New York County Arrest Records

In New York County, officers of the law are authorized to apprehend individuals believed to be offenders and record the circumstances of these events. The resulting documents are collectively known as arrest records. The New York City Sheriff’s Office (NYCSO) and the New York Police Department (NYPD) are the two local law enforcement agencies responsible for conducting most arrests in the county. These organizations prepare and maintain arrest records for New York County and make these available to the public as required under the laws of the State of New York.

Besides the NYPD and the NYCSO, New York County arrest records are also maintained by the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). This agency collates criminal records, including arrest records, for all counties in the state as provided by local law enforcement agencies.

When arrested offenders are arraigned in New York county, court officials also document the progress of such cases in the criminal justice system. The documents prepared during their trials are examples of New York County court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in New York County?

In compliance with the New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), New York County arrest records are public records. However, the county’s arrest data included with the criminal records maintained by the DCJS are not available to the public. This means that anyone can submit an FOIL request to the NYPD or NYCSO for a New York County arrest record, but not the DCJS.

Although local law enforcement agencies in New York County provide public access to arrest records, certain arrest records are restricted and confidential. Such records are usually sealed by court order or state or federal statutes. New York County arrest records that are unavailable to members of the public:

• Expunged arrest records
• Juvenile arrest information
• Records including details regarded as evidence in active cases and ongoing investigations

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

An arrest record typically provides the following information:

• Identifying details of the arrestee including their name, age, address, and current address
• Name of the arresting officer and the law enforcement agency they represent
• Arrestee’s mugshot
• Arrest charge
• Where and when the arrest occurred
• Booking number

New York County Crime Rate

Annual crime statistics for New York County are published by the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services. These figures are collated from data provided by the NYCSO and NYPD as well as probation departments in the county. In the 2022 report published by the DCJS, there were a total of 69,454 crimes committed in New York County in that year. Out of these, 12,985 were violent crimes while 56,469 were property crimes. The county’s violent crime rate for 2022 include 78 murders, 567 rapes, 4,176 robberies, and 8,164 aggravated assaults. There were 49,931 larcenies, 4,565 burglaries, and 1,973 motor vehicle thefts in New York County in 2022.

New York County Arrest Statistics

In addition to crime data for New York County, the DCJS also provides arrest statistics. While adult arrest numbers are available, juvenile arrest statistics are not provided by the DCJS for New York city counties. This is because the NYPD does not submit juvenile arrest numbers. DCJS reports show that there were 16,856 adult felony arrests made in New York County in 2023. Local law enforcement also arrested 25,256 adults for misdemeanor offenses in the same year.

The DCJS does not provide jail population statistics for New York County. However, its reports show that county jails all over the state booked 16,227 offenders in 2022.

Find New York County Arrest Records

To find an inmate locked up in a municipal jail or state prison in New York County, contact the law enforcement agency managing the county jail or use the search tool provided by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DCCS). The DCCS Incarcerated Lookup search can inmates of correctional facilities in the State of New York. Simply search for the inmate with their DCCS ID number.

Individuals arrested in New York County while awaiting trial or transfer to state prisons or those serving sentences up to one year are locked up in county jails. To locate such individuals, contact the NYCSO and the NYPD offices in New York County.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) can help locate inmates remanded in federal prisons in New York State. The only BOP facility in New York County is MCC New York, an administrative center that houses no inmates. However, you can use the BOP inmate lookup tool to find federal inmates arrested in New York County and locked up in other locations.

Free Arrest Record Search in New York County

New York County arrest records are freely accessible from the following government websites:

• New York City Correction Department Inmate Lookup
• DCCS Incarcerated Lookup search
• BOP inmate lookup tool

Besides these official sources, some third-party websites also offer free searches of New York County arrest records. Note that the records provided by third-party search tools may be outdated and not as detailed as those found on official law enforcement websites.

Get New York County Criminal Records

Criminal records are comprehensive documentations of criminal histories. In New York County, criminal records are maintained by local law enforcement agencies. They are different from criminal court records and arrest records. An individual’s criminal record, or rap sheet, can be obtained by submitting a request for a background check. The New York Department of Criminal Justice Services is the state agency responsible for providing New York County criminal records. However, you cannot request someone else’s criminal record from the DCJS.

Criminal histories are useful for different reasons. Individuals may request their own criminal histories to know whether sealed or expunged criminal records will show up during background checks. Certain organizations, such as employers and credit reporting agencies, also conduct background checks to determine whether applicants are suitable for specific benefits.

Anyone intending to request their New York County criminal record from the DCJS must:

• Visit the IdentoGo website or call (877) 472-6915 to set up a fingerprinting appointment. The DCJS only conducts fingerprint-based background checks
• Choose between getting a suppressed and an unsuppressed criminal record. A suppressed record does not include court-ordered sealed criminal records while an unsuppressed one finds public and confidential records. The code for a suppressed record is 15464Z while 15465F is for an unsuppressed record
• Present their ID when at their IdentoGo fingerprinting appointment. Juveniles requesting their criminal records must have their parents or legal guardians must complete and submit a New York Photo ID Waiver for Minors form

IdentoGo charges $14.25 for collecting requesters fingerprints and requesting their criminal records. It accepts payment with credit cards as well as money orders or checks made out to “Idemia”. Requesters can expect a “no record” response from the DCJS if they have no criminal record in the State of New York. Otherwise, they will receive their criminal record in the mail within 4 weeks of completing their applications via IdentoGo.

New York County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Although some use both terms interchangeably, an arrest record is quite different from a criminal record. An arrest record is the official document prepared by law enforcement when booking an arrestee. This record only contains booking information and does not indicate guilt on the part of the arrestee. A criminal record, on the other hand, is a comprehensive summary of an individual’s history of criminal activities. It includes the records of all arrests, convictions, and incarcerations experienced by the individual.

In New York County, law enforcement agencies create arrest records but criminal records are available from the DCJS from records obtained from law enforcement, courts, and correctional facilities in the state.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

A New York County arrest will stay on your record forever unless expunged by a court order or state statute. An arrest record may not show up during a background check if it has been sealed by a court order, but it remains on the arrestee’s record.

Expunge New York County Arrest Records

Expunge an arrest record is the only way to completely remove it from your record. Expunging a record clears it away and makes it like the event leading to the arrest never happened. Petitioning a court to expunge a criminal record in the State of New York is unlikely to be successful. However, the state’s marijuana law has led to the expungement of certain marijuana offenses.

Anyone with a criminal conviction relating to the possession of up to 16 ounces of marijuana or sale of up to 25 grams of marijuana may qualify for automatic expungement of the arrest and conviction records related to those offenses.

Sealing a New York County arrest record requires petitioning the appropriate court after demonstrating eligibility. The State of New York requires those applying to seal their criminal records to meet certain requirements such as:

• Having no more than two convictions either for two misdemeanors or one felony and one misdemeanor
• Committing no crime for at least 10 years after their last criminal conviction or after release from incarceration, whichever is later
• Not a defendant in any ongoing or pending criminal case
• Not required to register as a sex offender

While New York automatically expunged qualifying marijuana offenses, the state does not automatically seal criminal records even for eligible individuals. The steps required to seal a criminal court record in New York County are:

• Submit a completed Criminal Certificate of Disposition to the appropriate court and pay a $10 fee for court approval. Do this for each record you want to seal
• Complete a Sealing Application and sign it in the presence of a notary public
• Gather all evidence of your rehabilitation. This will help convince the judge to seal your record
• Make copies of these documents, collect them in a mail, and serve them to the New York County District Attorney’s Office by hand or mail. Make sure the server completes and signs an Affidavit of Service in front of a notary public
• Gather the original copies of the served document along with the affidavit of service. Submit these at the court maintaining the records to be sealed

If the sitting judge agrees to seal your record, the court will issue a Seal Order. You can attach a copy of the order to a completed Request for Seal Verification form and mail these to the DCJS to confirm that your New York County criminal record has been sealed.

New York County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a judge-issued document directing law enforcement officers to apprehend the named individual. Typically, law enforcement agencies seek arrest warrants to detain persons of interest during their investigations. The issuing judge will require the agency submitting the request to show probable cause for an arrest warrant.

A New York County arrest warrant provides the following information:

• Name of the arrestee
• Arrestee’s age and gender
• Charge for which the individual was arrested
• The court authorizing the arrest
• Issuing judge’s name and signature
• When the warrant was issued

New York County Arrest Warrant Search

To search for an arrest warrant in New York County, contact the law enforcement agency that issued the warrant. This is likely the NYPD or the New York City Sheriff’s Office. Call the New York City Criminal Court information line at (646) 386-4900 or visit the New York City Criminal Court located at 100 Centre Street to enquire about arrest warrants issued by the NYPD.

For New York County arrest warrants executed by the NYCSO, visit the Sheriff’s Office in the county to make enquiries.

Do New York County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. A New York County arrest warrant remains active unless the individual named on the warrant appears before a judge in the court named on the warrant. The death of the named individual would also void the arrest warrant.