Queens County Arrest Records

In Queens County, arrest records are documents created by law enforcement agencies providing details about arrests made in the county. These records are prepared when the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the New York City Sheriff’s Office (NYCSO) apprehend offenders. An arrest may be made at the direction of a warrant issued by a judge or when a law enforcement officer witnesses or suspects a crime has been committed.

Arrest records are maintained by the law enforcement agencies in Queens County. Where these records are available to the public, anyone can request access to them from these agencies. Queens County arrest records are also collated by the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) as part of its statewide criminal record database.

Just as arrest records are included in criminal records, they are also compiled with Queens County court records when the associated offenses are tried in the county’s courts.

Are Arrest Records Public in Queens County?

Queens County arrest records are public records in accordance with the New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). However, only the NYPD and NYCSO make their arrest records available to members of the public. Arrest records included in criminal records maintained by the DCJS are not public records.

While the NYPD and NYSCO allow public access to most of their arrest records, some of these records may be unavailable because they are sealed by default by state or federal statutes or sealed upon request by court orders. Examples of Queens County arrest records that are not available to the public are arrest records of minors; arrest records included in sealed and expunged criminal records; and arrest records containing evidentiary or confidential information especially those issued for active investigations and ongoing cases.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The record of an arrest made in Queens County will provide identifying information about the subject of the arrest, including their full name, age, sex, and current address. Other details provided in an arrest record are:

• Identity of the arresting officer and the law enforcement agency they represent
• Charge/Offense leading the address
• Booking date and number as well as where the arrest was made

Queens County Crime Rate

The New York Department of Criminal Justice Services recorded a total of 50,333 crimes for Queens County in 2022. Out of these 11,847 were violent crimes while 38,486 were property crimes. Aggravated assault was the most common violent crime in the county with 7,870 incidents followed by robbery with 3,323 cases. Local law enforcement agencies in Queens County also reported 78 murders and 576 rapes. Larceny accounted for 31,762 cases out of the total property crimes record in the county in 2022. There were also 2,999 burglaries and 3,725 motor vehicle thefts.

Queens County Arrest Statistics

Annual arrest statistics for Queens County are available from the DCJS. This agency provides data for adult arrests, but not juvenile arrests, in Queens County. This is because the NYPD seals juvenile arrest records and does not provide juvenile arrest statistics. A snapshot of adult arrest figures showed that there were 14,657 total felony arrest dispositions recorded for Queens County in 2021. In the same year, there were 18,171 misdemeanor arrest dispositions in the county.

The total population of individuals in Queens County jails and other detention facilities is unavailable. However, the DCJS estimates the total jail population of New York State as 16,227 in 2023.

Find Queens County Arrest Records

Information about arrested and incarcerated individuals in Queens County are available from state and local law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities located in the county. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DCCS) maintains the records of inmates in the state’s prisons. Its Incarcerated Lookup search is an online inmate lookup tool for finding arrested offenders in these facilities.

The Queens County’s location of the NYCSO can also provide arrest information, such as arrestees’ locations, individuals booked in its jail while awaiting trial, those serving sentences up to a year, and those waiting for transfer to state prisons. To find such arrestees, visit or call the sheriff’s office in Queens County. For individuals held by the NYPD, visit or call precincts located in Queens County to enquire about the locations of such arrestees.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) administers federal prisons, including those operated by private entities. The BOP offers the public its inmate lookup tool to help find inmates locked up in these correctional facilities.

Free Arrest Record Search in Queens County

Correctional institutions and law enforcement agencies with presence in Queens County can provide free arrest records through their inmate locator tools. You can use these free search tools to find inmates:

• Inmate Lookup provided by the New York City Correction Department
• Incarcerated Lookup search offered by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
• Inmate lookup tool provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons

It is also possible to locate arrestees and inmates in Queens County with third-party lookup tools. Some of these websites offer free, limited searches. However, while they are usually more convenient to use than official sources, their arrest record databases are mostly not as comprehensive or up-to-date.

Get Queens County Criminal Records

An individual’s criminal record describes the complete set of law enforcement, court, and corrections records detailing every offense for which the individual was arrested and/or tried. Sometimes referred to as a rap sheet, a criminal record provides a history of criminal convictions and is provided as a result of a background check.

To get a Queens County criminal record, you must contact the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services. Note that you can only request your own criminal record from the DCJS, and not the records of other people. While the DCJS would provide these records to employers, credit reporting agencies, and other eligible entities, sealed and expunged records are included in background check results in the State of New York

To get your criminal record from the DCJS:

• Go to the IdentoGo website or contact the agency by calling (877) 472-6915 to request a background check and schedule a fingerprinting appointment
• Provide the code 15464Z to request a suppressed criminal record and 15465F to get an unsuppressed record. A suppressed criminal history check excludes sealed and other confidential criminal records while an unsuppressed history includes all criminal records except expunged ones
• Visit the assigned location of IdentoGo fingerprinting and present a valid ID. If the requester is a juvenile, their parent or legal guardian must submit a completed New York Photo ID Waiver for Minors form
• Pay a $14.25 fee for your criminal record request and fingerprint collection. IdentoGo accepts credit cards for payment. If you want to pay with a money order or check, make out to “Idemia”

The DCJS will contact you after 3 - 4 weeks with your criminal history or a “no record” response sent to your mail address. Those requesting their Queens County criminal records from outside the State of New York must follow a slightly different set of steps to contact IdentoGo for fingerprinting.

Queens County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Although both terms are sometimes used as synonyms, arrest records are quite different from criminal records. An individual’s arrest record will be included in their criminal record. However, a criminal record includes additional documents besides arrest warrants and booking information.

A Queens County arrest record will also include court documents relating to convictions or case dismissals as well as incarceration information. Only local law enforcement agencies are involved in the preparation of Queens County arrest records. On the other hand, courts and corrections facilities also contribute to an individual’s criminal history records.

This distinction between arrest and criminal records is important for those requesting or conducting background checks. An arrest does not necessarily lead to a guilty verdict or conviction. Therefore, employers, professional boards, credit reporting agencies, and similar entities conducting background checks cannot fully rely on arrest records to determine the criminal histories of the subjects of their investigations.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests made in Queens County stay permanently on record except when their records are expunged or sealed by court orders. Persons who wish to remove arrest events from their records must petition the appropriate New York courts to seal or strike the associated arrest records.

Expunge Queens County Arrest Records

Expunging a Queens County arrest record is not the same as sealing it. An expungement is a permanent removal of a record. No background check can unearth an expunged record while law enforcement and court officers may still access sealed records.

To expunge a Queens County arrest record, you must seek a court order or rely on a change in New York law making this change permissible. Expunging a criminal record in New York State is highly unlikely except for certain marijuana offenses recently made eligible for automatic expungement when the state fully legalized marijuana. Marijuana offenses that are eligible for expungement in New York are generally those involving the possession of up to 16 ounces or sale of up to 25 grams of marijuana.

New York courts are more likely to seal a criminal record than expunging it. To seal a Queens County arrest record, you must show that you:

• Have no more than two criminal convictions. These can be two misdemeanors or one felony and one misdemeanor
• Have not been arrested or convicted of a crime in decade since your last criminal conviction or release from incarceration
• Have no pending criminal cases
• Are not required to register as a sex offender in the State of New York

If you meet these requirements, you may then proceed to petition the appropriate court to seal your Queens County arrest record by:

• Submitting a completed Criminal Certificate of Disposition
• Paying a $10 fee when submitting this document to a Queens County court
• Completing and notarizing a Sealing Application after the court approves the disposition certificate
• Providing and attaching any evidence of your rehabilitation to the application
• Notifying by serving an application containing these documents to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office
• Completing and notarizing an Affidavit of Service after serving the DA’s Office by hand or mail
• Filing the original copies of these documents at the court with the jurisdiction to seal your arrest/criminal record

You will receive a court-signed Seal Order if your application is successful. You may confirm that your Queens County arrest record is truly sealed by sending a completed Request for Seal Verification form and a copy of the Seal Order to the DCJS.

Queens County Arrest Warrants

In Queens County, arrest warrants are court records empowering law enforcement officers to apprehend and book the persons named on the documents. Warrants are issued by judges upon request from law enforcement agencies. The officers of the law requesting arrest warrants must convince the judges signing them that there are justified reasons to detain the persons named on the warrants.

A Queens County arrest warrant must identify the individual to be arrested by name and also provide the following information:

• Charge or alleged crime for which the arrest will be made
• Warrant issuance date and number
• Name of the law enforcement agency conducting the arrest
• Name and signature of the judge authorizing the warrant
• Name of the court authorizing the warrant

Queens County Arrest Warrant Search

Records of arrest warrants served in Queens County are available from the NYPD and the New York City Sheriff’s Office. You can enquire about an NYPD arrest warrant issued in Queens County by calling (646) 386-4900, the city’s Criminal Court information line, or visiting their office located at 125-01 Queens Boulevard.The New York Criminal Court is open to the public between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and accepts enquiries from Monday through Friday.

For Queens County arrest warrants executed by the Sheriff’s Office located at

14406 94th Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11435

Do Queens County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Queens County arrest warrants do not expire To clear an arrest warrant issued in the county, the individual named on the warrant must appear before a judge of the issuing court. The death of the named individual will also result in the voiding of the arrest warrant issued against them.