to weeks processing time, they can actually give you free criminal records in just a matter of minutes.




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