More on Connecticut's Public Criminal Records

The competition to sell your personal information such as public records of your criminal history continues to heat up. As I noted before, Ct is one of the few states that currently has a free state sponsored criminal record search.

Now, there are even private companies widely advertising on google and gmail for their services, even though the state offers a free version.

Information is becoming a commodity. Even free information is being resold and repackaged at a profit. In the age of vast online recordkeeping, privacy is becoming a thing of the past.

And for public information, you really need to expect it to become widely available to anyone at anytime.

If a criminal record could hold you back in life, whether now or ten years from now, consider fighting your criminal case, and looking for every conceivable opportunity to keep you from getting a criminal record.

Because once it is out there, it will never disappear. Even if you hope to be able to get a Connecticut charge and conviction expunged in the future, that past information could easily still pop up.

Data never goes away, it's always copied somewhere. Expungement could become a myth.

Your best chance to keep a criminal record from ruining your life is before you are convicted.

Story on License Plate Scanners

This story was on NECN (see video) about license plate scanning technology being used in New Haven police vehicles. The technology consists of a video scanner that can passively read thousands of license plates per hour, when a police vehicle is either moving or parked by the side of the road. The license plate scans are matched to a database from the Connecticut DMV, and if any passing car has been flagged by the DMV with any known issue, the police officer is instantly alerted, and will pull over your vehicle.

The news story is specifically about tax delinquency, but this technology is also used to catch anyone with an outstanding arrest warrant, suspended driver's license, expired inspection or insurance, and any other minor traffic matter in Connecticut. Other uses can include known stolen vehicles or amber alerts.

If you've been pulled over, charged, arrested, or given a citation for any such matter, please contact our Connecticut defense attorneys for a consultation and case evaluation on your best options to defend yourself in court.

Connecticut Sex Offender Laws

Governor Rell just signed a law closing a loophole in Connecticut's Sex Offender Laws. The new law makes it more difficult for a registered sex offender in Connecticut to change his or her name. A person must now declare the reason and intent for the name change to the courts, and the commissioner of public safety can challenge those reasons and the name change itself.

Being branded as a registered sex offender in Connecticut can seriously ruin your life. While there is a clear need to protect the public from dangerous sex offenders, there are also many cases when simple and innocent criminal charges in Connecticut can result in sex offender registration.

Public urination, statutory rape charges resulting from consensual sex between kids only a couple of years apart (if one happens to be of legal age) and many other situations can get you in a dangerous area. And prosecutors are often not sympathetic in these cases, even when the punishment nowhere near fits the crime. A criminal record that includes a sex offense registry can have a horrific impact on the future opportunities of a young person. It can follow you for the rest of your life, especially here in CT where all criminal charges are easily accessible public records.

If you are facing a criminal charge in Connecticut where you might be at risk of a conviction resulting in a sex offender registry requirement, please contact our Connecticut criminal law offices for a legal consultation on what you can do to prevent this from happening.

Connecticut Hate Crime Law

Governor Jodi Rell signed a new hate crimes law that makes it a criminal charge in Connecticut to display a noose as a means of harassing or threatening someone.

The new law will go into effect on October 1, 2008 and was supported unanimously by the state legislature as well as the Division of Criminal Justice and and Connecticut Police Chiefs Association. The legislation resulted from some a number of recent incidents of displays of nooses in West Hartford, Stamford, Bridgeport, and New London, CT.

MADD's cozy relationship with Connecticut Law Enforcement

The picture from this article, which shows the Connecticut chapter of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) at a Crime Victims Awareness event says a lot about how influential this lobbying group has become. MADD is pictured with Connecticut's Attorney General, police officers and Connecticut state prosecutors.

As DUI defense attorneys, we need to constant remind the public of the rights of the accused (not convicted). Innocent until proven guilty is an idea that is sacred in the laws and history of this country, and is enshrined in our most sacred national document, the US Constitution. Yet, in DUI cases, innocent until proven guilty is a rapidly evaporating idea.

These lobbying groups like MADD are in a large part responsible for significant and continuing restrictions to our Constitutional rights.
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If you are facing a DUI / DWI / Drunk Driving charge in Connecticut, please contact us for a free legal defense consultation and evaluation of your case. We can help you decide how to fight your charges in court, and protect your freedom and right to drive.
We never forget how the role of the defense attorney is critical to our rights as citizens.

Connecticut Crime Bill Veto?

Governor Rell may veto the crime bill, thought to be a signature achievement of the administration, for budgetary reasons.

The proposed would toughen criminal sentences for some violent crimes in the wake of some recent high profile home invasions and murders in Connecticut. But the sticking point is with the cost (up to $10 million) of the increased enforcement and criminal justice expenses, from additional prosecutors and parole officers, to more state police detectives to investigate and solve these horrific crimes.

Budgetary problems are impacting law enforcement efforts and new criminal legislation across the country. Also in the news, the Governor of Tennessee announced he is abandoning plans to toughen DUI laws due to budgetary constraints. That bill was also considered a high priority before the reality of state financial shortfalls halted progress on the new laws.

Criminal Background Check Watch

A new private company in Connecticut is providing high tech background searches, fingerprinting and biometric information analysis to government agencies and private companies.

More private employers will continue to do extensive research into potential hires as these technologies become cheaper and more convenient. Connecticut is already one of the few states that has public internet listings of all criminal charges.

In the 21st century, there is no hiding from a criminal record, and no way to predict how a conviction might be universal public information, and held against you in the future.

Don't plead guilty to any criminal charge in Connecticut without considering all the future implications of big brother knowing you have a criminal history. Even when you think it is just a minor charge for a youthful indiscretion like drug possession, or a reckless driving charge - the first thing a potential employer will find out about you is that you have a criminal record.

You may never get the chance to "explain it away" - you will simply not be called back for that job.

Please contact us to find out how we can help prevent this 21st century scarlet letter from being attached to you.