What are arrest records and arrest warrants?
Wisconsin arrest records are a lowdown on the criminal involvements of a person. Criminal history data offered by the Crime information Bureau, which is a part of the Wisconsin department of Justice, will include details on arrests, the release of active warrants in the name of the subject, charges sought against this person, court verdict, sentencing, incarceration, release and more.
The agency offers both fingerprint and name based warrant searches. However, when it comes to the assimilation of crime data, this is strictly done on the basis of fingerprints captured at the time of arrests. A crime history file is only opened in the name of an individual when his fingerprints are received in connection with a criminal matter. By law, police departments are required to submit prints when the offense commissioned by the suspect is listed in section 165.83 of the State Criminal Code.
Once crime records are created in the name of an accused, it becomes the responsibility of the judiciary to add information to this file as the matter progresses through the justice network. The Department of corrections has its own input to offer. Together, this collection of data is termed as criminal history and it includes details on all cases of a criminal nature regardless of the court disposition in the matter.
Given the open records policy of Wisconsin and the establishment of a computerized crime history section within the Bureau, it is possible for civilians as well as private employers to seek warrant searches with a signed waiver from the subject. However, information on juvenile crimes will not be made a part of the background report. It is possible to seek information on crime history through local and state level entities.
Wisconsin arrest warrants
The process followed for the issue of active warrants from WI has been defined in section 968.04 of the State Criminal procedure. The law states that an active warrant will be issued in response to a criminal complaint lodged with the tribunal as long as it can be satisfactorily proven that there is probable cause to blame the accused for the criminal act in question.
After receiving an approval from the district attorney’s office, the sheriff’s department files the petition for an arrest warrant with the bench. The authority to release active warrants rests in the hands of the magistrate who will study the case carefully to ensure that there will be no violations of the Fourth Amendment if a detention directive is sanctioned. Upon issue, arrest warrants are delivered forthwith to a law enforcement agency or officers who are in charge of executing them.
Arrest warrants can be issued in the county in which the crime has occurred; in fact, this is the general procedure. However, if a magistrate is not available in the jurisdiction, the decree can be released by a judge in another county. The issuing magistrate can impose restrictions of time and/or geography on the warrant.
As far as the execution of outstanding warrants from Wisconsin is concerned, these directives hold valid in all parts of the state. These decrees can be served at any time after their issue; this means that unless a warrant is executed it will not be returned. While making arrests under active warrants, the police officer need not have the original order in his possession but he does have to advise the arrestee of the existence of the decree.
How do I search for Wisconsin arrest records and warrants?
There are numerous ways to look for information on WI arrest records and active warrants. The first is of course to approach the Crime Information Bureau hosted by the Department of Justice. They offer the facility for online warrant searches through their website at https://recordcheck.doj.wi.gov/. Depending on the type of inquiry you are conducting, you will be charged between $7 and $10 for the search.
Another way to find information on crime history in the state is through the judiciary. In fact, through this approach, you could also get your hands on civil records while you look for crime related data. The clerk of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin and the Court of Appeals can be contacted through mail at 110 East Main Street, Suite 215, P.O. Box 1688, Madison, WI 53701.
Alternatively, you could use their online case search facility available at http://www.wicourts.gov/casesearch.htm. You can find information on matters being heard at all levels of the judiciary through this webpage. It is possible to conduct the investigation by using the name of the litigant or the accused, the case number, the birth date of the alleged offender and contact details.
Wisconsin crime statistics
Between 1999 and 2008, the annual crime average of Wisconsin held at over 170,000 cases per annum. The rate of violent crimes which were responsible for about 13,000 complaints each year showed an increase of nearly 20%. As opposed to this, there was barely any movement in the average of overall criminal activity.
Of the all the case reports filed in a year, about 50% are instances that have occurred within a one mile radius of the victim’s home or office. In terms of specific crime types, thefts undoubtedly offered the most cause for concern with 110,000 cases each year. Although murders did not even bring in 1/10th as many complaints, the fact that 170 homicide related cases are filed in the state every year is worrying.