Public Communication has enjoyed a big boost with the advent of the Internet and Public Arrest Reports is one of the biggest beneficiaries. Through this medium, they are now reaching more people more efficiently with more effect. The main objective of posting these periodical reports publicly is to keep people informed of arrests made by the authorities. In a way, those who might be having ulterior ideas are also warned.
An Arrest Report constitutes a complete list of arrestees over a specific period duration accompanied with information details on personal particulars, situation of the incidents and charges of each case. It stands as an official record of detention or enforced custody by an authorized agency and will be documented into the respective individual file of each of the arrestees.
Public Arrest Reports are commonly referred to as Public Police Reports as they are predominantly generated by the Police. Having that said, there are other enforcement authorities that are also in the capacity to do so. Although there may be variations from one state to another, it is also a general practice that Public Arrest Reports are befittingly taken charge of by the Police.
By procedures, an Arrest Report is prepared shortly after an arrest is made to record the incident in official document. It is then submitted to an assigned Case Intake official, who is usually the assigned Prosecutor for subsequent action. The report would detail all the facts pertaining to the arrest. In general, they present the personal particulars and bio-data of the arrestee, the time and place of occurrence, case number and type, witness information, surrounding factors like weather conditions, crowd, noise and so forth.
Public Arrest Reports are posted on various media by many Police Departments and Sheriff Offices for public viewing and attention. Weekly update is the norm but there is no fixed schedule, with some as frequent as live and some at monthly intervals. Cumulative lists over the years are also commonly available. Such reports are usually of a collective nature listing all arrests conducted over a certain period within a particular locality. Expunged records and those of arrestees below a certain age are usually omitted.
Aside from being a standard enforcement documentation procedure, a primary function of Public Arrest Reports is to serve as an official statement or evidence in determining the appropriate formal charges for the Prosecutor or Grand Jury, whichever applies for the particular case. Although they are generally not admissible to Court trials, they often have a significant impact on the bail amount, plea bargain and trial tactics.
Public Arrest Reports are a public service. They are accessible by anyone and information further to what is posted can be requested from the responsible government departments. They can also be privately purchased from commercial information providers who basically derive them from the same government sources but value-add with data refinement and extras from private and proprietary sources.