Mugshots Are Public Record (2023)

December 19, 2019

Are All Mugshots Public Record?

You may be wondering, why are mugshots public records? The fact of the matter is simple, ever since the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) came into effect, personal records are more accessible than ever before. Our government has gone to great lengths to ensure increased transparency between society and local entities.

Today on the internet you are able to learn anything, you can theoretically learn how to become a heart surgeon or maybe just find a recipe for tonight’s family dinner. Whatever you use the internet for, just remember there are unlimited amounts of information available to anyone and everyone.

In the past, in order to obtain a mugshot or criminal record for a specific individual you would have to travel to the county clerk office and request a copy. However starting in 2015 with the emergence of mugshot publication websites, the accessibility increased ten-fold.

To this day, if you were to go online, the only thing stopping you from locating my home address is knowing the right website and about $10 to set up an account (subscription). As we just stated, mugshot websites such as BustedMugshots.com and/or Mugshots.com have not only made this process free but simpler than ever.

All visitors have to do is enter an individual’s name and bam, all their arrests appear right before their eyes.

Please fill out the form below and we will reach out as soon as possible!

What is Considered Public Information?

Typically anything that can be retrieved from a county clerk office or local database online is considered public information. These documents and reports would include all court documents, government case files, real estate deeds and much more. This is another effort by the government to improve transparency between the local community and governmental offices.

Look at it this way, if you are in the market or looking to buy a new home you will most likely do extensive research on not only the home but the previous/current owner. Known by most, there are various databases online you can utilize to accomplish this.

For this example, you could take a deeper look into the county’s land reports, fault lines, history, maintenance and much more.

In certain circumstances, you may not be able to access specific documents or reports as easily (or at all). For instance, if a court case has been expunged off of an individual’s criminal record, you will no longer be able to see it. It is like the arrest “never happened” in the eye of the law.

So generally speaking, files that have been sealed, dismissed or expunged by a Judge are not accessible to the general public.

Why Mugshots Publication Sites Post Mugshots

Depending on which side of the law you are standing on, we can all agree that online mugshots make anyone look bad. Unfortunately for society, documents such as mugshots, criminal records, and arrest reports are public knowledge. Meaning anyone can collect the data and distribute it as they wish.

For most, that means the end of their career or even disrupting their family life. An arrest can quickly flip your life upside-down and knowing how to be proactive about keeping your reputation in good standing will make all the difference.

So what is protecting these mugshot publication websites? Well, the answer is simpler than what you might expect. Dating back to 1966, the FOIA, otherwise called the Freedom of Information Act came to fruition.

FOIA provides you with all the freedom to lawfully collect public documents from inside a national agency. Regardless of whether the public document has been created by the agency or directly gathered by them.

To be able to acquire this information, you have to send them a signed application or request, directed at the maximum fitting service. Moreso, you have to describe the information that you need to obtain in detail.

Truth be told, there’s not a particular form. All you need to do is ask. Under the FOIA, it is possible to ask about any public documents formulated or obtained by that particular agency. You might also be asked to pay a fee, even though this is uncommon.

Obtaining Mugshots and Public Records

Commonly, a public document is a report registered with any particular town, county, state or federal government office. In layman’s terms, people documents are simply documents and official reports that anybody may access. Although public records are normally records.

These documents may consist of anything from maps to records, to movies, to photos, to tapes, to applications, to letters, and books and so on.

Court records are a popular illustration of public documents. As an example, if you discovered your next-door neighbor Max was detained for a violent national charge a few years ago, you can inquire for a copy of those public records to find out more about the event. In some cases, these findings can only be seen or collected online.

Florida and Maryland allow the public to search for the next within their own database: Moreso, it’s possible to even obtain copies of transcripts from this individual’s hearing and trial (Florida only). Additionally, you can scour the web for bankruptcy matters utilizing the database named PACER.

Mugshots: Guilty Before Proven Innocent

Mugshots can help others when they’re attempting to find individuals who’ve been absconded. In resistance, mugshots can frighten the local place for if an individual was discharged and if they’re dangerous.

So there’s a great reason to discuss some mugshots. Our judicial system anticipates transparency from the national constitution. Any effort to maintain mugshots independently would end in suits by people affected.

But this didn’t alter considerably. This is a bit the understanding of the injury that mugshots can make when online. The court clearly says websites that place mugshots online, in its own analysis.Some countries have enacted laws so as to restrict the number of published mugshots before a certainty. One of those states now is New Jersey.

The whole notion of public documents would be to skip the authorities from collecting money from individuals. Additionally to limit their power.

It had been known that making records people would protect people. Since it surely does when you’ve got a secretive government. But, in addition, it may still cause harm in the electronic age we’re experiencing now. The worldwide web extends both ways, folks wish to have the ability to find whatever info they desire.

However, if the data makes them look bad there’s an uproar, a complete catch-22.

As citizens of the USA, we’ve got the liberty to spot issues and liberty of expression. But when others are lawfully permitted to demonstrate the adverse past of the others it conveys irreparable harm onto somebody else.

Remove Mugshots From Public Records

Mugshot posts normally start to surface online following about two weeks following the detain. Approaching these mugshot books instantly provides you with leverage when working to eliminate criminal records from public documents.

During sophisticated background checks, it’s likely your criminal background will disclose itself. Sites like WhitePages or Spokeo show everything from the title, criminal background, relatives, home addresses, etc.

Eliminating online mugshots and public documents is exactly what RPI concentrates on and has for the last decade. Our mugshot elimination team will notify all search results instantly after the removal of your public documents.

After about one week, Google will refresh its search results to show some alterations on the web.

Conclusion: Mugshots Are Public Record with RPI

There are a lot of reasons why individuals should wish your history restored to its former glory and cleaned up.

If you’d like to find out more about ways to work to eliminate public documents like mugshots online, please fill out the form below and we’ll contact you when we could.

Please fill out the form below and we will reach out as soon as possible!

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