Palm Beach County Arrest Records Online Guide

For Palm Beach County Arrest Records, the best place to look would be the law enforcement agency that made the arrest(s). Usually, 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.

An arrest record contains all information related to the incident. This information 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. He/she may have been detained, questioned, or arrested. But until proven in court, he will still remain innocent and will not have a criminal charge filed against him.

A public record, as outlined in Florida State Statute 119.011(11) is defined as “All documents papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmissions, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transactions of official business of any agency. All materials made or received by an agency in connection with official business which are used to perpetuate, communicate or formalize knowledge. All such materials, regardless of whether they are in final form, are open for public inspection unless the Legislature has exempted them from disclosure.” Florida arrest records and other public information are open for review and for request by the general public. This gives the residents the shared responsibility in keeping their communities safer.

There are a number of ways to make a public records request to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. One can make a request via phone, in person, via e-mail, or by post. The requestor does not need to identify himself or provide a reason for the request. Palm County has 5 locations for records. The searcher may call or visit any 1 of those to inquire about their opening and closing hours, as well as request forms and fees. The Central Records unit strives to fulfill all requests as quickly as possible. The time frame cannot be defined in days, hours, or minutes. The state allows the unit reasonable amount of time to retrieve the requested records and redact portions that are not allowed to be released.

One can also request for a background check from the agency. There is only one type of background check available. It is a Local background check. All information provided is generated from a booking within the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office corrections facilities or a police report and/or record generated by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office only. It is good to note that the background response is based on a name check only within the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office database and the results may not be verified by fingerprints. The record(s) may also be inconclusive. In order to get the best possible match, details such as the full name, date of birth, and the social security number, would be the best information to present to the agency when researching an individual for accurate results. A fee of $3.00 will be charged per name for all background checks.

For those who cannot physically visit the law enforcement agencies, there are online options available. Online databases made available by the county. There the searcher may access the website for Palm County Arrest Logs, and other useful information.