Iowa Warrant Search

To find out what a citation and a complaint, often the foundation on which an active warrant is issued in Iowa, mean you need to look at the state’s penal code section 804.1. Here, it is clearly mentioned that criminal proceedings can be started by filing a complaint against a person with the local tribunal that has the authority to deliberate in such matters.

A warrant is issued through a pre-warrant hearing during which the police have to present an affidavit of probable cause before the magistrate. This document is meant to prove that at that point in time, law enforcement has enough proof against the alleged offender to hold him responsible for the said criminal transgression.

If the proof set forth in writing is inadequate for this purpose, the witnesses can be called to depose. The affidavit and the testimony are both collected under oath. Usually, arrest warrants are issued in case of felonies and more serious misdemeanors. If the offense in question is an ordinance or public related, a citation may be issued in lieu of a warrant.

Serving legal orders including outstanding warrants In IA

Information is given to the police officers about the execution of warrants as well as citations. For instance, in the case of an active warrant, it is a given that the order can also be executed beyond state lines and without being concerned about any barriers of time. This means that once an arrest order becomes an outstanding warrant, it becomes all the more powerful.

On the other hand, with bench warrants certain restrictions are laid down when it comes to serving the order, arresting the person in question, and the time for which he can be detained along with the conditions for such detention. In the majority of the instances, bench warrants come with a bail amount mentioned on them. In this scenario, the arrestee can walk free once he posts bail.

As far as search warrants go, these can only be executed within a certain period of time and they can only be used to search the particular premise mentioned in the order. Summonses are served at the home of the defendant along with subpoenas. If at any point the magistrate has reason to believe that either of these legal instruments may not be honored, he/she has the authority to issue a warrant in its place. If a citation is issued, but the defendant fails to appear as ordered, this is considered to be a minor crime, and as such a warrant can be released for the arrest of this person.

Making the arrest under an Iowa warrant and without it

If an accused is being arrested in relation to the commissioning of a felony, police officers have every right to use any means of force required to arrest this person. This includes using handcuffs to physically restrain the individual and pursuing him outside the issuing county and across state borders.

When arrests are being made, whether the cops have sought a warrant for the detention or not, the police officer who is making the arrest is legally required to identify himself as a member of the state’s legal entity. If a warrant has been released in the matter, this should also be mentioned along with the offense for which the individual is being detained.

Finding Iowa arrest records and getting a warrant search done in the state

Finding information on warrants that have already been served can be decidedly simpler. All you will have to do is check the Iowa Department of Corrections website and use their prisoner search tool. This is available at the Iowa Offender Search here.

Alternatively, browsing the court dockets database or the most wanted list can help. Because the Department of the Clerk of Court keeps records pertaining to all cases that the state tribunals have heard, you can find court records on civil as well as criminal matters through this source. You can also access court records through the Iowa Judiciary website.

For a statewide inquiry conducted through the law enforcement agency, you can contact the Division of Criminal Investigation, a part of the state’s Public Safety Department. A name-based warrant search can be initiated through this agency by filling out the form available on Iowa criminal history record information page. And sending it to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, 215 East 7th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319.

To get in touch with the Department of Corrections, you can head over to 510 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319. Inquiries for crime history are charged at $15 per search when sent through the mail.