How to Check for Active Arrest Warrants

One may have an active arrest warrant due to many reasons, ranging from speeding offenses to forgetting to pay a fine. Due to the nature of these offenses, at times people have no idea about such a warrant pending against them.

In such circumstances, if someone has the slightest doubt that he may have any arrest warrant pending in the court of law, he should try to find out about it and take necessary legal steps to avoid arrest and further complications.

When a particular crime has been committed and the suspect has been identified, the case is legally produced in the court of law. After hearing the case, the magistrate or the judge issues the warrant to arrest the said suspect.

This arrest warrant issued by the court of law is referred to as an active arrest warrant until the suspect is arrested by the police. Being a court document, this type of warrant falls under the category of public records, which means that the general public is free to check the issued warrant, as long as they have a legitimate reason do so.

If in doubt that a warrant been issued against you, the last thing you want to do is reach the police to check for it. The chances are that the police might 1^st put you behind bars, regardless of whether you have a warrant or not, and then carry on the enquiry for the same. There are other easy measures for a person to search for active warrants against him.

The best way to find out whether you have an active arrest warrant against you, is to contact the court or law enforcement agency. Not only is this method time saving, but also very accurate. The information about the arrest warrants directly comes from the concerned authorities, meaning there is a very little margin for error.

Depending on the seriousness of the issue, the authorities will either give you the information on the phone or you may have to get it in person. The seriousness of the issue will also decide how much of the said information is disclosed.

In case the investigations are being carried out, the police might not want to disclose any information about the suspect, which is likely to alert him, and hence, may avoid disclosing some information.

More importantly, as a person seeking information, you may not be knowing which court house to approach. This is the case especially when the case is related to identity theft, wherein your identity has been used to perpetrate some crime.

Hiring a detective is useful when you want to check active arrests for a third person, i.e., an expected employee or a relative. Detectives and attorneys are well-versed with such activities and have access to the database, and unavailable for public viewing. You only have to part with some of the earned money and they will find all the information you need.

Although the simplest method to check for active warrants, this is not reliable and the information you gain will be scarce. You can either visit the website of your law enforcement agency or try the search engines.

The former option may be more helpful, but only if the website is official. However, if credibility of the information is what you view, it would be better to stick with the two methods mentioned or at least, verify the content and authenticity of the website.

Other than helping you avoid unnecessary legal tangles, these methods of finding about active arrest warrants will also help you do a background check on someone. However, it isn't wise to be hasty and jump to a conclusion during the process. If you have a small doubt at any time, you should refer to the law enforcement agency and get the details verified.