How to Find Recent Arrest Records: Are Criminal Records Public?

Most arrest and criminal records in the United States are public. You can find recent arrests through local law enforcement websites, Open Records Requests at sheriff or police offices, court clerk portals, PACER for federal cases, or third-party background-check services. Juvenile records and expunged or sealed records are generally not publicly available.

Yes. Most arrest and criminal records in the US are public unless the person is a minor or the record has been sealed or expunged. Here is how to find recent arrests, mugshots, and legal landmines you should be aware of.

How to find recent arrests: quick take.

• Search local law enforcement websites.
• Arrest and criminal records are public records.
• Juvenile criminal records are generally not public records.
• Use PACER to find federal court cases.

How to find recent arrests: What information can police share?

Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you can ask a federal agency in writing for its records. The agency must disclose the material unless it falls under one of nine exemptions or, in narrower circumstances, one of three exclusions written into the act (FOIA.gov). Under the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996 (E-FOIA), you may also request the documents in electronic format.

FOIA is not, however, a route to another person's criminal history. In Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 489 U.S. 749 (1989), the Supreme Court held that FBI-compiled rap sheets on private citizens are exempt from disclosure to third parties under Exemption 7(C). The Court reasoned that once scattered records are gathered into a single government compilation, the subject's privacy interest is "at its apex while the FOIA-based public interest in disclosure is at its nadir" (489 U.S. at 780).

That is why the practical channels for arrest information are the ones described below: the sheriff or police department that made the arrest, the court clerk that handled the case, and PACER for federal court filings. A federal FOIA request aimed at someone else's rap sheet is very unlikely to succeed.

What are the 9 exemptions for FOIA?

• Classified information (to protect national security).
• Information related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency.
• Information prohibited from disclosure under another federal law.
• Trade secrets, or commercial or financial information that is confidential or privileged.
• Privileged communications within or between agencies, including attorney-client, attorney work-product, and deliberative-process material.
• Information that would be an unwarranted invasion of another person's personal privacy.
• Law enforcement records that could interfere with proceedings, deny someone a fair trial, invade personal privacy, reveal a confidential source, disclose investigative techniques, or endanger someone's life or safety.
• Information that concerns the supervision of financial institutions.
• Geological information on wells.

How do I find recent arrest records?

As mentioned, to find recent arrest records, the easiest option is to call or preferably visit local law enforcement offices and file an Open Records Request. An Open Records Request is an appeal for public information records or files held by a law enforcement agency.

State laws vary and some jurisdictions may require a fee, but the law generally allows the public to view these records. A written request should include the full name of the person you are researching, an approximate date or location of the arrest if known, and your contact information so the agency can respond. The fee may include costs such as certification fees, authentication fees, copying fees, and so on.

What to remember: how to find recent arrests.

• Make sure that you correctly spell the individual's name.
• You may request via email.
• If the information is unavailable, try contacting the police chief or visiting in person.
• Search through local law enforcement websites.

As mentioned, the exceptions above allow law enforcement to withhold some information. Therefore, if you run into legal walls, you may consult with an attorney to help you secure the records you need.

In short, to find recent arrests what you must do is:

• Submit a request to a local custodian.
• Search local law enforcement websites (fastest option).

You may also use independent third-party services, or hire a lawyer to help you access the records.

Are police mugshots public records?

In the US, mugshots are generally public records and are thus open for inspection and copying. However, state mugshot laws vary. Alabama shows how minimal a state's baseline duty can be: state law requires each sheriff to keep a well-bound book, open to public inspection during office hours, describing every prisoner received into the county jail (Ala. Code § 36-22-8), and that statute says nothing about booking photographs.

In California, no general statute bars law enforcement from releasing mugshots, though a separate law now limits what agencies may post on social media, covered below. State rules on booking photos change often, so confirm the current rule with the records custodian in the state where the arrest happened.

Can you force a mugshot website to remove your photo?

A separate, newer problem is commercial "mugshot" sites that post booking photos and then charge a fee to take them down, sometimes called mugshot extortion. A growing number of states now ban that practice outright. Florida law prohibits any site in the business of publishing booking photos from charging a fee to remove one. If the photo is not taken down within 10 calendar days of a written removal request sent by registered mail, the person pictured can sue to enjoin further publication, and a court may impose a civil penalty of $1,000 per day for noncompliance with that injunction, rising to $5,000 per day if the site republishes the photo after being required to remove it, plus reasonable attorney fees and costs (Fla. Stat. § 901.43). Georgia requires commercial sites to remove a booking photo within 30 days of a written request, at no charge, once the underlying case is dismissed, the person is acquitted, or several other listed circumstances apply (Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division).

California attacks the same practice from the payment side. Anyone in the business of publishing booking photographs may not solicit or accept payment to remove, correct, modify, or refrain from publishing a photo, and the person pictured may sue for the greater of $1,000 per violation or actual damages, plus attorney's fees and costs (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.91.1). Several other states have adopted comparable removal or fee bans, and the details differ considerably. Check the current law in the state where the photo was taken and where the site operates before assuming any of these rules covers your situation.

Can police post mugshots on social media?

When police search for a missing person, a suspect, or a fugitive, no general federal rule bars them from posting booking photos on social media. Several states have narrowed that freedom, and California is the clearest current example. A police department or sheriff's office there may not share on social media the booking photo of a person arrested for a nonviolent crime, unless the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat and the image helps apprehension, a judge orders release for a legitimate law enforcement interest, or exigent circumstances require urgent dissemination (Cal. Penal Code § 13665).

Where an agency does post a booking photo, the same section requires it to take the photo down within 14 days unless one of those narrow circumstances applies. The Legislature amended the section through AB 994 (Stats. 2023, ch. 224), effective January 1, 2024. Rules differ sharply from state to state, so check the law in the state where the arrest happened rather than assuming California's limits apply there.

As public records, it is worth mentioning that it is not illegal for sites to post mugshots on their sites. However, if a website posts the mugshot along with inaccurate information, the person depicted may take civil action against the website. The settlement may include attorney fees; therefore, it is advisable to consult with a lawyer to find out if a civil action is a suitable course of action.

Is there a way to remove your mugshot from the public record?

Often, yes, from government sources. If a court grants expungement or sealing, the order generally directs government agencies to remove or restrict the record, which normally includes the booking photo. Timing and scope depend on the order's terms and the agency, so follow up with the arresting agency to confirm the image is down. Removing the image from the rest of the internet, especially if it went viral, can be more difficult. See how to check if your record has been expunged for the steps involved.

Are minors' records public?

Generally no. Unlike adult criminal court, which punishes criminal offenses, juvenile justice aims to rehabilitate. Consequently, juvenile court records are confidential in most states. The reason for that is to shield teen offenders from the social and professional stigma of having a record at a young age.

In most states, only government agencies, school authorities, the juvenile's caregivers, and law enforcement have access to juvenile records. Some states make exceptions for serious cases: in California, for example, juvenile court hearings are closed to the public, but the public must be admitted when the minor is charged with one of a list of serious felonies such as murder or armed robbery (Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 676).

Note that juvenile confidentiality restricts the record holders, not publication in general. The courts, agencies, and parties who hold a juvenile record are barred from releasing it outside a narrow list of authorized recipients, and accessing or redisclosing a sealed juvenile record without authorization can itself be unlawful. But where a juvenile's name or photo was lawfully obtained, for example at a hearing open to the public, the First Amendment generally protects truthful publication, and the Supreme Court has struck down an order barring the press from publishing a juvenile's lawfully obtained name and photo (Oklahoma Publishing Co. v. District Court, 430 U.S. 308 (1977)).

If you are looking for juvenile records, we recommend consulting with an attorney to avoid potential legal landmines that may come your way.

How do I check someone's criminal record?

The easiest way to find someone's criminal record is to visit a court clerk's office, state agency website, or court website and request a search. You should have access to public records. But if the individual was a minor at the time of the crime, or if the accused had the record expunged, the record will be on the sealed records list.

How to find recent arrest records: Can you open sealed records?

Once an individual's criminal record is sealed, the only way to access it is through a court order.

How do you look up federal records?

PACER stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records. It is a service that electronically maintains federal case records. To use the service, you must create a PACER account.

This will give you access to a nationwide search.

However, court cases created before 1999 are generally not available on the website because they are maintained in paper format only. To access these files, you may use the public access terminals at the clerk's office where the case was filed.

Find recent arrest records: Is the service free?

Not entirely, but it is inexpensive for most searches. PACER charges $0.10 per page for search results and documents, capped at $3.00 for most single documents (about 30 pages). If your PACER charges add up to $30 or less in a calendar quarter, the fee is waived entirely, which covers most individual users (PACER fee schedule). A public access terminal at a courthouse also charges roughly ten cents or more per page for printed copies.

Why it is important to verify accuracy if you intend to use recent arrest records

As mentioned, posting someone else's mugshot or records along with false information is grounds for civil action in some states. Therefore, you must ensure that you get accurate information. The easiest way to do that is to visit the law enforcement agency where the individual was arrested, or the court, and verify. Remember, law enforcement officials may make errors when posting information online. If you reuse inaccurate information, you may be liable for the damage that sharing it causes.

If possible, we recommend consulting with the arresting officer, or hiring a professional to do the job.

Related public-records reading

• How to Look Up Old Murders: Can Anyone Look at Old Case Files?
• How Long Does a Felony Stay on Your Record?
• How to Check if Your Record Has Been Expunged
• Are Autopsies Public Records? Vital Records Explained
• Are Birth Certificates Public Records?
• Are 911 Calls Public Records? State Access Guide
• Background Check Laws by State