In Indiana, the Police have the power to make arrests, search a person or property, or carry out any other action that is crucial to the maintenance of public law and order.
However, they still have to function within the ambit of the law and respect the Fourth Amendment rights of residents in the discharge of their duties.
They may not make an indiscriminate arrest and/or search of persons and their property unless when necessary, except under certain conditions.
These exceptions include situations where they have veritable proof of an active crime or one that's likely to be committed.
This proof is often designed as "probable cause" and offered to a magistrate or judge in exchange for their signature on a warrant.
With the title and signature of the judge or magistrate on the warrant, law enforcement officers can execute the warrant, whether it calls for an arrest, a search, or any other action.
This article discusses the various possible ways to find warrants of any kind issued in Indiana.
What Is A Warrant In Indiana?
A warrant in Indiana provides law enforcement officers with the legal permits required to take certain liberties away from residents of the state in the course of their work.
This means that your privacy can be invaded, your property searched, or even seized if the police can provide a warrant authorizing them to do so at the behest of the state.
Before they can get the warrant, they must first provide sufficient evidence to prove that their enforcement action is crucial to an ongoing criminal investigation.
This proof is known in legal circles as "probable cause," and is presented to a judge or magistrate, the only persons authorized to issue the warrants.
The law enforcement officers must however swear to respect the constitutional rights of the persons against whom the warrant is issued.
This course of action is usually followed, whether they seek to obtain an arrest warrant, search warrant, tax complaint warrant, child support warrant, etc.
Whichever one it is, you can make moves to find them and challenge them before the police swoop in. You can find these warrants in the places listed in the sections discussed below.
At The Courthouses
Most of the courts in Indiana have a system in place to keep records of proceedings, reports, and case records.
The aforementioned are sources of information related to criminal cases, felonies, and misdemeanors, many of which make their way to arrest records, criminal records, and other public records.
The information in question may include booking information and criminal case information, of which warrants are an important part.
So if you have recently had some sort of interaction with law enforcement, you may have warrants issued against you if it is necessary to take you into custody.
Your best bet would be to check out the website of the court in your area and carry out a name or number-based case record search.
You can enlist the help of the Clerk of the court for this purpose, pay the necessary fees, fill and submit the necessary request forms, and eventually view the warrants that apply to you.
At Law Enforcement Agencies
The Police Department and the Sheriff's Office are the two major law enforcement agencies with their boots on the ground in Indiana.
They execute warrants issued to them and maintain records of arrests and criminal cases they have played a role in investigating.
Many of these investigations yield warrants that are issued to make arrests, a search, or any other order that is crucial to their investigations.
So if you suspect that the police have their sights set out on you, you must start making plans to protect yourself by finding the warrants against you in the works.
If you don't want to risk an outright arrest, you can hire a criminal defense attorney to contact the police department or the sheriff's office on your behalf.
The attorney should find the warrant issued in your name or a property you own, and then arrange to respond to it.
Indiana Criminal Background Check
The Indiana State Police plays host to an online resource that you can use to run a Limited Criminal History (LCH) search.
This service is available on its website, with a search portal designed to run checks on names entered in its database for a service fee(of at least $15) or a subscription fee.
The search can be conducted after you provide the name, DOB, gender, and ethnicity of the subject. The search should provide warrants if they are available, along with other personal or case-related information about the subject.
Third-Party Websites
Third-party websites have access to public records of all sorts, some of which contain information related to persons who have been on the wrong side of the law.
They have the advantage of being easily accessible to anyone and from anywhere. With a website such as this one, you can run a background check on anyone using their name and their location.
This criminal background check/public record search will return results containing warrants if the warrants are available online.