Thursday, September 19, 2013

Texas Public Arrest Records

By Ben Kingsley


Public records in the State of Texas are available from the Department of Public Safety's Computerized Criminal History System. The Conviction Database contains information including arrests in Texas, prosecutions and dispositions of cases where a person is charged with Class B or higher violation of the law. All cases that are filed in the database are updated frequently by the agencies under the State.

For one to be able to access the database, one needs to be a member. If not, one has to join the site by creating an account. Once the account becomes live, the researcher needs to purchase several credits to fund his/her researches. Purchasing credits can be done through mailed in checks or by using credit cards. Each credit costs about $3 although other costs might be included which is dependent on the payment method that one uses.

Those who avail of checking method will have to pay an additional 1.25USD to the total fee. The fee is charged as convenience fee and the credits are available once the department clears the checks. For those who avail of the credit card services, 2.25% plus a transaction fee of .50USD is added to the flat rate so one has to pay total of 3.07USD per search. The use of the credits is deducted automatically from the card and the researcher can readily use the credits to do search queries.

Each search is equivalent to one credit regardless of whether there are no matches or results retrieved by the site. As credits are not refundable, it is best to include all the needed information or pertinent info one has of the person. Do include the person's whole name and date of birth to narrow down the searches. No-matches can occur if (a) the record is already sealed and expunged, (b) inaccurate or wrong information is given, (c) the case is juvenile by nature and (d) the local agencies were not able to submit the records.

In some cases, search queries might return with several search matches with the records on top having the closest match to the search query. As opening the full reports can debit a credit from one's account, one should use the preview option to check if the record is what they are looking for. As with other public records, records obtained from the CCH needs to be checked for accuracy. Records that do not have a fingerprint signature card need to be verified from the local enforcement agency or any other arresting agencies under Chapter 60 of Criminal Procedure Code.

For those individuals who have questions or complaints with their records, they can call the office to request for other information or add to the existing information sheet. In addition, those that might want to search for public records such as arrest search, death and birth records can also do so by checking online search records. Online public search record is the fastest and most convenient way for one to get the information they need without having to pay an exorbitant fee.




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