Tallapoosa County Arrest Records

Arrests in Tallapoosa are generally initiated when law enforcement officers experience crimes firsthand or obtain arrest warrants. People can also be arrested after prosecutors file criminal indictments with local county courts. Regardless of the arrest method, the police collect information about people taken into custody and create records about each arrest. These documents are called Tallapoosa County arrest records.

Arrest records are generally maintained by arresting agencies. Additionally, information about the proceedings after an arrest, such as indictments and hearings, can be found in the Tallapoosa County court records. Individuals can also contact the local courts for such case details.

Are Arrest Records Public in Tallapoosa County?

Yes. Members of the public are permitted to search and obtain arrest information from law enforcement agencies and courts. Alabama Code 36-12-40 (the Alabama Public Records Law) instructs police departments and the sheriff's office to release such data. Meanwhile, Rule 9.3(b) of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure allows public access to court records, which may contain arrest information.

However, some records are not available for public purchase or inspection. These include identification numbers, financial records like credit card numbers, medical information, juvenile records, and sealed court files. Arrest information generated during ongoing investigations may also be restricted.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Members of the public can obtain the following arrest information from record custodians:

• Identifying information: Arrestee's name, date of birth, physical description, and photograph
• Arrest details: Arrest location, date and time
• Offense: Charges and statutes violated
• Custody details: Holding facility, booking date and time, release information
• Court information: Court appearance dates

Tallapoosa County Arrest Statistics

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency releases annual arrest reports through its Crime Report Dashboard. According to the published figures for 2023, there were 1,732 arrests in Tallapoosa County. Of these, 1,480 were for Part II adult offenses, 218 for Part I adult offenses, 27 for Part II juvenile offenses, and 7 for Part I juvenile crimes.

Find Tallapoosa County Arrest Records

Anyone who wishes to inspect or obtain Tallapoosa County arrest records can contact the law enforcement agency responsible for the arrest, the county jail, or the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Arresting agencies include city police departments and the Sheriff's Office. Arrests executed within city boundaries are within the jurisdiction of their respective police departments. For example, one can approach the Alexander PD to obtain arrest information.

The Sheriff's Department also maintains arrest information since it oversees the Tallapoosa County Jail. Individuals apprehended throughout the county are confined in the facility pending their court appearances.

If a federal body like the Federal Bureau of Investigation executes an arrest in Tallapoosa, interested parties can contact the agency or use resources provided by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The Bureau offers an online Federal Inmate Search application that the public can use to locate inmates and find their registration numbers. People can also submit FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests to the BOP for more details.

Court records can also provide insights into arrests. While prosecutors may file charges that do not reflect arrest offenses in some cases, there are cases where one can view certain arrest records, such as warrants and bail information. Individuals can contact the county's Circuit Clerk for information.

Additionally, members of the public can approach the Alabama Department of Corrections to check for records of inmates in the DOC's custody. These inmates are state prisoners serving time for specific convictions. That means researchers will only see information for convictions, which may not represent arrest histories.

Free Arrest Record Search in Tallapoosa County

Under Alabama's public records statutes, some arrest records can be obtained for free from law enforcement agencies. However, people who want to order copies of records may be charged the associated fees.

Individuals can also access free arrest records through private vendors that publish public records online. These vendors are independent agencies that may not have official partnerships with law enforcement. However, they collate public data into central online databases accessible to the public.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. Arrest records are not destroyed in Alabama. While eligible individuals can request expungement, their records are only restricted from public access if such petitions are granted. Criminal justice agencies and other permitted bodies can still retrieve expunged records for specific processes, like investigations and recruitment.

Expunge Tallapoosa County Arrest Records

Alabama law allows certain previously arrested or convicted individuals to expunge their records. These people must meet specific conditions stipulated by statute to qualify. The state's law only restricts expunged arrest and criminal records from public access. These records are not permanently deleted and can be accessed by criminal justice agencies for reasons approved by state law.

Individuals who can file for expungement in Tallapoosa include:

• Former arrestees who were never convicted because their charges were dropped, no-billed, or never filed
• Defendants who completed a pretrial program
• Defendants whose charges were dismissed
• Defendants found not guilty after their criminal trial

Persons who can prove they were victims of human trafficking during their crimes can also file.

Be that as it may, there are time restrictions for filing expungements in the following cases:

• Former defendants can submit expungement petitions five years after a felony charge is dismissed without prejudice.
• Ninety days must pass before expungements can be filed if charges were dismissed with prejudice, prosecutors declined to press charges, the individual was found not guilty, or a grand jury granted a no-bill filing.

People who were convicted can only apply for expungement if their convictions involve non-violent offenses. They must also wait three years after their convictions and must have fulfilled their punishments (fine payments, jail sentence, parole, etc.).

Applicants are required to provide the following documents while submitting their petition:

• Certified records of arrest from the law enforcement agency that executed the arrest
• Certified court records if the matter was filed in court
• A sworn statement created under the penalty of perjury establishing that the petitioner meets the conditions for expungement and if they have a past expungement filing or order in the past
• A certified criminal history information issued by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Criminal Justice Center

Individuals can fill out the Petition for Expungement of Records, add the above documents, and submit it to the Tallapoosa County Circuit Court. They must specify the charges they want expunged, the arresting agency, and the detention facility that held the defendant. Once filed, petitioners must also serve copies on the district attorney and the arresting agency.

Tallapoosa County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are court documents signed by judges to arrest named individuals. Law enforcement officers usually request these orders by providing probable cause that people may have committed crimes. However, judges can issue warrants when defendants fail to appear in court or violate other court orders, such as summonses, community service, or child support payments.

Individuals looking to view details of arrest warrants, such as the nature of the defendant's crime, can visit or contact the Tallapoosa County Circuit Clerk. One can also approach the Sheriff's Department for such details.

Do Tallapoosa County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Tallapoosa County arrest warrants remain active so long as a defendant has not been apprehended or found innocent. However, a judge can quash a warrant if there is evidence that the accused is not guilty or after the named individual surrenders to the authorities.