Local Criminal Records

Why do this search?

There are several very good reasons to conduct
a local (county level) criminal record search.

Most arrests are made by city or county law enforcement agencies. Cases are adjudicated in the county where the arrest took place. While a Florida statewide criminal search does include information reported from any of Florida’s 67 counties, a statewide arrest record search will not necessarily disclose all arrests pertaining to a given individual. There are several reasons for this.
 

First, information cannot be disseminated through the statewide reporting system if it not reported to the state by local agencies.
 

Second, statewide arrest records are known to omit misdemeanor arrests. It is not uncommon to find numerous misdemeanor arrests at the county level that are not on record at the state level.
 

Third, statewide arrest records are not necessarily current and can be weeks or months behind in data entry.
 

Fourth, neither local or statewide arrest records include any arrests made by Federal agencies.
 

For these reasons, the most thorough, complete, accurate and current information on arrests (not including federal arrests) is always found in the criminal court of the county where the arrest took place.
 

Note: This service does not include actual file records but points to where records may be located. Also please be advised that dispositional information is not always available in sources we access but will be available at the appropriate courthouse or government repository.
 

Also, please be advised that these records are checked on a per county basis (usually in the place of residence) and do not contain information on arrests or convictions that occurred in any other county.
 

Due to limitations imposed in Section 605 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act criminal information predating seven (7) years cannot be reported unless a conviction resulted.
 

Important: Most criminal record checks are performed by accessing computer databases. While databases offer the advantage of speed and low cost, they are by no means totally complete or accurate. Some state criminal repositories depend on city or county jurisdictions to report information. Nevertheless, there have been instances where records on file in local jurisdictions cannot be found when state records are checked because they were not reported upward from the local level to the state system.
 

In some cases states limit the information they provide. Some only offer information on pending (open) cases and some place limited time restrictions on the information they will disseminate. Some databases require that the input criteria (name, date of birth and social security number) exactly match the information on record. With some, if a middle initial or name suffix (Jr., Sr., II, etc.) is not provided the return will reflect a “no hit” even though a record exists because there was no exact match.
 

The fact is no database criminal or otherwise is 100% accurate or up to date. The best way to get the most current, complete and accurate information is to have someone do an in-person records search. It takes longer and it’s more costly, but it is hands down the best way to be sure you are getting the best results.
 

For more information on the use of arrest and conviction records see the EEOC policy guidance document. Click here to load the document