Florida Warrant Search

Florida Statute 901.02 is used to understand when and how an arrest warrant can be issued in the state. This section of the penal code states that a warrant can be issued when a complaint is filed against a person in a court of law. However, the release of such a judicial order is subject to the establishment of probable cause.

This means that the magistrate who presides over the pre-warrant hearing is legally required to examine case facts and even witness testimony, if need be, to ascertain that there is indeed enough reason to hold the person in whose name the warrant is being requested responsible for a crime. An active warrant will always bear the signature of the magistrate to indicate that this judicial officer was in agreement with the cops when it came to the culpability of the accused.

The scenarios in which a warrant can be sought in FL

The circumstances in which the local criminal tribunal may issue an active warrant can be summed up as:

• When a complaint is filed against a person accusing him of a misdemeanor
• If after a felonious act, an individual cannot be arrested from the crime scene or he cannot be stopped in his track while committing the act
• If a summons has been issued against a person and he fails to obey it
• If an accused has been let out on bail but fails to adhere to the terms of the bond
• When a person is in direct violation of a court-issued order

Of these points, in the case of the last two, even a civil court can issue a detention order which is known as a bench warrant. Although different from an active warrant in terms of its powers, bench warrants call for the detention of an accused. The sole difference here is that the tribunal of its own accord issues these without the need for a complaint.

On the other hand, when it comes to search warrants, cops do need to file an affidavit stating why the judiciary should grant them the order to search through privately owned property. Once again the probable cause law comes into play here and these search orders are also exclusively issued on the basis of reasonable grounds.

Execution of outstanding warrants from Florida

In order to learn more about the direction of an arrest order and its execution, one has to look at section 901.04 of the Florida Statutes. Here, it has been clearly mentioned that a warrant for arrest will be aimed at all police officers from within a state and the nation to that matter. An arrest under the provisions of a warrant can be made at day or night and peace officers are allowed to rally the support of their fellow agents when pursuing the offender.

Finding details on active warrants and arrest records in Florida

The Florida Debarment of Law Enforcement website will prove to be a veritable treasure trove of information for anybody interested in criminal history data. From alerts meant to caution citizens to a list of missing children and adults and from a most wanted list to information on sex offenders living in the state, you can find this and more from the FDLE site.

To initiate a warrant search through this agency, you can use their computerized database of arrests and warrant records available on the FDLE website. The search tool operates on name-based queries, so you won’t need fingerprints to get a response. This would also mean that no consent form will be required when you need to look for criminal details on third parties.

These warrant searches are charged at $24 per name. The information you get will include a combination of data on arrest records, all outstanding warrants issued in the subject’s name, case disposition details and incarceration data. However, it is imperative to understand here that the state makes no claims to the effect that these results can be treated as certified documents.

If you need to get a background report which has to be used to gain employment or offer a job to a candidate, you will have to fill in the form available at fdle.state.fl.us. Mention clearly on the request form that you need the results to be certified and send this to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at:

User Services Bureau, Criminal History ServicesPO Box 1489 Tallahassee, FL 32302.

When looking for details on inmates serving time in the Florida prison system, you will have to go to the Florida Department of Corrections website. They offer an inmate search tool here. Alternatively, you could write to them at:

Central Office2601 Blair Stone RoadTallahassee, Florida 32399-2500(850) 488-5021

The Department of the Clerk of Court which handles the preparation and management of court dockets can also help you to get information on arrest warrants. You will simply need to find a way to scour through the court records maintained by this agency