Police Report
The term police report is used rather loosely to refer to a few different things.
 

What exactly is a police report?
In the legal sense, a police report is an official document filed by a law enforcement officer as the result of his or her investigation of a criminal act.

If you are the victim of a crime and file a report with the police, the information becomes part of the officers' report and in most cases becomes part of the public record. Should the perpetrator be arrested and taken to court the original police report becomes part of the perpetrators criminal record.

When a person is arrested, a police report is completed by the arresting officers, becomes part of the evidence for prosecution of the case and is entered into the criminal records database. In many states, even motor vehicle violations are included. Regardless of conviction or acquittal this police report and the disposition of the case becomes a part of the public record.
 
 
Police report, why would I need one?
If you have been involved in a traffic accident or have incurred financial losses due to criminal activity, your insurance company will require a copy of a police report to corroborate your loss.

However, if you are:
• An employer doing a pre-employment check on a potential hire.
• A property owner checking on a potential renter.
• Trying to determine if that great person that you just met is a great catch or a sexual predator.
• Trying to learn if the person with the great investment opportunity is legitimate or a scam artist.

Then a police report, which tells only part of the story, is useless. To fully protect yourself, you want to do a full-blown criminal records search, which will include the original police report for all offenses that person was arrested for.
 
 
How do I get a copy of a police report?
A document to satisfy your insurance company can be obtained for a small fee from the police department that has jurisdiction where the loss occurred.

In all cases that put you in serious liability then a criminal records search in the appropriate state or county is your safest bet.


Of course, not every one has the time or the resources to travel to the courthouse and spend all day searching the public record. An easier way is to do an online criminal records search here at crimenc.com.

Our searches are fast, easy and inexpensive.

Owned and operated by former law enforcement personal our North Carolina criminal record searches including police reports are retrieved from up to date real time databases.