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If you are reading this article, you may have been arrested before. Did you know that even if you were arrested by mistake, the charges against you were dropped, or the charges against you were dismissed, you still have a criminal record in Florida?And that this criminal record will be publicly available to anyone who wants to see it, including potential employers performing a simple background check when you apply for a job or a landlord running a criminal history check when you apply for housing? Most people are not aware that in order to make an arrest record disappear, you must take action!

Administrative Expunction for Mistaken Arrest

The legal procedures for removing a mistaken arrest from your record are different from the regular record sealing or expungement process in Florida. The statute governing administrative expunctions applies to arrest contrary to law or by mistake. “Mistake” is, for example, if someone used your identity when he or she was arrested. With the correct documents, these types of errors should be easily corrected. Expunction based on the “contrary to law” standard, however, is a lot more difficult to obtain.

A Florida law enforcement agency can administratively expunge a non-judicial arrest if the agency determines, of its own volition, that it made an arrest contrary to law or by mistake. Does this actually happen, you wonder? Well, me too. I’ve not seen it yet.

If you think you’ve been arrested contrary to law or by mistake, you will have to obtain the endorsement of the head of the arresting agency, or the state attorney of the judicial circuit in which the arrest occurred, in order to have the arrest expunged administratively. Again, it is not easy to get an arresting agency to admit, in writing, that your arrest was made contrary to law.

Expunging Dropped or Dismissed Charges

If you were arrested, but the charges against you were later dropped or dismissed, then under Florida law you may be eligible to expunge your record (i.e., have your record physically destroyed). It is not necessary to have been arrested by mistake or contrary to law. Procedures and eligibility requirements for expunctions can be found in the Florida Statutes, which are public records easily accessible online.

Sealing an Arrest

If you were arrested, and you pled guilty or no contest to the charges, but received a withhold adjudication, then you may be able to seal your record (i.e., have your record placed under highly restricted access). Again, there is no mistaken arrest requirement in order to get a record sealed.

Remember, a record of your arrest (mistake or not, prosecuted or not) will remain publicly available until you take action to have it removed.

In order to meet increased needs of National Security, a new type of high level shredder has been developed. Here are a few facts about these impressive machines.

A New Kind Of Security

There are times and situations where only the very highest security will do. This standard, it should go without saying, applies when it comes to the destruction of secret and confidential government documents. In the US, in order to ensure that our national security is protected, top military and intelligence organizations have begun to use what are known as Level 6 Security paper shredders.

Recently, the United States Department of Defense and the National Security Agency have increased the requirements for shredding what are regarded as top secret documents. Known as the NSA/CSS Specification 02-01, it creates a new standard for shred particle size, as well as the durability of the machines themselves and their cutting mechanisms.

If a shredder manufacturer claims their machine meets these Level 6 Security specifications, that means that it shreds a document into particles that measure no more than one millimeter across by 4.7 millimeters long, reducing the sheet of paper into approximately 15,500 pieces. Shred particles of this miniscule size amount to essentially a mulch of paper, and ensure beyond a shadow of a doubt that documents that are fed into these Level 6 machines are rendered forever unreadable and can never be reassembled.

Other Features:

Most manufacturers high security shredders include a lot of the same features that are found in the rest of their lines. For instance, the vast majority feature automatic on and off functions that allow the user to leave the machine on in a sort of standby status until it needs to be used. The user can then just place the document into the feed opening and walk away knowing that what they just placed in the machine will never be read again.

Many of these machines also include features such as automatic shutoff when the door to the cabinet is open, and when the shredder’s waste bin is full. Features like these assist with the general user safety of the shredder, and if there is an automatic revers function as well, can save the machine from experiencing the added wear and tear of paper jams and other maintenance issues.

While most shredder manufacturers offer lifetime warranties on the cutting heads of their lesser shredders, often the longest warranty you will find for those of a Level 6 shredder is two years.

Machine Sizes:

High security shredder are available in many different sizes, depending on the manufacturer. There are machines that are meant to be placed at the desk side of high ranking officials and used on an as needed basis throughout the day, and there are some high security shredders that have the capacity to shred up to 28,000 sheets per day and can be placed in busy departments that need the very highest security on a daily basis. There are even machines that are designed to be used out in the field and come with rigged carrying cases.

Who Needs It?

Level 6 security machines are ideal for governments of all levels, as well as for military outfits. Contractors who work with these institutions may be required to use Level 6 Shredders as well.