How to find details on arrests and initiate a warrant search in Vermont?
Typically, Vermont arrest records and information on warrants issued in the state are sought by people for four reasons:
- To find out about the possible involvement of a prospective employee/business partner in a criminal act.
- To learn about the arrest warrants issued in the name of a subject who may have some personal/social association with the inquirer.
- To comply with the legal requirements of certain sectors in which a criminal background search is mandated by law.
- To access personal arrests records for the purpose of employment, immigration or adoption, etc.
Unlike in some other states, you cannot simply get access to the warrant list for Vermont. In fact, the response to any arrest inquiry or warrant check will largely depend on the purpose of the inquiry.
Moreover, the local police department, state and county judicial entities and the Vermont Crime Information Center (VCIC) all provide some amount and form of criminal records. However, deepening on what and how much information you need, one agency may work better than another for you. Continue reading to know what information is available on Vermont arrests and warrants and which agency you should approach for it…
What are VT arrests records?
Yes, the term “arrest records” is self-explanatory and it’s logical to assume that it pertains to information on arrests in Vermont. In reality, the information offered in response to an arrest inquiry will vary significantly based on who is asking for it and which agency is supplying the data. For instance,
- If you go to the police, you will only find out about recent arrests in Vermont that included the subject of your inquiry. In other words, you will get to know if this person is currently lodged in the county jail or a state penitentiary.
- As opposed to this, if you approach the local judiciary, you can gather details on all arrests in the name of your subject, including those that date back several years, as long as these resulted in a conviction.
- If you approach the VCIC, and request personal arrests records or are making the inquiry as an employer that is legally required to do so, you will find out information on all arrests along with details on warrants, sentencing and more, whether the criminal case resulted in a conviction or not.
- On the other hand, if you seek an arrest report in the name of a third party from the VCIC, they will only give you details on criminal cases which eventually resulted in a guilty verdict against the subject.
Expunged arrest records will not be disclosed nor will you be able to find details on out of state criminal matters from the VCIC. This information is offered pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act of the state, and in keeping with the Privacy laws and FOIA, only conviction related data in considered public.
What information can you expect to get in response to an arrest inquiry in Vermont?
Every contact and interaction that a subject has had with the law is noted in the crime history file maintained under his name. At the least, you will get all details about conviction linked criminal matters, including:
- The full name of the subject.
- Date of birth.
- County in which arrest was made/criminal matter tried.
- Charges filed against him.
- Verdict and sentencing.
- Name of the correctional facility that the convict is currently lodged in or was released out of.
- Time spent in the facility.
- Possibility of release on parole/probation and date of such release.
- Name of case worker/parole officer.
The information offered will only be from the state of Vermont unless you are a qualified employer who is allowed access to nationwide arrests records.
You should also note that the VCIC repository does not contain information on motor vehicle offenses including such transgression as DWI, C&N, DLS and vehicular homicide for which the arraignment took place before September 1995.
Furthermore, information on any arraignment of charges filed in the family court or with the Municipal Ordinance Bureau or the Traffic Ticket Bureau will also not be included. Juvenile records are considered confidential and hence will not be released unless the underage convict was eventually bound over to an adult court.
Who maintains information on Vermont arrests and warrants?
The Vermont Criminal Information Center (VCIC) is in charge of consolidating and verifying crime related data collected from all law enforcement and judicial entities working in the state. Apart from the collection of crime related details and their maintenance, the VCIC also audits the crime report requesting services to ensure that the criminal history database maintained by them is only used in accordance with state and federal laws.
To ascertain the accuracy of the arrest records maintained by them, the VCIC not only hosts the computerized crime history (CCH) repository but also the Identification Bureau. This is a statewide database of fingerprint records, collected at the time of arrests, and booking photos. Fingerprints help to positively identify a suspect and for the posting of supporting documentation to the CCH repository.
Fingerprint based warrant searches are usually required for employment screening, and the VCIC is responsible for processing these requests. Apart from arrest record inquiries and the hosting of crime history databases, the agency also maintains the state’s marijuana and sex offender registries.
Who can initiate a search for arrests records in Vermont?
Complete criminal history which will include information on cases that resulted in conviction and also those that were dismissed or in which the defendant was acquitted can only be collected by criminal justice agencies and employers who are requesting the information under legislative or legal provisions.
Generally, only commercial or nonprofits that work in the healthcare, education and senior or child care service sectors are allowed this facility. However, conviction records are available to all. To retrieve arrest records from the VCIC, you will need to submit the name and date of birth of the subject.
Is it possible to get the arrest log for Vermont?
No, at this point, no law enforcement office in the state offers its arrest log online or otherwise. In fact, you will be hard-pressed to even find the most wanted list for various counties. However, some police departments do offer limited information on arrest bookings on their social media pages.
This information may not always include the name of the people arrested. In fact, it is more common for the police to exclusively provide details on the incident with a simple statement saying that either arrest was made or that law enforcement is on the lookout for the suspect.
How do you access third party arrests records from the Vermont Crime Information Center?
If you are interested in a third party arrest inquiry but you are not a qualified employer, you can only get conviction criminal records as discussed above. These are available online for a fee of $30 per inquiry. You do not get a certified copy of the arrest report and the fee is nonrefundable.
This means even if there are no records found in the name of your subject, you will still be charged for the arrest search. The facility is available at https://secure.vermont.gov/DPS/criminalrecords/. You will need to provide the full name of your subject along with the date of birth.
When do you need certified arrests records in Vermont?
A certified/notarized arrest report, which will also have non-conviction criminal data, is only needed for official purposes such as:
- Employment review
- Housing
- International immigration/travel
- International adoption
- Housing
- Child custody
- Licensing
- Civil litigation
- Employment is healthcare, education, senior and child care, law enforcement, judiciary and other sectors.
Some employment sectors require an FBI nationwide criminal background check along with a Vermont arrest records check.
How do you initiate an inquiry for a certified arrest report in Vermont?
You can get in touch with the VCIC either by writing to them or visiting the agency office for a personal criminal records check. Requests received by mail are processed in 5-7 working days while those made in person are handled almost immediately, so you could walk out with the arrest report within 10 minutes.
Visiting the VCIC: The agency office is located at 45 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-1300 and you can visit them between 8.00 AM and 4.00 PM. However, requests received after 3.30 PM are processed on the next day.
Documents required for the arrest inquiry: Although you get a certified copy of the criminal records, this is still a name-based search, so there is no need for fingerprinting. But, you will have to submit two photo IDs if you want complete criminal background records and/or a notarized copy of the report. You can use:
- A valid driver’s License
- A valid passport
- Any other form of government issued identification card that has your photograph and other details that can be used for identification, such as your name, gender, date of birth, address, height and eye color.
If you only have one of the above listed ID cards, you can also use:
- A valid student ID issued by a school in the US.
- A valid credit card that has your name and signature.
- Any other valid card or document that has your (the applicant’s) name and signature.
- A check cashing card with your signature.
Fees: You will be charged $30 for the arrest inquiry and this can be paid in cash if you have exact change. You can also use a bank check, your credit card or a money order to make this payment.
Requesting the criminal records check through mail: Download the forms at https://vcic.vermont.gov/sites/vcic/files/files/record-check/PublicRequestForm_2018.pdf. Fill them out and have them notarized. Then, send it with a self-addressed envelope and a money order or cashier’s check of $30, made out to the Department of Public safety.
Send this to the Criminal Records Section, Vermont Crime Information Center, 45 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-1300. For more information, visit the VCIC website at https://vcic.vermont.gov/ch-information/record-checks/vermont/my-own.
Can you get access to Vermont jail records?
Because jail records essentially mean information on crimes that resulted in a conviction, these are offered to the public for free. In fact, you can access this information online through the website of the Department of Corrections.
They offer a name-based tool to access data on all convicts who are currently serving time in state penitentiaries and also on those who have been released after completing the sentence or on parole/probation. The facility is available at https://doc.vermont.gov/offender-locator/.
At the minimum, you will need the last name of your subject to pull up all relevant records. If you have the full name you can narrow down the search results. The inquiry will get you the full name of the convict, prisoner/Corrections ID number, date of birth, current location and details on charges for which he was found guilty.
You will also get a link to the email address of the caseworker of the prisoner/parolee. For any other information required, you can get in touch with the DOC at 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05671 or by calling them on (802) 241-2276.
What are Vermont arrest warrants?
The Criminal Court Procedures of Vermont lay down the various laws connected with the issue and execution of arrest warrants. However, these do not offer a definition for such orders. A warrant is essentially a term used to refer to any directive issued by the court.
Hence, an arrest warrant is just a directive from the court that is an order to detain a person, generally accused of a criminal infraction. It is usually directed at one or the other law enforcement agency. The Criminal Procedure of Vermont states that taking an accused into custody on the basis of an active warrant is the preferred way of handling arrests.
What is the process for the issue of warrants in Vermont?
If an arrest warrant has been issued, you can be sure that the police must have presented factual proof before the bench. It’s also a given that this proof was enough to convince the magistrate about the possibility of the accused having played a role in the commissioning of the criminal act.
Notice, how nothing has to be proved beyond doubt at this point! The law enforcement agency merely has to show that there is a distinct possibility of guilt. This is known as the establishment of probable cause. Once probable cause is established, since the judiciary and the police are in agreement on the complicity of the suspect, the warrant does not stand in violation of the Bill of Rights.
Ultimately, it is the magistrate who issues the arrest order. So, the court essentially gives the police the authority to execute this warrant and bring the accused before the judiciary to stand trial.
Will a warrant search in VT get me details on active warrants and bench warrants?
The thing to understand is that details on outstanding warrants from Vermont are very hard to come by. If you take the VCIC route to get this data, you may not get information on bench warrants that were issued in connection with a civil matter.
Also, they may leave out details on active warrants that were issued in connection with minor offenses such as non-payment of traffic fines or civic ordinance violations. Unfortunately, no state agency currently offers the warrant list for Vermont online. This simply means that all warrant checks are strictly subject-specific and that you may/may not get details on the bench warrants against the subject.
How are bench warrants different from arrest warrants?
An arrest warrant can only be issued by following the procedure described above. In other words, the order comes into being through a joint effort on the part of the police and the judiciary. In contrast, bench warrants are issued by the court without the police playing a rule in the issue procedure.
Also, arrest warrants are linked to criminal complaints, howsoever minor the crime may be. As opposed to this, bench warrants are issued even in civil matters, such as when a person does not obey a court order, does not pay court ordered monies or does not appear in court as ordered. In terms of validity, both bench and arrest warrants have indefinite validity.
However, bench warrants are typically only valid within the geographical jurisdiction of the issuing court. In contrast, arrest warrants are valid all over the state and when linked to felonies, they have nationwide validity. So, arrest warrants can lead to the capture of the accused anywhere in the country. But this individual will be deported to VT to stand trial.
What happens after the issue of arrest warrants?
The most important thing to know about warrants is that these directives do not expire which means that as long as the suspect is out on the loose, the warrant will remain valid. With an outstanding warrant from VT in hand, cops are allowed to go to any part of the state to arrest the accused.
When using these active warrants, the police need not have the hard copy of the arrest directive nor are officers legally obligated to let a person know about the arrest warrant against him before taking him/her into custody.
Usually, when you have any kind of brush with law enforcement, the first thing that officers do is run a warrant check in your name. The minute they find out that a court has issued an arrest order against you, they will detain you.
The officer is required to clarify to the arrestee why he is being taken into custody and that there is a warrant out against him. If the detainee or his counsel has to make a request to see the arrest warrant, the same shall have to be produced without unnecessary delay, typically within 6 hours of the demand being made.
Arrests made under warrants cannot be overturned by the police. The defendant has to approach the court for bonded release. After the accused has been apprehended, the original detention order is returned to the issuing authority.
How can you contact the judiciary for a warrants search in Vermont?
There are two ways in which you can contact a judicial agency to find out about the arrest warrants in your name or in the name of another person.
Criminal case search: This is an inquiry pertaining to a specific criminal matter. So, you will need either the case docket number or the name of the case (names of parties involved and case type) to initiate the search. If you have this information, use the form at https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/sites/default/files/documents/600-00033_2.pdf to file your request. The case search will cost you $7.50 per inquiry as long as it takes no more than 30 minutes to retrieve the records.
Criminal records search: As opposed to a case specific inquiry, a criminal records search from the judiciary will get you details on all the criminal complaints against the accused filed in a specific county. For this inquiry, you will only need the name of the subject. Use the form at https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/sites/default/files/documents/200-00331_0.pdf. A criminal records search will cost you $30 per inquiry.
The request for these inquiries will have to be filed in person with the office of the Clerk of Court or with the Court that handled a specific case. If the matter was transferred from one court to another, you will have to file your request with the court that the matter was transferred to.
The information received will only be for the county in which the inquiry request is filed. If you need details from multiple counties, you will have to file a request with the judiciary in each area. You can send in the request through mail but you will have to send a self-addressed envelope with it. While most inquiries made in person are immediately handled, those that are mailed in take 3 days to be processed from the date of receipt.
A warrant lookup in VT reveals that there is an arrest order in your name, now what?
If you have a warrant in your name, you can be arrested at anytime and anywhere. So, if this warrant is connected with nonpayment of court ordered dues, it would be best to settle the matter by paying the fine/monies as required.
If the warrant is linked to a criminal matter, get in touch with a lawyer who can help you with your surrender to the police and eventual release on bail. Any attempt to get in touch with the judiciary or the police, while you have an active warrant in your name, will lead to your arrest. So, instead of letting the trouble come to your doorsteps, it is best to be proactive about this problem.