Buffalo Arrest Records

Arrests in Buffalo fall under the primary purview of the Buffalo Police Department (BPD) and Erie County Sheriff's Office. Officers are empowered to make arrests with or without warrants under probable cause or reasonable cause that an offence has or might take place, or is taking place (N.Y. Crim. Proc. Law §§ 120.10, 140.10). After arrest, the detained are typically processed by the police department and then transported to the Erie County Holding Centre or the backup Erie County Correctional Facility to await their court appearance.

The law mandates officers to record an arrestee's physical, personal and especially biometric information (CPL § 160.10), as well as their arrest information (including date, time, location and crime alleged). The data is maintained within Erie county arrest records by the BPD and transmitted to the Erie County Sheriff Office jail management system and the Erie County District Attorney Office for prosecutorial decisions.

Are Buffalo Arrests Public Record?

Police arrest records in Buffalo are treated as public records under the New York Freedom of Information Law and must be provided to anyone who files a formal records request regardless of status or motive. A standout exemption applies to booking photographs or mugshots, which are now unavailable to the press and public except in extraordinary circumstances.

In addition, the Public Officers Law, Section 87(2) allows law enforcement in Buffalo to fully or partially withhold access to arrest records when doing so may:

• Interfere with law enforcement
• Endanger someone
• Cause unwarranted privacy violations (such as medical or mental health records or victim records)
• Identify a confidential source or information
• Violate restrictions set by another state law (such as for juveniles or youthful offenders)

Buffalo law automatically seals the records of all arrests which terminate in a favorable disposition, and other eligible records after a variable waiting period under the Clean Slate Act.

Buffalo Crime Rate

Based on data from the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the Buffalo Police Department recorded 13,186 crimes in 2024. The agency reported 2,135 violent crimes and 11,051 property crimes in the same year.

According to the Buffalo Police Department, the city's part 1 crime record of 11,886 annual incidents in 2024 represents a 38% drop on the 2006 figure and an 8.5% increase on average pandemic-era (2020-2022) prevalence. Diving into the details, 2024 reported homicides in Buffalo dropped 44% from 2021, assault by 20%, rapes by 45%, and robberies by 28%. Property crimes in the same period painted a mixed picture. Larcenies rose to 7105, up 25% and motor vehicle theft jumped 32% from 1280. Burglaries rose from 1309 to 1260, mirroring a broadly consistent year-on-year fall since 2006.

Find Buffalo Arrest Records

Buffalo Police Department, the county sheriff's office, and the state police and court services can provide Buffalo arrest records. For recent arrests, enquiries can be made at the BPD via phone or in-person at:

68 Court Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: HQ: (716) 851-4444

At county level, phone enquiries and in-person visitation can be made at:

Erie County Sheriff's Office
10 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, New York 14202
Phone: (716) 858-7618

For cases already charged to court, the state-level WebCrims portal is searchable by name and case/index number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Buffalo

Official options for a free arrest record search in Buffalo include:

• Erie County Sheriff's Inmate Lookup, updated regularly.
• NYS WebCrims Portal, which maintains public case files for charged individuals

Third-party aggregator sites offer similar services but are not affiliated to government agencies. However, they provide more streamlined data, since members of the public can view information from multiple police agencies through these sites.

Criminal Background Check in New York

Criminal background check requests in New York State are lodged at the DCJS and require a signed consent form.

• OCA(New York State Office of Court Administration) CHRS (Criminal History Record Search Unit) Search is run by the NYS Office of Court Administration for $95 per search. Requesters can use direct online access or mail an application form to the address below:

NYS Office of Court Administration
Division of Technology and Court Research
Criminal History Record Search Unit
25 Beaver Street (Room 830 – Front Counter)
New York, NY 10004

The service relies on exact name and birth-date matches and only reports open records.

• Fingerprint-based criminal history record requests apply to self-made requests to the DCJS and require a scheduled fingerprint appointment via the division's third-party provider. The service costs $14.25 for local requests and $44.25 for out-of-state enquiries, and can be paid for via credit card, check, or money order.

Buffalo Inmate Search

The Erie County Holding Centre is the lone local-level jail in Buffalo and only holds inmates serving a year or less. Sentences longer than twelve months require a state prison, none of which is located within Buffalo.

The sheriff's office inmate lookup provides a free downloadable roster of current inmates featuring name, DOB, and booking date.

People serving terms above a year are assigned a DOCCS number and sent to one of the correctional facilities run by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Searchers may query the public NYS DOCCS Inmate Lookup by name and DOB, or DIN number for anyone incarcerated in the NY prison system.

Buffalo Police Record Lookup

The Buffalo Police Department processes police records requests including incident reports, arrest affidavits, or CAD calls under the state FOI law. It has 5 days to acknowledge receipt and 20 days to act on the request.

Interested persons can make a request via the following avenues:

• Online, through the Public Records Request form.
• Mail, to 65 Niagara Square, Room 1100, Buffalo, NY 14202.
• In-person, via a written request, at the same address.

Per the New York Public Officers Law § 87(1)(b) physical copies are $0.25 per printed page, electronic copies are free, and the cost of USB/CDs must be borne by the requester.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record in Buffalo?

Perpetually. An arrest record created in Buffalo is immediately transmitted to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and kept indefinitely. It's also shared with country-level databases like the National Crime Information Center and Interstate Identification Index. It is only sealable upon a court order after which the record is restricted.

How Can I Get My Record Expunged for Free in Buffalo?

Records in Buffalo can be "sealed", not "expunged". A sealed record becomes inaccessible to the public and essentially makes the subject "recordless".

Records of arrests that end with one of the following are immediately sealed by the New York State Office of Court Administration at no extra legal costs:

• A verdict of dismissal
• A verdict of acquittal
• A verdict of no indiction from a grand jury
• A non-criminal violation (auto-sealed after a year)

Since the New York Clean Slate Act became law in November 2024, misdemeanors and eligible felony records are now eligible for automatic sealing and also at no extra cost, subject to meeting the conditions below:

1. Completion of the assigned sentence, inclusive of prison, probation, parole or community service, followed by being crime-free for 3 years for a misdemeanor conviction or 8 years for an eligible felony conviction.
2. Not be in any legal trouble.

Individuals not eligible for automatic sealing can obtain the sealing application and fee waiver (if needed) forms at https://www.nycourts.gov/forms/ and file at Buffalo City Court (50 Delaware Ave) or Erie County Clerk's Office (92 Franklin Street).

Interested parties can also follow the guidelines outlined by the New York Office of Court Administration to determine whether they qualify and review the correct process to follow.

Buffalo Warrant Search

An arrest warrant in Buffalo compels law enforcement—typically the BPD and Warrants Division in the county sheriff's office—to find and bring an accused to court. A bench warrant issued under CPL § 530.70 secures a defendant for future court appearances. Status checks are available through the clerk's desk at city and county-level courts while the WebCrims online portal can be used to check for bench warrants. In-person checks at the county sheriff or BPD can be carried out through an attorney to mitigate risks.

Do Buffalo Warrants Expire?

No. Once issued, an arrest warrant in Buffalo is permanent regardless of how time has passed, where the person is, or any change in their circumstances. Only when the warrant is executed by law enforcement, vacated by the court that issued it, or has become moot due to death or other causes, can the warrant lapse or be terminated.