Onondaga County Arrest Records

Onondaga County arrest records provide office information of what transpired when law enforcement takes an individual into custody and the offense that resulted in the arrest. Law enforcement agencies in Onondaga County may arrest individuals who commit crimes or if there is evidence of their intention to commit crimes.

Onondaga County holds pretrial detainees and individuals serving short sentences at the Onondaga County Justice Center, while inmates serving sentences longer than one year are held at the Jamesville Correctional Facility.

In Onondaga County, the Sheriff's Office, Syracuse Police Department, New York State Police (Troop D), local police departments, and specialized agencies generate arrest records. Onondaga County arrest records are law enforcement documents and are vital for the preliminary stage of trial cases; they become part of Onondaga County Court Records if a case that results from the arrest proceeds to the court.

Are Arrest Records Public in Onondaga County?

Yes, Onondaga County arrest records are public. According to Article 6, Sections 84-90 of the New York Public Officers Law, interested persons have the right to access public records in the possession of state and local government agencies within New York State. However, public access does not extend to sealed or juvenile arrest records.

To access exempted Onondaga County arrest records, requesters must be legally eligible or possess a court order. For instance, Onondaga County juvenile arrest records are accessible to the owners of the records, their guardians, legal representatives, and authorized agencies. Every other person requires a court order to scrutinize them.

What Do Onondaga County Public Arrest Records Contain?

An Onondaga County arrest record details information about an individual arrest and the circumstances that led to the arrest. Typically, an arrest record information includes:

• Personal details of the arrestee such as name, gender, date of birth, aliases (if any), and physical description
• Description of item confiscated at the time of arrest
• Date, time, and location of arrest
• Charges against the arrestee
• Booking information such as fingerprints and mugshots
• Name of the holding facility
• Bail and Bond information
• Initial court appearance (if applicable).

Onondaga County Crime Rate

Per FBI data, property-related crimes accounted for over 83% of the 10,236 crime incidents reported by law enforcement agencies in Onondaga County in 2022. Larceny-theft, which accounts for over 69% of property crimes in Onondaga County within the period, is the most recurring crime in the county in 2022 Also, larceny-theft crimes make up 56.33% of all crimes in Onondaga County in 2021. In 2018 and 2019, over half the crimes committed in Onondaga County were larceny-theft. The table outlines the crime trend in Onondaga County between 2018 and 2022.

Onondaga Crime Rates 2018 to 2022

Data Source: New York Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Onondaga County Arrest Statistics

Per the New York Division of Criminal Justice 2022 report, there were 9,204 adult arrests in Onondaga County in 2023. This figure is a significant rise over the 8,506 adult arrests in the previous year. Also, 667 juvenile offenders were arrested in 2022 for various crimes. The tables below show the trend for adult and juvenile arrests in Onondaga County arrests from 2018 to 2023.

Onondaga County Adult Arrests 2018 to 2023

Onondaga County Juvenile Arrests 2018 to 2023

Data Source: New York Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Find Onondaga County Arrest Records

There are several options for Onondaga County arrest records search. To access Onondaga County arrest records:

• Visit the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office website:
  • Select Incarceration Lookup from the menu
  • Click Correction Incarcerated Individual Lookup to access the page for information on persons held at the Jamesville Correctional Facilities, or Justice Center Incarcerated Lookup to search for records of Justice Center inmates
• Visit the New York State Unified Court System eCourt Page:
  • Click WebCriminal to link to the Option Page
  • Select any of the available search criteria to access the search portal
  • Enter the necessary information on the search tool to access criminal records
  • Review the results for specific records.

Also, Onondaga County arrest records are accessible through FOIL requests to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office or the Syracuse Police Department at the following addresses:

Onondaga County Sheriff's Office
407 South State Street, Syracuse,
NY 13202

Syracuse Police Department
511 South State Street, Syracuse,
NY 13202.

In addition, requesters can call or visit local police departments or the Onondaga County Clerk's Office at

401 Montgomery Street, Syracuse,
NY 13202
Phone: (315) 671-2100

Free Arrest Record Search in Onondaga County

To look at Onondaga County arrest records for free:

• Log in to the Onondaga County Sheriff's website and access Onondaga County arrest records for free through the Incarceration Lookup links
• Visit the Onondaga County courthouse and access arrest records for free through Public Access Terminals at

401 Montgomery Street, Syracuse,
NY 13202

• Search online for free access to Onondaga County arrest records on third-party websites
• Visit local libraries and archives for information on Onondaga County arrest records.

Get Onondaga County Criminal Records

Onondaga Criminal records (or rap sheets) are documents containing exhaustive details of the criminal histories of individuals within Onondaga County, New York. In Onondaga County, a rap sheet outlines a person's interactions with the criminal justice system, beginning from arrest, through court proceedings, conviction, and incarceration. Onondaga County rap sheets are publicly accessible to interested persons under the New York Freedom of Information Law. To access Onondaga County criminal records:

• Log in to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office website, access the Incarceration Lookup Portals, and obtain criminal through Onondaga County inmate records
• Visit the New York Unified Court System Criminal History Records Search sign-in page, create an account, and log in to search for information relating to Onondaga County criminal records
• Log in to the New York Unified Court System WebCriminal Portal and search for Onondaga County criminal records
• Visit the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, the Syracuse Police Department, or any of the local police departments that may have the required records, and make a FOIL request to access Onondaga County rap sheets.

Onondaga County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

The key distinctions between Onondaga County arrests and criminal records are their content and uses. Typically, an arrest record describes the consequences surrounding the arrest of an individual by law enforcement. For instance, law enforcement can take an individual into custody for committing a crime or to aid an ongoing investigation. On the other hand, a criminal record gives a comprehensive history of a person's criminal activities.

Onondaga County arrest records provide information for the preliminary stages of criminal cases and are part of Onondaga criminal records. A criminal record encompasses a person's arrest records and interaction with the Onondaga trial court system. Also, while arrest records are law enforcement records, they do not confirm guilt or exonerate an individual of a crime. Unlike an arrest record, a criminal record may offer insight into a person's character or mental state.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Onondaga County and other New York Counties, an arrest can stay indefinitely unless a court seals it from public access. To seal an arrest information from a record, the owner of the record must check eligibility and file a petition through the Onondaga County Clerk's Office.

Expunge Onondaga County Arrest Records

In New York State and its counties, the mechanism for removing criminal records from public access is sealing the information and not by expungement. A court may order relevant agencies to seal an arrest record if the owner meets the requirements outlined in CPL § 160.55, CPL § 160.58, CPL § 160.59, and other supporting laws.

For persons seeking to seal arrest information in Onondaga County, the law requires that the applicant:

• Must allow ten years to elapse after serving the sentence for the specific arrest
• Should not have more than two convictions, and only one can be for a felony crime
• Must not have any new criminal conviction or pending criminal trial from the time of completing the sentence for the offense that resulted from the arrest to filing for sealing of record
• Must not be sex offenders or class A felony convicts.

The following steps may aid individuals who want to seal arrest information in Onondaga County:

• Gather all relevant documents that will aid the appeal, including the rap sheet (this may be available through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice) and documents relating to the court proceedings
• Obtain a new set of fingerprints from an authorized provider
• Download an Application for Sealing of Records Pursuant to CPL 160.59 form (Form CPL 160.59) from the New York State Unified Court System website
• Complete Form CPL 160.59 and include the rap sheets, court documents, fingerprints
• File a motion at the Onondaga County court that handled the specific case
• Send a copy of the motion to the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office
• If the schedules a hearing on the petition, attend to provide additional evidence or answer questions that may arise
• If the petition is successful, the court will issue an order to the relevant agencies to seal the record.

Onondaga County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are official documents that authorize law enforcement to take an individual into custody. In Onondaga County, a judge or magistrate issues an arrest warrant if law enforcement can prove probable cause against the person. Onondaga County arrest warrants comply with CPL Chapter 11-A § 120.10. Typically, arrest warrant information encompasses

• Name, gender, race, physical description, aliases, and last known address of the wanted person
• Charges against the wanted person
• Instructions on how to execute the arrest
• Name and signature of the judge/magistrate who issued the arrest warrant
• Name and seal of the originating court
• Statement of probable cause.

Onondaga County Arrest Warrant Search

To search for active arrest warrants in Onondaga County:

• Log in to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office website
  • Select Active Warrants from the menu to access the Warrant Page
  • Look for information on any recent warrants of arrest
  • Click the images of the wanted persons to reveal their records
  • For a fugitive whose name may be down the list, type their name on the search tools and submit
• Search for Onondaga County active arrest warrants online through third-party databases that have information on Onondaga County law enforcement information
• Visit the Syracuse Police Department and local law enforcement agencies and police departments for information on active warrants
• Log in to New York State law enforcement or judicial agencies’ websites and search for active arrest warrants originating from Onondaga County. For instance, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the New York State Unified Court System may have information on Onondaga's active arrest warrants on their websites.

Do Onondaga County Arrest Warrants Expire?

In Onondaga County and the rest of the counties in New York, arrest warrants do not expire. An arrest will remain active until law enforcement catches the fugitive. Nevertheless, an arrest warrant will become inactive if the fugitive dies or the court revokes the warrant.