Hearing a knock on the door and discovering that an officer is waiting on the other side to serve a warrant for your arrest is not a pleasant experience. This can often mean that you’re going to be away from your family for some time.
You can prevent being surprised like this by completing a few simple searches to see if you have a warrant for your arrest in your state and across the country. And once you find the answer, you can take the necessary steps to deal with the situation. Do not allow yourself to be caught off-guard.
Call
There are several people you can call when you’re trying to find out if you have a warrant. The sheriff’s department or your city police department will have the information you are looking for. Also, they can help you decide if you should hire an attorney or if the issue is one that could require only a small bail amount and a signature.
You can also contact your local courthouse to find out if there is a warrant. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t run away from a warrant as this will only mean more trouble.
Online
If you don’t want to talk to someone about any possible warrants that you might have, you can get information on checking for warrants online in California. All you have to do is enter your name and where you live to see details about your criminal background and warrants that might be on record.
A benefit of this system is that you can look up other people as well. If you own a business, you can see if potential employees might have a warrant. Or you can check out if someone who will watch your children has a warrant before you allow them in your home. Public records websites have basic information, but you might need to register to see personal details.
Visit the Courthouse
Take a trip to your local courthouse to see if there is a warrant for your arrest. This is an option to consider if you want to get printed details about your warrant. Keep in mind that once there, you might be asked to talk to an officer before you leave the courthouse.
This special measure is usually taken for people who have a warrant for their arrest. But if you don’t make a scene, then a visit to the Courthouse, usually won’t be too much trouble.
There are a few other benefits of using this method of looking up warrants:
- Get printed details about employees
- Get information about attorneys
- Talk to the court about warrant details
Bondsman
If you’ve been arrested and you think that you’ve missed a court date, consider contacting a bondsman who can inform you if you have a warrant or not.
If you do have a warrant and you are arrested, then you can talk with the bondsman about getting out of jail as soon as possible. Sometimes, a bondsman will have access to databases that show warrants that are newly issued.
Attorneys
An attorney is beneficial to have on hand if you’ve already been in trouble with the law. It can also help resolve any future complications. Your attorney can look on various databases to see if you have a warrant in your state or other states.
Having an attorney working for you case can be crucial in building a strong case. This might result in charges being dropped or a reduced sentence. What is more, they can also come up with ways to offer you some protection the next time you have trouble with the law.