Most arrest records (records showing that someone was arrested by police) are public records in the United States. This mechanism is designed to protect the citizens by allowing them to keep an eye on their law enforcement personnel. Concerned citizens can read about the cases, follow trends, and make complaints when they see injustice. Moreover, public arrest records make it possible for people to stay alert to who has a criminal history and watch out for themselves.

If someone’s behavior has raised your suspicion and caused concerns for your safety, whether a date, a new friend, an old colleague, etc…you’ve come to the right place. This article provides 4 ways for you to get a thorough background check which includes a detailed criminal records report, if available.

Option 1: Contact the Law Enforcement Agency

Arrest records are typically maintained by law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. You can run down to the local courthouse or state criminal records office to search for criminal history records.

In addition, most states also place online databases of public criminal history records. For example, the Texas Department of Public Safety provides an online searchable database of statewide arrest records.

To find arrest records online, search for the name of the state and type in arrest records/crime records/criminal history records. Then, you should look for official records held by a state court or a government agency. But double-check the website you land on because it might be some catfishing websites, even if it looks official.

In case such an internet search not yielding any useful results, and you don’t want to spend hours going down to the courthouse in person, let’s check out some powerful and 100% legal online People Search engines.

Option 2: Search for Someone’s Criminal Record with TruthFinder

TruthFinder is one of the most comprehensive background check tools on the market. Its data sources are composed of public records from federal, state, and local government agencies and other public resources. To run a asearch, all you need is the name of that person.
When available, TruthFinder also list sensitive information on a specific person, including possible criminal and traffic records.

Follow the steps below to find someone’s arrest records:

1. Go to the official website of TruthFinder.
2. Enter a Name and click SEARCH NOW to begin your journey.
3. Wait a few seconds for TruthFinder to scan its data sources. Once it locates a possible match, a detailed report may be available to review upon purchasing a membership plan.

Option 3: Get a Background Check with Instant Checkmate

Instant Checkmate is a simple-to-use people search service designed to pull out important information that you’re interested in, such as criminal & traffic records and arrest history with just a name or phone number.

For example, if you suspect that someone may have a history of crime, Instant Checkmate may come in handy to search whether there are court records, past arrests, misdemeanors, or even felony offensesand their possible details. This is because it provides a powerful tool for you to search for sensitive data, especially criminal & traffic records on a county, state, and federal level.

Here’s how to search for someone’s criminal & traffic history with Instant Checkmate:

1. Go to the search page of Instant Checkmate.
2. Choose to search by Name, enter that information and click SEARCH.
3. It will ask you a few questions to narrow down your search.
4. It may take a few minutes for Instant Checkmate to scan its public record sources. An in-depth background report may be available to review upon purchasing a membership plan.

Option 4: Arrest Records Lookup with Social Catfish (Image Search/Private Investigator)

As one of the best public data providers online, Social Catfish allows you to get a detailed arrest records report on anyone with just a name, phone number, address, username or even just a picture.

Social Catfish is an online investigation service specializing in verifying identity information to avoid scams and protect people in both cyberspace and also real life. It will help you verify the identities and check the criminal histories of those who might seem suspicious to you.

Follow these steps to look up arrest records with Social Catfish:

1. Search from Social Catfish’s official website.
2. Select a search type and click Search.
3. Wait patiently for Social Catfish to scan its database, scour personal information on that person and then return it to you.

Hire a Private Investigator/Search Specialist with Social Catfish

When there’s a potential past criminal around you, hiring a private investigator is probably the first thought that comes to mind for some people. It is because private investigators are trained and qualified to dig up information and have better access to public and private records than an average person. However, the process of a private investigation could take days, weeks or even months, and the cost is very expensive (avg. $150/hr).
 
On the other hand, hiring a Search Specialist with the same level of experience and access to resources as a skilled private investigator but at a lower cost can be a lifesaver. Social Catfish’s specialist in people search will investigate this person in question for a fixed one-off payment of $397, using the same software and technology as the FBI. Plus, Social Catfish guarantees that you will be completely satisfied with the results!

Final words

Keep in mind that having an arrest record does not necessarily mean that the person is guilty of the charge. This is because people are arrested without being guilty in many cases, and there sure are a lot of people who are guilty without being arrested. At the same time, people are being discriminated against based on arrest records, to the point that some companies have regulations forbidding not hiring someone based on an arrest record itself. All we’re trying to say is that don’t be biased based on just possible arrest records, and please contact the local police force if you feel threatened or endangered.

That’s the end of this post. Hope you’ll find these methods helpful for searching for someone’s arrest records. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to leave us a comment below, thanks!

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