Police records in Texas or any police records in the United States are generally available for public access. Police reports are official documents that contain information such as the defendant, the plaintiff, the officer report and the case between the parties. Three types of police reports are available that can be requested from the police department - crime, administrative and traffic report. A crime report is usually a record of criminal offense by nature. Records of this nature are available to the public once the case reaches conviction or a decision is made. However, the record is restricted from public access if the case is on-going or involves a juvenile or a minor and only the public part of the information is available to the public.
Administrative records, on the other hand, are reports that deal with violations and crimes committed by the police department or those in the government that might be guilty of misconduct or where the officer has committed violation(s) of the department's policies. Traffic reports on the other hand deal with incident reports, traffic altercations and citations. Traffic reports contain the infraction or case, the driver's name and license number as well as the license plate of the vehicle.
Requesting for information or report copies is easy. One needs to only know the case number to request for a copy. Other information might also come in handy to make the searching faster. Defendants or the accused have the right to access the file and the police give a copy to them. Those who are interested but do not have any interest in the case can obtain copies of the record by requesting for the public information copy. Full details of the case can only be obtained once the case reaches conviction. One can request the records via e-mail, online or by in person.
Those who want to obtain a copy of the records in Austin can do so by first checking the APD incident reports database. Reports that are less than seven pages are free; however, charges will apply for more than 10 pages. Each page costs about $.10. All requests should be directed to the Austin Report Sales unit. The Sales unit is not open daily and as such, one should call first if one intends to visit the office.
If you, on the other hand, want to get a copy of the police record in Houston, Texas, you can email, fax or visit the records division of the Houston police department. For open cases requests, one can request a report from the Attorney General's Office. Depending on the volume that the office receives, processing time can take more than 2 months. On the other hand, records that are made public are available from the local police department. To make a request through mail, send in the request form, self-stamped envelope as well as US$6. Payments are made through money order, cashier checks and cash.
To make access to public records easier, one can also access some of the information online. Aside from the government site, there are online commercial sites that offer free police report(s) and other public record searches. This is by far the easiest and most convenient way to obtain records.
Administrative records, on the other hand, are reports that deal with violations and crimes committed by the police department or those in the government that might be guilty of misconduct or where the officer has committed violation(s) of the department's policies. Traffic reports on the other hand deal with incident reports, traffic altercations and citations. Traffic reports contain the infraction or case, the driver's name and license number as well as the license plate of the vehicle.
Requesting for information or report copies is easy. One needs to only know the case number to request for a copy. Other information might also come in handy to make the searching faster. Defendants or the accused have the right to access the file and the police give a copy to them. Those who are interested but do not have any interest in the case can obtain copies of the record by requesting for the public information copy. Full details of the case can only be obtained once the case reaches conviction. One can request the records via e-mail, online or by in person.
Those who want to obtain a copy of the records in Austin can do so by first checking the APD incident reports database. Reports that are less than seven pages are free; however, charges will apply for more than 10 pages. Each page costs about $.10. All requests should be directed to the Austin Report Sales unit. The Sales unit is not open daily and as such, one should call first if one intends to visit the office.
If you, on the other hand, want to get a copy of the police record in Houston, Texas, you can email, fax or visit the records division of the Houston police department. For open cases requests, one can request a report from the Attorney General's Office. Depending on the volume that the office receives, processing time can take more than 2 months. On the other hand, records that are made public are available from the local police department. To make a request through mail, send in the request form, self-stamped envelope as well as US$6. Payments are made through money order, cashier checks and cash.
To make access to public records easier, one can also access some of the information online. Aside from the government site, there are online commercial sites that offer free police report(s) and other public record searches. This is by far the easiest and most convenient way to obtain records.
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