Which state agency can help with an arrest records and warrants search in Boston, Massachusetts?
When it comes to holding back the arrest log and the warrant list, few law enforcement agency works as overzealously as the Boston Police Department and Massachusetts Judiciary. But, then you can’t really hold these agencies accountable for the surprising lack of information pertaining to Boston arrests and warrants.
Blame this on the ultra-protective privacy laws of the state that keep almost all types of criminal records away from the public domain. Continue reading to know if there are any options available at all to launch an arrest inquiry and/or a warrant lookup…
Which agency should you approach for Boston arrests records?
Here is the problem- Unlike other law enforcement agencies, Boston PD does not provide a straight forward tool for an arrest inquiry. However, they do post their booking log online, which is just as good, if not better, when you consider the extra information you get from it.
On the flip side, if you want to know specifically about arrests in Boston involving your subject, you are not getting this information online. The arrest log is made available at https://bpdnews.com/. Scroll down to posts that have the term “Public Journal” in their title. Use the link that reads “Click Here For Public Journal” to access the arrest records for the given time frame (usually two days or the weekend).
Is there any way to access an arrest report in Boston?
If you are willing to invest some face time into your arrest search, you can get in touch with the local law enforcement agency. Boston PD will respond to a request for a police report pertaining to a specific criminal incident as long you visit them at the District Office for your area.
Use the form at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5086f19ce4b0ad16ff15598d/t/518a89bce4b00d1f32fa2a5b/1368033724945/INCIDENT.pdf to file your request and be ready to pay $5 in cash. Addresses of the various Boston PD Districts are available at https://bpdnews.com/districts.
Can you do a warrants search in Boston through the police or the judiciary?
If scrolling through the most wanted list is your idea of a warrant check, then yes, otherwise, no! That said Boston PD posts its most wanted list at https://bpdnews.com/most-wanted. As far as the judiciary is concerned, they only allow attorneys access to details on outstanding warrants and criminal court records in general.
Unfortunately, civilians are sent packing with just the court calendar, unless you know the docket number of the specific criminal matter in which the warrant/warrants were issued. If you have this number, you can access case information through the judicial records search facility at http://www.masscourts.org/.
Crime stats in Boston, MA
The city has a higher crime rate not only as compared to the neighboring urban areas but also as compared to 80% of other American cities. Annually, about 20,000 crimes are committed in Boston. Of the complaints filed against these criminal acts, about 14,000 are linked to property crimes such as burglary, theft and carjacking.
Another 5000 complaints are lodged against violent crimes that include homicide, rape and aggravated assault. In terms of specific crime category, thefts account for the highest number of property crimes at 11,000 incidents while aggravated assaults account for over 2800 complaints against violent crimes.
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