Monroe County Arrest Records

A Monroe County arrest record is a legal document providing details of an arrest made in the county. This official record describes the event and names the parties (arrestee and arresting officer) involved. In Monroe County, the Sheriff’s Office and the various municipal police departments in the county as well as the New York State Police (NYSP) are responsible for making arrests and creating arrest records. Therefore, to find a Monroe County arrest record, you must contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), the NYSP, or the local police department that created the document.

In addition to keeping their own records, these law enforcement agencies also send them to the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). This agency maintains statewide arrest and criminal records and provides them upon requests for background checks.

When arrests lead to cases in Monroe, they may become part of Monroe County court records. Unlike arrest records, court officials prepare and maintain court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Monroe County?

Monroe County arrest records maintained by local law enforcement agencies are public records. Anyone can request access to them under the New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). However, Monroe County arrest records maintained by the DCJS are not public records and not obtainable with FOIL requests.

While the MCSO and the municipal police departments in Monroe County allow public access to their records, certain arrest records are unavailable to the public. These include sealed and expunged arrest records and juvenile arrest records. The Sheriff’s Office and police departments are also not required to provide access to arrest records that may contain evidence in ongoing cases and active investigations.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Any arrest record prepared in Monroe County must provide these details:

• Arrestee’s full name
• Arrestee’s age, gender, and current address
• Arrest charge
• Name of the officer making the arrest
• Law enforcement agency represented by the arresting officer
• Booking number
• Where and when the arrest took place

Monroe County Crime Rate

The DCJS collates and publishes index crime statistics for every county in New York State. Its 2023 report shows that local law enforcement recorded 21,349 index crimes in Monroe County. This number includes 2,190 violent crimes and 19,159 property crimes. A closer look at the violent crimes reported that year shows that there were 53 murders, 171 rapes, 584 robberies, and 1,382 aggravated assaults. Larceny was the leading property crime in the county with 10,531 incidents followed by motor vehicle theft and burglary with 6,754 and 1,874 cases respectively.

Monroe County Arrest Statistics

The DCJS compiles arrest statistics for New York counties and publishes two annual reports for juvenile and adult arrests. Its data show that 3,629 adults were arrested for felony offenses in Monroe County in 2023. In contrast, local law enforcement officers arrested 5,865 adults for misdemeanor offenses in the same year. In 2022, these officers made 447 juvenile arrests but only 186 were for the seven index crimes tracked.

In addition to crime rates and arrest data, the DCJS also publishes annual data on county jail populations across the State of New York. Its report shows that the Monroe County jail held 742 individuals in 2023, a small 4% dip in total population compared to the previous year.

Find Monroe County Arrest Records

To locate an individual arrested in Monroe County, you may contact the municipal police department effecting the arrest. If the arrest was made by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the arrestee will be held in county jail. The MCSO publishes daily rosters and census of the county jail population on its website. Check both lists to find currently incarcerated individuals.

An arrestee in Monroe County may also end up in a state prison. State-run correctional facilities in New York are managed by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DCCS). Inmates in such facilities can be located using the DCCS Incarcerated Lookup search.

While there is no federal prison in Monroe County, such facilities are present in the State of New York. Individuals arrested in Monroe County by federal law enforcement officers may end up in these facilities. Finding them requires visiting the website of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and using the provided inmate lookup tool to search the inmate population by name or registration number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Monroe County

It is possible to search for inmates in local, state, or federal correctional facilities using the official lookup tools provided on the websites of these agencies. Examples of free arrest record and inmate locator search tools provided by government agencies include:

• The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office rosters and census of the county jail population
• Inmate Lookup offered by the New York City Correction Department
• The New York State DCCS Incarcerated Lookup search
• BOP’s inmate lookup tool for federal inmates

Some third-party arrest record lookup services may also offer free inmate searches. These resources are usually more convenient to use and offer central portals for searching multiple databases. However, their results may be out-of-date and should be verified with official government sources.

Get Monroe County Criminal Records

Monroe County criminal records are official documents providing individual criminal histories as recorded by officers of the law in the county. Also known as a rap sheet, a criminal record is a comprehensive documentation of every arrest, charge, prosecution, conviction, and/or incarceration of the owner of the record. This is the document produced upon a background check request.

Criminal records are needed for different purposes. Credit rating agencies, employers, and professional bodies may require them when vetting applicants. Individuals may request their own rap sheets to confirm that their expunged or sealed criminal records are truly removed or suppressed. When looking for a Monroe County criminal record, you must submit a request to the New York State DCJS. The DCJS only allows New York residents to request their own criminal records.

The DCJS requires your fingerprints to process a background check. It contracts the collection of fingerprints to IdentoGo, a third-party identity verification service. The first step to requesting your Monroe County criminal record is to schedule an appointment with IdentoGo. You can do this by calling (877) 472-6915 or from the IdentoGo website.

When setting up your appointment, you will be required to choose between requesting a suppressed criminal record or an unsuppressed one. Provide the code 15464Z for a suppressed record or 15465F for an unsuppressed record. A suppressed criminal record is a rap sheet that does not include sealed records while an unsuppressed criminal record includes sealed and restricted records except expunged ones.

At your fingerprinting appointment, you will be required to present a valid ID. A minor requesting their criminal history must provide a New York Photo ID Waiver for Minors form completed and signed by their parent or legal guardian. You will be required to pay $14.25 at the IdentoGo appointment for each record requested and set of fingerprints submitted. IdentoGo accepts credit cards for payment. You may also pay with a money order or check made out to “Idemia”.

It may take up to 4 weeks to get a response from DCJS. This will either be a copy of your rap sheet or a “no record” reply if you do not have a criminal history in the State of New York.

Monroe County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Although some people use both terms as synonyms, an arrest record is quite different from a criminal record. An arrest record documents an apprehension. It is prepared when an individual is booked and held in detention by officers of the law. A criminal record, on the other hand, describes a lot more than arrest. It documents every arrest, arraignment, sentencing, conviction, and incarceration experienced by the subject of the record. Therefore, while only law enforcement agencies prepare arrest records, courts and correctional facilities also provide the details contained in criminal records.

The individual with an arrest record is not necessarily guilty of the offense for which they are arrested. Only a criminal record can show whether the arrestee was found guilty. That is why criminal records are the documents provided after conducting background searches.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests stay on arrestees records forever, unless expunged. Sealing an arrest record does not remove the record. Sealing merely removes the record from public access and restricts the parties that can access it.

Expunge Monroe County Arrest Records

Expunging an arrest record results in its total erasure. The record of the arrest no longer exists and cannot be found on the arrestee's criminal record. In Monroe County, expunging an arrest record requires a court order or a change in a New York statute. New York rarely allows the expunging of criminal records. However, it made an exception for certain marijuana offenses while it retroactively pardoned these crimes after fully legalizing cannabis.

The marijuana charges eligible for automatic expungement in the State of New York includes arrest and criminal records for offenses involving the possession of up to 16 ounces of marijuana and sale of up to 25 grams of marijuana.

Having your Monroe County arrest record sealed is the next best option if expungement is not possible. However, New York State does not automatically seal criminal records and has a list of conditions that must be met to be eligible for record sealing. First, you must have no more than two criminal convictions. These can be for two misdemeanors or a misdemeanor and a felony. Secondly, you must have remained crime-free for at least 10 years after your last criminal conviction or release of jail or prison. Thirdly, you must not be involved in any pending criminal case or ongoing criminal investigation. Lastly, you must not be registered or required to register on the New York sex offender registry.

If you meet all of these conditions, you may then seek a court order sealing your Monroe County arrest or criminal record. The request to seal this record must be submitted at the court where that record is maintained. To prepare your application for arrest record sealing:

• Fill out a Criminal Certificate of Disposition and submit this to the court. You must complete a copy of the certificate for each record you wish to seal
• Pay a $5 fee to the court to process and approve this certificate
• Complete and notarize a Sealing Application
• Gather any evidence of your rehabilitation to help convince the court to seal your record
• Make copies of these three documents and serve them on the Monroe County District Attorney Office. This can be done by hand or mail but the serve must complete and notarize an an Affidavit of Service after serving the documents
• Gather the original copies of the served documents along with the affidavit of service in an application. File this with the court

If the attending judge in the court agrees to have your record sealed, you will receive a signed Seal Order. Make a copy of this order and attach it to a completed Request for Seal Verification form. Send them to the DCJS to inform the agency that the record has been sealed.

Monroe County Arrest Warrants

A Monroe County arrest warrant is an official record signed by a judge authorizing law enforcement officers to apprehend the individual named on the warrant. Warrants serve as official notices for enforcing civil or criminal arrests ordered by courts. A judge might issue an arrest warrant for a person failing to appear in court or violating their parole. Law enforcement officers may also parepare arrest warrants and bring them before judges to apprehend suspects during the course of active investigations. In the latter case, the law enforcement agency seeking the warrant must prove the need for it to the judge.

A Monroe County arrest warrant provides the following information:

• The identity of the individual to be apprehended
• Charge for which the arrest will be made
• The court authorizing the warrant
• The judge approving the warrant
• When the warrant was issued
• Warrant number

Monroe County Arrest Warrant Search

Searching for an arrest warrant issued in Monroe County requires contacting the court approving the warrant or the local law enforcement agency that executed it. Call or visit the court, police department, or sheriff’s office to enquire about active arrest warrants.

Do Monroe County Arrest Warrants Expire?

A Monroe County arrest warrant does not expire unless the subject of the warrant dies or appears before a judge in the court that authorized the warrant.