The world of criminal justice all over the United States is definitely a complicated oneThere are a lot of ins and outs that one should know before they can even begin to act like they’re confident about their knowledgeIt’s good that so many things are outlined, but it does make things a little confusing.
One thing that not a whole lot of people seem to fully understand is the concept of a Florida warrant searchThese kinds of searches can pull up a good deal of information, but the important thing is the kind of information that they can pull up.
Now, one thing that is especially misunderstood in this sector of information is if you can find bench warrantsdoing a standard warrant searchThis piece of information is very frequently overlooked and it’s worth finding out if you have specific details you want to look at.
That’s actually why we decided to write today’s articleThere is a lot of misinformation out there, and clearing up misconceptions is important for this kind of searchYou’d have a hard time getting true information if all you have to work with is misinformation.
So, today we’re going to be breaking down a few important concepts, determining if you can find bench warrants through a warrant search, and also covering how to do a warrant searchBy the time you’re done reading this article, you’ll definitely be knowledgeable enough for casual conversations on the topic.
Do, however, keep in mind that we will have to leave a lot outLawyers go to school for upwards of seven additional years of full-time schooling before they attempt to pass the BAR exam, which is widely considered to be one of the most difficult tests in the world.
We won’t be able to get you to that level of expertise in one short article, but we can make sure that you won’t embarrass yourself too much if you even end up in a conversation with a lawyer on this topicWithout further ado, let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
What is a Bench Warrant?
There are a lot of kinds of warrants that are usedour criminal justice systemDifferent warrants can be used for different functions, depending on the situation and what kind of action is required for said situationSo, what are the different kinds of warrants?
Before getting into the variety of warrants that are used in our criminal justice system, it’s important to understand the mechanisms that make warrants workThe specific mechanism you need to know is the 4th amendment of the constitution of the United States of America.
This amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizuresThat protects innocent people, at least in theory, from being harassedthe policeThe only issue is that not everyone is an innocent partyThe solution? Allowing judges and magistrates to issue warrants, which can help law enforcement get past those protections.
There are a Lot of Different Types of Warrants:
- Search warrants.
- These warrants allow law enforcement to search someone’s person or property.
- Arrest warrants.
- Arrest warrants give law enforcement the opportunity to arrest someone in a situation where it would otherwise be illegal.
- Fugitive warrant.
- This kind of warrant is used when a suspect is believed to have fled from the jurisdiction of the original warrant.
- International warrant.
- This is the same as the last kind of warrant but if the suspect is believed to have fled to another countryIf you know anything about global politics you probably know how tricky this can get.
- Bench warrant.
- A bench warrant is a warrant that is issued when a suspect fails to appear in courtThis kind of warrant is a variation of an arrest warrant.
- Governer’s/Mayor’s warrant.
- In some cases, a mayor or governor can issue a warrantThese cases are somewhat rare, but they can happen.
We did kind of gloss over what a bench warrant is, but to elaborate a bit more, it’s a kind of warrant that is usually issued when a suspect doesn’t show up on their court dateThis is an additional charge, which will make the suspect’s case a lot harder.
So, why would someone miss their court date? There are a lot of reasons, for example:
- They forgot.
- They mixed up the days.
- They’re in hiding.
- They’re fleeing the country.
- They got lost on the way.
- They missed their bus.
Typically, and this isn’t legal advice, it is considered a very bad idea to miss your court dateMaking sure that you get there early is important, but your lawyer for your case will definitely instruct you on exactly what they need to doListen to them, they want to keep you out of jail as much as you don’t want to go to jail.
Will a Warrant Search Reveal a Bench Warrant?
In order to determine if you’ll be able to find a bench warrant through a warrant search, we’re going to have to determine exactly what kind of warrants are searchable in the first placeIn order to figure this information out, we’re going to have to look at what law enforcement actually makes available.
If you go to your local sheriff’s department’s website, you may or may not be able to find a database that will allow you to search for warrantsWe’ll touch on that more in just a moment, but the important thing to know is what kind of warrants are on these databases.
Now, generally speaking, the only kinds of warrants that you’ll be able to find through these databases are arrest warrantsIn fact, to the best of our knowledge, law enforcement doesn’t share any information about search warrants anywhere in the country.
The reason why arrest warrants are searchable is that people that are wanted can turn themselves injust searching their names in the right placesKnowing that you have a warrant can give you a chance to get your affairs in order before you potentially go to jail or prison.
Because bench warrants are variations of arrest warrants, that means that you should be able to find themdoing a warrant search pretty easilyThat’s fantastic news if you need this information and want to make sure that you get the full story.
There are a lot of ways that one can go about finding warrant information, but we’ll cover that in greater detail in the next section so you can go from this article to doing your own warrant searches with almost 0 turn-around time.
How to Find Warrants
Finding outstanding warrant information can be a bit tricky if you don’t know what you’re doingAs we mentioned, there are a few issues with searching police records directly for warrant informationThe biggest issue here is consistency.
Many, many counties do make this kind of information very easy to find and even update their databases multiple times a dayOn the other hand, some counties don’t provide that kind of service and prefer to make people call or email them so they can get what they’re looking for.
You can try calling your local sheriff’s department, but that will also yield you some pretty inconsistent resultsThat being said, if they’re able to give you that information over the phone, they’re usually happy toIf not, you’ll need to find another way to get the warrant information you need.
Calling a bail bonds company can be productiveThey sometimes have warrant information that the general public doesn’t haveAvailability depends on a county-by-county basis and can even change depending on the company that you’re talking toIt comes down to the laws and policies in effect around warrant infromation.
If you do try calling a bail bonds company, make sure to mind your mannersThey’re doing you a favor, try to remember thatEven if they can provide you with that information, they aren’t required toYou catch more flies with honey than vinegar, as they say.
If all else fails, there are plenty of warrant search services out thereThese are third-party search services that can pull records from all over the country in mere momentsThat also makes this method great if you need to find a lot of information in a short period of time.
Knowing How to Find Warrants
Different people have different reasons for wanting to find warrant informationWhether they’re looking into themselves to see if they need to make plans to turn themselves in or they’re looking into someone else for one of a variety of reasons, knowing how to find warrants can be helpful.
The internet is a great tool for this, and knowing how to properly use the internet to reach your goals can make this search about a thousand times easierWith a bit of practice, you can be doing warrant searches just as good as the professionals.
