{"id":6729,"date":"2022-07-15T12:47:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T11:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blinkx.com\/?p=6729"},"modified":"2022-08-04T10:59:46","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T09:59:46","slug":"how-to-check-pending-criminal-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessfinancenews.com\/background\/how-to-check-pending-criminal-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"how to check pending criminal charges"},"content":{"rendered":"
After an incident with law enforcement and before a background check, many people wonder \u2018how to find out if there are pending charges against me for free?\u2019<\/p>\n
Not knowing if there are pending charges can be a scary thing and although a lawyer may be able to provide useful information, they can be expensive. Especially if there\u2019s the possibility that there is nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n
Individuals who need to know how to find out if there are pending charges against me for free, thankfully, have a few options at their disposal that can be done\u2026 right now.<\/p>\n
There are a number of ways to find pending charges (court cases) on a background check for free (or a small processing fee). These methods take advantage of the freedom of information act and various other laws that require certain court records and proceedings be made available to the public.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to keep in mind that although most jurisdictions allow anyone to access this information, based on the jurisdiction there may be additional laws or obstacles that may make the process slightly more difficult.<\/p>\n
For example, although many records are available online through a searchable database, in some counties and cities the records are only kept as physical copies. In this case, the way to find out if there are pending charges against you for free involves a trip to the local courthouse.<\/p>\n
There is also the potential that the charges being searched for are part of a secret or sealed indictment. A sealed indictment is when a grand jury decides to indict someone, but for various reasons it is deemed necessary that this indictment remain a secret until the arrest has been made.<\/p>\n
Although uncommon, it does happen and if the indictment is secret, there will be no way to confirm if there are any pending charges until the charges are made public and an arrest is made, which usually happens at the same time.<\/p>\n
The first place to check for those trying to answer the question of \u201chow to find out if there are pending charges against me for free,\u201d is through the local police department. In most jurisdictions police reports and arrest records are included under the Freedom of Information Act, and many are considered public records.<\/p>\n
This means that the general public has a right to view these documents at any time. Unfortunately, not all police reports will be available to the general public for a few different reasons.<\/p>\n
The first being that the police report is part of an on-going investigation. If the release of certain information runs the risk of the case being jeopardized then that information will not be made available to the public until the case has been closed. In certain circumstances the initial police reports will be available, such as the report that shows police responded to a disturbance, but further information will not be available.<\/p>\n
In some cases ongoing investigations will allow police reports to be released to those involved in the case<\/em>. In this situation those named in the case will have special access to the documents, but the general public will not.<\/p>\n The process for checking local police reports to find out information about a potential pending charge is relatively simple. However, the process is slightly different based on the jurisdiction\u2019s laws and whether or not they have an online record keeping system.<\/p>\n Step 1: Access the Website of the Local Police Department<\/span><\/p>\n The first step, no matter the jurisdiction, is to check the website of the police department where the event, that could have resulted in a pending charge, took place.<\/p>\n On the website for the police department, there should be a section about requesting various kinds of records. Look for the following terms to identify the records department:<\/p>\n Locating a link using any of the above phrases should take users to a page with more information for how to request the desired information.<\/p>\n For example, the San Francisco Police Department website has a \u201cRequest a Police Report,\u201d link under the \u201cGet Services,\u201d drop down menu on the website\u2019s home page.<\/p>\nHow to Check Police Reports<\/h3>\n
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