Criminal Records Just a Click Away
Long ago, in a county not so far away — okay, it was last month in Pasco — criminal dockets could be accessed only two ways:
You could use a dial-up modem (Google it) that would allow you to look up the dockets — stuff like criminal court dates and defendant's names. Or you had to drive to government offices in Dade City and New Port Richey and look it up by typing onto an MS-DOS screen (look it up on Wikipedia.com.)
But not anymore. The last piece of Pasco's digital puzzle has finally — and silently — fallen into place:
Pasco County's criminal records are now online for all to see.
"Oh my gosh, people love it," said Chief Deputy Clerk of the Court Paula O'Neil. "It's so easy to use."
Far easier to use than the nearly three-decade old Criminal Justice Information System (or CJIS), a Byzantine behemoth of a computer mainframe that's all keystrokes, no mouse clicks.
For years Pasco residents have become accustomed to accessing all kinds of public records instantly online from the offices of the property appraiser, tax collector and supervisor of elections.
Last year the Pasco County Sheriff's Office joined the digital age with a Web site that lets the public check who's in jail and why deputies were in their subdivision.
The Clerk of the Court's Web site has long enabled public access to civil dockets: to check court dates and key rulings in divorce, guardianship and civil cases.
Surrounding Pinellas, Hillsborough and Hernando counties have had those online capabilities and one more: criminal records you could read on the Internet.
But until June 19, criminal records could not be accessed online via the Pasco clerk's Web site. Not until 5:30 p.m. that June day, when the Clerk of the Court changed its Pascoclerk.com site so that a few clicks would allow online access to criminal records.
"We've been stealthy about it because we have about 10...
