San Juan County Washington Arrest Warrant Criminal Records

Warrant Records Are Public Access, But Not For Criminal Justice Purposes

Warrant Records are important in the eyes of law. The 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution, as interpreted by the California Constitution and the United States Supreme Court define “warrant” to mean a “rogue or servant of the court.” Warrant Records in San Juan County Washington are maintained by the clerk of court. The purpose of these records is to give information that is not normally accessible to the general public. In the event the person arrested is convicted of breaking the law, his record will be entered into the state’s criminal history and the proceedings will be made known to all the parties involved.

Warrant records can be entered into the state and federal registries; Federal Records if the crime occurred outside of the jurisdiction of the United States; and county registries, if the crime occurred within the jurisdiction of the United States. There are two primary reasons a person would need access to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database: to do preliminary research and to connect a person with an individual offense. A connection may be uncovered through unrelated information such as business or personal associations; or through more reliable techniques such as the use of fingerprints, iris scans or a digital finger print extractor. If the person is convicted of a crime outside of the jurisdiction of the United States, his records will also be recorded and placed on the National Sex Offender Registry (SNOR).

Warrant records serve several purposes. The most common reason for obtaining a warrant is to ensure the safety of a person. Warrant searches allow police to track down someone wanted on an outstanding warrant. If a person fails to show up at his scheduled trial date because he was on vacation, his warrant may be canceled before it is carried out. Warrant searches are also frequently conducted by law enforcement agencies to locate and then arrest a subject who has violated the law.

In some jurisdictions, law enforcement agencies perform warrant searches at the request of a private party. For instance, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) can secretly perform a nationwide warrant search of any person suspected of involvement in a drug trafficking offense even without the person’s knowledge or consent. Similarly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can secretly perform a nationwide warrant search of anyone it wants to. Such searches are based on the fact that the authority delegated to the FBI by the US Congress has the right, under the procedures contained in the Bill of Rights, to “uncover and seize” property used to commit a crime whether the property is in the United States or elsewhere.

Besides performing investigations and conducting warrant searches, some law enforcement agencies provide a service to the public called fingerprinting. Fingerprinting is done by taking a physical print of a person using a special device called a fingerprint wand. In order to perform this service, the wand is heated up on a kiln until a permanent imprint of the finger is produced. This print is captured on film and is stored in a database which is accessed by law enforcement agencies when they need to perform a search. The results of such searches can help law enforcement officials zero in on the identity of a person who may be wanted on suspicion of some crime.

As already noted, most warrant records are available for public access. The felony-related offenses are listed separately from the misdemeanor ones, while sex offenses and lesser crimes are usually found in one category or the other. There is an exception to the provision of free public access to warrant records on arrests and criminal charges issued by local courts.