For Hays County Arrest Records, the first place to look would usually be the law enforcement agency that made the arrest(s). More often than not, the police or the Sheriff would have a record of the arrest, as well as the booking log in cases where the arrested person was held in custody. These days, it is not difficult to view arrest information. Each law enforcement agency has their own database for these types of information whether offline or online.
An arrest record contains all information related to the incident, which includes the individuals involved, the location of the incident, the time and date, and the respondents to the case. Being arrested does not necessarily mean that the person involved is guilty of the crime. It only means that he had a brush with the law. He will still will remain innocent ad will need to be tried in court before he is charged with any crime.
Under the Public Information Act, the state of Texas is required by law to make information accessible to the public, TX Arrest Records included. This allows for transparency and trust between the government and its people. It also allows its citizens to share in the responsibility of maintaining public safety.
The first law enforcement agency to visit when searching for arrest records would be the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. This agency maintains records for calls for service, incarcerations, traffic accident investigations, and juvenile criminal involvement. The Sheriff’s Office has three different records divisions, namely the Law Enforcement Records Division, Jail Records Division, and Juvenile Records Division.
The Law Enforcement Division maintains all outstanding warrants. The Jail Records Division maintains records on all persons incarcerated at the Hays County Law Enforcement Center. These records may include arrest reports and any other records regarding the person incarcerated in the jail. Certain records may require a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request form. Others may require a subpoena. The Juvenile Records Division covers records on incidents involving minors and juvenile offenders. Juvenile records are maintained through the Criminal Investigations Division. Because minors are involved, some records may again require a Freedom of Information Act request form. Others may also require a subpoena.
In the cases where the arrest resulted to a conviction, the searcher may also visit the District Court to request for additional information on the particular individual. There are public search terminals available at the reception of the District Clerk office. These are accessible during business hours. It is therefore advisable to know when the office’s business hours are. A more detailed search may also be performed by the Court Clerk for a fee, for records within the past 10 years.
For those who cannot physically visit the court or the other law enforcement agencies, there ere online options available. There is an online database made available by the court. There the searcher may access criminal case records, civil, probate, family and jail records. All information obtained from the database, although are most likely to be accurate, should still be verified with the court to ensure that the facts presented are up to date. The county also has a website for more information. Here, the searcher may access a Hays County Arrest Log, forms, procedures, listings, and all other needed information.