To define a safe environment is to know every person you have to deal with for most of your days and this includes having the power to perform a background search and the ability to make searches about public criminal records like police records about someone a person may have suspicion with. Although the law enforcement agencies and other government offices are trying their best to make sure that we are living in a safe and peaceful environment, the basic problems about crimes and its prevention still lies on the public and how they react to it. Being able to access police records is a guarantee for the public that they can be able to protect themselves by being able to know the background of the people they are working with.

Public records serve as a tracking document to keep an account on various criminal offenses and activities committed by an individual. Police records could contain a variety of information about an individual ranging from arrest records, charges filed, convictions, court sentences, and other pertinent information about an individual who made a criminal offense. This can build a perfect profiling for people who are making a background check against an individual believed to be a threat to society. By performing a background search on someone, people can get vital information and not just criminal record about anyone who committed a criminal offense in the past. Police records could also include traffic violations, assault charges, accidents, and pertinent information concerning the person in question.

Police records are public records that can be obtained from any legitimate source, may they be on the internet or right at the police agency where the police record is being kept. Some law enforcement agencies and other state owned agencies have their own official websites where public records are uploaded for public access. The only difference is the legislations surrounding the circumstance of obtaining a copy of the police record. Some states have a tolerant attitude when it comes to obtaining it online and some have strict requirements and qualifications before an individual will be able to get a copy of a police record about anyone except themselves. States implementing a strict regulation about obtaining a public record require a person wishing to have a copy of police records have to furnish consent or signed release form the person who owns the police record. Use and acquisition of police records are governed by law and it must not be used against anyone except for the purpose it was requested for.

Today, police records can easily be obtained from the internet since there are some police agencies that have their own official website. Here a person can conduct his or her own police record search without having to visit the department. But since different police departments use different way of cataloguing their records, it can be hard for person to compile the records he may be able to obtain from them that is why sometimes, it is much better to perform a search on online fee based websites hosting similar search service which also offer nationwide search for police records.