Broward County Arrest Records

Records of arrest in Broward County are official documents detailing individuals arrested within the county and the reasons for their arrest. These details are collected during the booking process, after an individual is apprehended for suspected criminal activity or while committing an offense. Arrests are carried out by law enforcement agencies in the county, including the Sheriff's office.

Arrest records are considered public information under the Florida Sunshine Law to enhance public awareness and safety while promoting accountability, fairness, and transparency. However, to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations and sensitive information, this does not include documents related to active investigations, confessions, or juvenile and victim information (Fla. Stat. 119.071). Access to arrest records allows the public to track the progress of cases, obtain information on inmates and those held in custody or released, and have sufficient details for background checks.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Broward?

Under the Sunshine Law, arrest records are declared public. Florida Statute 943.053 also asserts that law enforcement agencies must disseminate criminal justice information per federal and state law. These provisions ensure that law enforcement agencies make arrest documents available to the public.

However, while complying with the open records law, public bodies must ensure that other rules and regulations are not compromised. For instance, privacy laws dictate that if the sensitivity of releasing certain information outweighs the public's need to know, that information would not be disclosed. Additionally, expunged records and records involving minors are generally unavailable to the public.

Other records or details that may be withheld include personal information such as psychiatric or medical records and social security numbers.

Broward County Arrest Search

Broward County arrest records can exist as standalone documents, particularly when a case is dropped or the arrestee is found innocent. They can also be part of broader criminal records maintained by law enforcement. This means several options are available for individuals seeking arrest records in Broward. Some of these options include:

• Through state platforms: As part of criminal records, details of an arrest can be retrieved from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement by performing a background check. This search can be conducted on the department's website. Users can choose from an instant search, a certified or non-certified search, or an ORI search. Each search cost $24
• Through federal platforms: Members of the public can query the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to perform a criminal background check. When a background check is performed, the FBI provides requesters with a RAP sheet. This RAP sheet combines arrest records and court records. For a fee of $18, individuals can access arrest records maintained by the FBI.

Broward County Inmate Locator

The Sheriff's office is responsible for booking arrestees and curating arrest records, as well as for disseminating them to interested persons. The office provides several options for the public to access these records.

Firstly, users can find arrest records online. The department provides a search tool on the website that inquirers can utilize. Researchers can follow these outlined steps:

• Inquirers can visit the Sheriff's office's web page.
• On the home page, one would need to scroll up a bit.
• An ' arrest search' option is displayed on the page.
• The requester can click on it. A page is displayed where one can commence their search.

The requester would only need to provide a name to perform the search.

The Sheriff's office also receives walk-in requests and mail requests.

Active Warrant Search in Broward County

Warrants are written orders that authorize the arrest of the person against whom the complaint was made to be brought before the judge. For a warrant to be valid and enforceable, it has to be signed by a judge. Warrants would typically contain the name of the suspect, the date the warrant was issued, and the reason for its release. Warrants are issued by the court and executed by law enforcement.

Fla. Sta. 901.02 states the conditions under which a warrant is granted.

The Office of the Sheriff maintains a record of all warrants executed by the office as a matter of record-keeping; however, no dedicated online database is available for interested persons to search for active warrants. Notwithstanding, inquirers may find details warranting inclusion in a criminal record.

Those seeking active warrants can contact the department directly.

How to Find Arrest Records

Individuals seeking Broward County arrest records can access records through any of the following means:

In-person inspection

A requester can visit the Sheriff's office or the courthouse where the case was handled to request records. The record from the Sheriff's office would be a standalone document; meanwhile, one would retrieve a criminal record, which also contains an arrest record.

Online

Inquirers can visit the clerk of court's web page and use the case management search tool to search for sorted records. Requesters can also use the arrest search tool on the Sheriff's website to search for desired records.

Broward Arrest Report

Broward arrest reports differ slightly from arrest records in that while an arrest report provides more details and insight into the event surrounding the arrest, especially the reason for the arrest, a record is a summary of the report. Additionally, arrest reports are typically only accessible to law enforcement personnel and sometimes the judiciary, and not the general public. The public, on the other hand, gets to access and even copy arrest records.

Arrest reports are typically narratives of the happenings that led up to the arrest of an individual and are prepared by the arresting officer.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Broward

Under the law, there are several types of expungements one may apply for; some of which are:

• Administrative expungement: a situation where one was wrongly arrested or was not guilty of the crime (Fla. Sta. 943.0581)
• Juvenile diversion expungement (Fla. Sta. 943.0582)
• Court-ordered sealing and expungement (Fla. Sta. 943.059, and 943.0585)

Where one was wrongfully arrested or not found guilty, the petitioner can file for an administrative expungement. However, a court-ordered sealing and expungement can be filed where one is guilty.

To file for an expungement, petitioners can follow these steps:

Step 1: Get a certificate of eligibility

• Get and complete the application form
• Submit the application form to the State Attorney's office
• Forward the completed application to Florida DLE

Step 2: Fill out and file a petition and affidavit to expunge or seal

• Submit every required document, including the completed petition, certificate of eligibility, and payment of the required fee, to the court where the case was handled.
• Forward a copy to the Office of the Attorney in Broward.

The petitioner would be informed if the request is granted or not by the Attorney's office.

How Do You Remove Arrest Records From the Internet?

One can only seek to have their arrest records removed from the Internet if they have been granted an expunction. This means that the expunged records can be extracted from public databases.

Customarily, the standard practice following the expunction of an arrest record is that it is withdrawn from all sites. However, while that is automatically done on public sites, some privately managed sites may still have these records accessible on their databases.

Where an expunged arrest record is still provided to the public, the record holder may need to send evidence of the expungement of their records to the site and request that their expunged records be taken down.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Publicly available Broward arrest records are typically furnished with the following information:

Information on the arrestee

• Name of record holder
• Arrest number
• Height, weight, hair, eye, sex, race
• Location
• Arrest date
• Arresting agency
• Visitation
• Expected release date
• Mugshot
• Charge
• Charge number
• Statute
• Charge comment
• Charge status
• Case number
• Description
• Bond type
• Disposition
• Bond amount