Understanding the Police Booking Process in Rhode Island

What Is the Police Booking Process

This article is designed to explain the police booking process. When police make an arrest, information about the person criminally charged must be formally entered into law enforcement databases. This is called the booking process.

When and Where the Booking Process Occurs

The booking process takes place at the police station, normally after an arrest. In some limited circumstances, such as when a defendant receives a summons to appear in court, the process may occur after the defendant’s arraignment, or first court appearance.

Photographing and Fingerprinting During Booking

The booking process is a quick, painless process that involves various steps. The defendant is always photographed as part of the process, to ensure that law enforcement records contain a recent photo of the defendant at the time of his or her arrest.

This photo can later be used by law enforcement official for criminal identification purposes, either among police officers or for witness identifications. The defendant is also fingerprinted as part of the booking process. For those defendants who have a criminal history, fingerprints may be used to verify the hir or her identity.

For first time arrestees, the fingerprint information is uploaded into local, state, and national databases to ensure that law enforcement agencies have the prints on file for future reference.

Collection of Personal and Biographical Information

Defendants are also asked to provide various biographical, identifying, and background information during the booking process. This information includes

• name
• date of birth
• social security number
• address
• phone number
• place of birth
• place of employment
• and more

Further identifying information may also be acquired such as gender, height, weight, hair color, eye color, race, national origin, and citizenship. This information is not only input into law enforcement databases, but is also typically included in the defendant’s arrest report. Once the booking process is complete, the defendant is processed for arraignment, which is the first court appearance in the criminal judicial process.

Questions About the Booking Process

If you have questions about the booking process in Rhode Island, please contact Criminal Defense Lawyer, John L. Calcagni III, at (401) 351-5100 for a free consultation.