Nebraska Warrant Search: How to View Nebraska Warrants

Arrest warrants are a crucial part of due process. When an arrest warrant is issued against a person who has committed an alleged crime, it will be out there, until that person is apprehended. 

Each state has a process for issuing arrest warrants, and in most cases - these records are public records. If you want to perform a Nebraska warrant search, here is what you need to know.

Nebraska Warrants: What Should I Know?

Warrants are important judicial instruments that serve the Nebraska judiciary and law enforcement agencies in the dispensation of justice and maintenance of law and order. 

Nebraska warrants authorize law enforcement officers to legally perform such actions as arresting an individual and searching and seizing private property.

Essentially, each of these actions contravenes the dictates of the country's Fourth Amendment statute, which specifically proclaims the protection of citizens against such treatment. 

As such, warrants need to be obtained and executed within the strict confines of the law.

For starters, only competent judicial officers in the state are permitted to issue warrants. 

The issuance of warrants is to be predicated on the presentation of a petition, which should come from the investigative agency or be filed on behalf of the victim of a criminal act by the sheriff's office.

Upon admitting the petition, the detached and impartial judge must examine the facts of the case critically, in search of probable cause to believe that the listed offense is a crime and that the subject of the warrant, in fact, committed the crime. 

Probable cause is a crucial prerequisite for the issuance of warrants in Nebraska. Without it, a warrant is illegal and the affiant may be charged with malicious prosecution. 

Types of Warrants in Nebraska

Courts in Nebraska issue arrest warrants, search warrants, and bench warrants more frequently than others. 

Nebraska Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are issued to law enforcement officers when the court requires the physical presence of an offender before it. 

Arrest warrants give law enforcement officers the right to arrest and detain subjects of the warrant, at any time or day, in readiness for a trial.

The warrant issuance process in Nebraska begins when an affiant submits a written complaint before a competent court of law. 

Once the bench receives a petition, the judge or magistrate must examine the facts of the case for probable cause to believe that an offense was committed or is about to be committed and that the subject of the warrant is guilty of committing the offense. 

Law enforcement officers may however arrest offenders without a warrant in a few cases. 

Nebraska Search Warrants

Nebraska search warrants permit law enforcement officers to enter private properties in search of items linked to a crime. Law enforcement officers with search warrants may also seize specific items in a location or residence as evidence.

Courts in Nebraska must establish the existence of probable cause before issuing search warrants. 

Search warrants must specify the name of the owner of the property to be searched as well as the location of the property for them to be valid. 

If items are to be seized, they must be expressly listed on the warrant. Warrants in Nebraska typically have validity periods of ten days. 

Nebraska Bench Warrants

Bench warrants are issued against offenders who refuse to show up in court on appointed dates, or who flout court injunctions. Nebraska bench warrants remain active indefinitely.

Unlike other types of warrants that are instigated by law enforcement officers, bench warrants are typically issued at the discretion of judicial officers, mandating law enforcement officers to compel people that have held the court in contempt to appear before the court.

How to Find and Perform a Nebraska Warrant Search

Interested Nebraska residents can find both personal and third-party warrant information through any of these means:

Warrant Search Nebraska: Nebraska State Police

You can obtain personal and third-party background reports through the Nebraska State Police, which is the central repository of criminal records. 

To use this option, you can perform an online criminal history check on the agency's website. The charge for such requests is $15.50.

An alternative way to obtain background reports through this agency is to fill out and download the criminal history record request form. 

You may then submit your application, along with a service charge of $12.50, by mail or in-person to the agency. Only checks and money orders are accepted as payment methods. 

Warrant Search Nebraska: Local Law Enforcement

Some local law enforcement agencies maintain criminal records, which they make available to members of the public on request. 

Nebraska residents can typically access these records by submitting a written request and delivering it in person or via mail.

Alternatively, you may access criminal records on the websites of law enforcement departments in some counties. 

A few counties in Nebraska maintain criminal warrant databases that requesters may freely access. 

Warrant Search Nebraska: Nebraska Judicial Services

The Nebraska Judicial Services maintains a database of warrant information, which individuals can freely find information about pretty much. 

You can use this service by visiting the official website of the Nebraska Judicial Services and locating their case information eServices program.