|
It is easy for the public to gain access to public records such as incidence report, arrest and crash report. The Freedom of Public information Act guarantees the public access to reports without having to explain the reason for the request. However, there are some reports that are restricted from the public by the nature of the case. One example is the Texas Police Reports. The initial reports are available for the public; however, the subsequent reports, evidence and trial are not available for public view until such time when the case reaches a conviction, someone is arrested or a grant is made. These reports are available from the Record division of the police or local enforcement agency. The State mandates that all government offices provide the reports requested by the public. With that said, each county, city or town has their own guide to ensure the smooth flow of the transaction. All require the submission of a written request stating the needed report as well as the person requesting it. As the office can only send the reports via mail, the person requesting the report would have to provide a mailing address where the generated report will be sent. A person can request the report via email, fax or in person. Payment for the reports depends on the fees collected by the particular location. For walk in, they can visit the Records Division during working hours and wait for the reports to be generated. To make the transaction faster, the person requesting the records must submit information such as the incident report, parties involved, date as well as the cause of the accident. One must also specify that the purpose for the records will be for “public information only” as not stating so, especially in “open request”, will route the request to the Attorney General’s Office for approval, which can take up to 2 months of processing time. For those who want to request reports in El Paso, Texas, the Records Division is open from 6 am until 12 midnight. The office is open seven days a week to accommodate all requests. Each page of the report costs about $.10 and this is good for 50 pages, in excess of which additional fees may be added by the Office. One can pay by cash, check or money order. For those who are in Texas City, police reports are available from the Criminal Records and Identification Office. The cost is about $4. Walk-ins are also allowed and they can easily get the public release report or Page 1 of the report. Some cases might still be under trial and as such these might be restricted although the police can give one a brief summary of the case. All cities in the US are bound by the Public Information Act and as such would provide all the necessary reports that the public wants. There are some exemptions as well. Examples are reports that involve juveniles, sealed and expunged reports as well as cases that have yet to reach convictions. For those who are looking for basic police reports online, some sites do offer the information free. Looking for Texas Police Records? We can help you. We have detailed information specific to various Police Reports Online.
Related Articles -
Texas Police Records, Police Reports, Police Records,
|
