Public access to crime information in Virginia has improved in recent years as more records have been placed online.
Although criminal offense and arrest data still can be difficult to obtain, some Virginia police departments -- especially the larger ones -- are making abridged versions of that information available in a searchable format on their Web sites. In addition, anyone with a computer can access criminal and civil court information for most of Virginia's district and circuit courts through Virginia's Judicial System Web site.
The crime-information pages consistently have been top draws on the Henrico County Division of Police's Web site.
"They're very popular," said Al Harper, the department's webmaster. "Who's been arrested is always the most popular. But it is followed closely by looking at the incident reports."
Under the heading Public Crime Data Access, Henrico police maintain on their Web site three searchable databases -- crime offense reports, calls for service and arrest reports.
Offense reports, for example, can be searched by date, crime category and even by location. Users also can conduct searches by the magisterial district in which they live and neighborhood-watch groups to which they belong.
Arrest records include all adults charged in the county, along with the block number of their last known address, a description of their alleged offense, the date and time of arrest, and a corresponding incident report number if one was filed. Arrestees can be found by a range of dates, a specific day of the week or by crime category.
The Richmond police Web site includes a Daily Crime Report, a list of major crimes in the city and where they occurred during the previous 24 hours. The department also maintains a Crime Incident Information Center, a searchable database that allows users to search for crimes by date; type of offense; and locations, such as neighborhoods, police precinct, civic associations and council districts. Neither database contains the names of arrestees.
Through the Virginia Supreme Court's Web site, people easily can check the disposition of court cases for every adult charged with a misdemeanor or felony in most of the state's general and circuit courts.
The database does not allow a statewide, comprehensive criminal background check of individuals, but users can search specific courts for all charges placed against a person in that locality. The information includes the full name of defendants, the day and month of their birth, the specific charge and Virginia code section, court dates, and the final disposition including sentencing information.
Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or mbowes@timesdispatch.com.
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