Washington Criminal Records

Washington Criminal Records Search

Any person who?s ever been arrested and fingerprinted is bound to have to criminal history record. The written form of your criminal history record is referred to as a criminal history report or a rap sheet. Generally, law enforcement agencies create criminal history records though maintaining and disseminating the records is the responsibility of many different Washington government agencies. The government agency responsible for maintaining and disseminating the criminal records in the United States varies according to the state. To view your Washington criminal records online, for reference only, follow the link below.

In Washington, maintaining and disseminating the criminal records is the responsibility of the Washington State Patrol (WSP). Local and county law enforcement agencies are where the Washington State Patrol gets its information from. Apart from the Washington State Patrol, the courts in Washington also create and maintain a record of your criminal history. However, the records maintained by the courts are separate from the WSP criminal records.

People who can use Washington criminal records include volunteer organizations, lenders, and employers. Also, before you reach out to a prospective employer, you must find out what exactly is in your criminal record. Basically, there are two main reasons to request for your criminal record including:

• Ensuring that everything on the criminal history report is accurate
• Ensuring that the answer you provide in any application about your criminal history is accurate

Doing the above is important because the state of Washington legally permits employers to fire any person who provides false or inaccurate information about his or her criminal history. You can obtain Washington criminal records from the Washington State Patrol through its Washington Access to Criminal History (WATCH) program. You can obtain a WATCH report through three different ways including online, by mail and in person.

Using the subject?s name and DOB to perform an online search for the record is the easiest way to obtain a WATCH report or Washington criminal record. To make an online request, you?ll need to create an account linked to your credit card. The record is provided immediately after you make a request and the cost for performing an online criminal record search is $10. To make a mail request for Washington criminal records, you need to fill out and submit a request for conviction criminal history form to:

Washington State Patrol
Identification and Criminal History Section
PO Box 42633
Olympia WA 98504-2633

The cost for mail request is $17. Apart from the aforementioned ways, you can obtain the Washington criminal records online through public databases by paying a convenience fee.