Ithaca DWI Lawyer: Does My Arrest Ever Go Offline?

David Cassidy, BTW I Loved the Partridge Family

We get calls from concerned parents about their kids Ithaca DWI arrests all the time. After being arrested, dealing with the consequences of a DWI begins the process of closure.

But what about the online and public arrest information? Does the DWI arrest, my mugshot, and my name ever go away? Is there a way for me to get it taken down from Google?

The Problem with Public DWI Arrest Information is that it is NOT Private

Microfiche is such a bad memory

In the past things were merely printed in newspapers and magazines. Old papers would then be archived and placed on dusty library shelves. Many items would go on microfiche. This was the old way of storing information. Retrieving old news was a painstaking process of sitting in a library and looking over pictures of old news articles placed on film. I can remember this all too clearly.

Today we have an unlimited online world. We get to see, research, and explore millions of papers and magazines at the click of a key. If people want to search you they can. This is good and bad. After all some things we would rather forget. Your arrest is public information. It is always a part of the public record. Even if records are sealed, destroyed, or expunged they will likely exist if they were ever mentioned online.

Some Public Arrest Records are Not Always Published

The extent to whether something is published over and over again or for that matter searched is how relevant is it? To what extent do people want to know about you? Some famous people have their entire lives scrutinized by the paparazzi. They are constantly photographed, recorded, and everything they do and say is published.

The Best Thing to Do is NOT Search Your Name and Town of Your Arrest Over and Over

I had a parent recently call me. Her concern, why was her son's arrest coming up again and again on her google searches. I asked her if she ever cleared her browser? What she said?

A browser will hold your data and information indefinitely. The computer's goal is to help you find your way back to the same information. You are training and teaching google that this is something relevant. Remember anything that is searched over and over gives it more SEO (search engine optimization). Some people are funny in telling me that their name and arrest is coming up again and again on their computer. Well if you never clear your cache, and you keep doing the same search over and over, then you are teaching your home address to find the same thing faster and better over and over.

Removing Public Arrest Records is Probably Like Removing the Weather 

Ah, The Partridge Family in Better Times

Getting rid of public information is almost next to impossible. You have no right to your pubic records and their publishing public information. What you paid for your house, your property taxes, and your job are all in the public domain. That is why court records, famous mugshots, and records of the arrest of celebrities are in such high demand. They are juicy clickbait for those that love them.

It is best to leave the past in the past. The best thing is to move forward from your arrest, and bring closure to it.