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California Free Arrest Records

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By Ben Kingsley


Should you wish to obtain an arrest record in California, either your own or that of somebody else's for background checks, you have to request access for such from the Department of Justice as it is the chief repository for criminal and arrest records in California. Unlike any other states in the US, California is stricter when obtaining arrest and criminal records. Access to such records maintained by the Department of Justice is restricted by law to legitimate law enforcement purposes and authorized applicant agencies. However, individuals have the right to request a copy of their own criminal history record from the Department to review for accuracy and completeness. Requests from third parties are not authorized and will not be processed.

To receive a copy of your arrest or criminal history record, you must submit fingerprint images and pay a $25 processing fee to the Department of Justice. All California applicants should provide Live Scan fingerprints. You have to use the Live Scan form, check the record review as the "Type of Application", enter "record review" on the "reason for application" line, fill out all your personal information, 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.

In California, doing a background check can be quite difficult as the state has imposed various rules with regard to procuring arrest or criminal records of any individual in the state. Unfortunately, only private citizens are allowed to request information about their own criminal history records, while outstanding warrant information is often made available to the public. A warrant does not mean that an individual is guilty of committing a crime; it means that they are being accused of committing one. Only those with valid reason, such as employment, can request access for such records through courts.

The State of California has imposed many special rules for doing background checks. Unlike other states and under federal law where background checks are generally referred to as "consumer reports", background checks are referred to as "investigative consumer reports" in California. Since January 2012, a new law in the state has changed the requirements for background checks that employers must comply so as to perform background checks on their applicants or employees.

Anyone who wants to obtain an investigative consumer report for employment purposes must provide a written disclosure, in a separate document, to the consumer (applicant or employee) before the report is obtained. The written disclosure must state the fact that a report may be obtained; the permissible purpose of the report; the fact that the disclosure may include information on the consumer's character, general reputation, personal characteristics, and mode of living; and the name and address, and telephone number of the investigative consumer reporting agency.

Since the State of California has imposed many rules especially in conducting background checks or in obtaining investigative consumer reports, hiring the services of online record provider is something you can try to obtain the record you need easily. Online service providers also have their own database which may contain the records you're looking for. Service providers range from free to fee based. However, if it is the quality you're after, then you're better off with the one that charges a minimal fee but may provide the arrest records you need in an easier and faster way without going through all the hassle of the typical method of procuring arrest or criminal records in California.




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