DUI arrest records in West Palm Beach are made public immediately after the person is arrested or certainly within 24 hours of that. Arrest records are public records and they are posted on the Sheriff’s office website along with the person’s picture, their booking photo, and information such as their name, date of birth, what the person is arrested for, and what the person’s address is.
They are stored at the Sheriff’s office initially and then they are published on the internet on the Sheriff’s office booking blotter which is accessible by the public. From there, once published, then they are able to be redistributed by any other agency or any other entity that may mine the internet for such data.
Initially, they are stored in the Sheriff’s office. Initially, they are published on the sheriff’s office website. From there, the press might pick it up, different media might pick it up, and other different websites may pick it up as well. A skilled DUI Lawyer can protect your rights, and attempt to protect your privacy when possible.
Having your DUI arrest be public knowledge can be stressful. A seasoned DUI Attorney can alleviate that stress by protecting your rights.
Consequences of a Public Arrest Record
The consequence of having a public arrest record is that it is public. Anyone can look at West Palm Beach DUI arrest records either directly through the Sheriff’s office, which puts it up as public information, or through the media or a third-party entity that regularly mines this data to publish on their own independent websites where it is further circulated around the internet for everyone to see.
There are companies like www.arrestreports.com and www.mugshots.com. Locally, there are sites like Facebook West Palm Beach Busted, Boca Raton Busted, and there is Delray Beach Busted. There are also local newspapers. They tend to pick this up and publish this information. The consequences of having a public arrest record are that the public is able to view it on many different forums and, not just through the Sheriff’s office.
Almost all mugshots are available to the public in West Palm Beach initially through the West Palm Beach County sheriff’s office website, then through the media, and then to other third-party sites that regularly publish this information as a matter of public interest. There are no options to deal with an arrest record in West Palm Beach until the case is resolved.
How Record Sealing Works
These records can be sealed once the case is resolved and as long as the person has not been convicted of the charge. If the person is arrested for a DUI in West Palm Beach and later convicted of that DUI, the person cannot have this record sealed. If the person is not convicted of DUI but has a prior arrest or has a prior conviction for any other crime, the person would not be able to get this records sealed.
The only way to get DUI arrest records sealed would be to have the charges reduced and to make sure the person is not convicted of the charge that is reduced or, even better, to get acquitted or become not guilty of the charge. As long as the person is not convicted, or if the case is dismissed, the person can have the arrest record sealed. But if the person is convicted or it is not dismissed, if the person has a prior record, most likely, the person is not going to be able to have it sealed.
Difference Between Record Sealing and Expunging
Sealing a West Palm Beach record means that the arrest record itself will be closed off from public view. There would be like a transparent box around the entry. It would indicate to Law Enforcement when they see it that the record is sealed. It is not going to be divulged or made available as public information.
Sealing would close the matter to public viewing and, technically, it will disappear from public view. However, we always say here, “The Government knows what Government does” or at least it should. These records are available to Law Enforcement once they are sealed.
If it is expunged, that means that the record will be destroyed or eliminated. If it is eliminated, the file itself should be destroyed, the record of which should be taken down from all law enforcement and other government systems.
However, Law Enforcement knows that if a person had something expunged before, it is just not available to the public. Expungement would remove it from the public record and sealing would close it from the public record. Sealing would close it to the public; an expungement would remove it from the public.
Acquittal and Public Arrest Records
DUI arrest records in West Palm Beach can follow someone for the rest of their lives. If someone is acquitted of a DUI, their arrest will remain public unless and until they move to have the record sealed or expunged depending upon the circumstances of their case. These records go up and they do not come down unless the person forces them to take it down. Even if the person is acquitted of a DUI, the person’s arrest record remains and the person must take affirmative action to have it sealed or preferably expunged if they are eligible. Call today to learn more about sealing DUI records.
