Houston County Arrest Records

The existence of public records was something that was brought about by the fact that most governments nowadays operate with general openness. This means that the actions done by those in power are supposed to be recorded so that they could be checked, not only by those who exercise supervisory powers over the said official that had made the action reflected on the record, but also by the public who wants to know if the people in power are the right people to be there. Records, therefore, are open to the public, with some offices receiving requests for these records almost exclusively from the public, and one of the most important and most requested for records are arrest records such as Houston County Arrest Records.

To understand the importance of arrest records, one must first understand exactly what is written inside the four corners of the paper that make up the arrest record. Not every person would have an arrest record to his or her name, because the only ones who would have arrest records are those that had been arrested before. Included in the arrest records would be some information that would hint, if not outright reveal, the criminal past of the person whom the records refer to. As public records, arrest records are available to the public at all times, which means they are relatively easy to acquire, and with the additional advantage of the records being presumed to be accurate as a consequence of the fact that they are classified as public records. This means that the person who alleges that the record is lying would have the burden to prove that the record is false.

Houston County Texas Arrest Records

This is the reason why the law requires that public records be kept at several separate locations. One archive may be compromised with the records within edited, but with other records located at several other locations, it is relatively easy to correct such mistakes. One of the locations where arrest records may be requested from would be the office of the county clerk. As the primary recorder within the borders of the county, all public records are sent to the county clerk, or at least copies thereof. The procedure to follow when requesting for records at this office begins with the searcher personally asking permission from the clerk to look into the archives. Public policy requires that permission is almost always given, so this should not be an issue. As for the actual search, the searcher would have to comb the archives, and because of the sheer volume of records involved, this may take some time. luckily, assistance may be requested from the member of the staff who, presumably, is more familiar with the filing system used by the system, expediting the search. Once the records are located, copies of the same may be requested at one dollar per page of the document to be copied, plus two dollars per document for the certification fee.

A faster search may be conducted through the use of online database. Most of these databases are not affiliated with the government, but they do provide the same information as these government offices, albeit using a faster and more efficient system that would allow the user to conduct the search from the comforts of the home of the user. Most of these databases also do not charge anything for the use of their services.

Houston County Jail Records

Given below is the procedure to follow when requesting for records at the office of the county clerk

Head over to the office of the county clerk and ask permission from the clerk to look into the archives.
Once permission is given, request assistance from a member of the staff to help in your search.
Once you have accessed the archives, search the same for the records that you are interested in. Note that this may take some time given the sheer volume of the records.
Once the record that you are interested in had been located, bring the same to the desk of a record keeper and request that copies of the same be made.
The records keeper would determine your required fee based on the number of copies you wish to obtain and the number of pages of those records.
Pay the required fee.
Claim your copy.

The following links may provide further assistance