Richmond County Arrest Records

Arrest records in Richmond County arrest records are official documentations of arrests made in the county. When a law enforcement officer apprehends and books an individual in Richmond County, they must prepare a record of the event. This officer may make the arrest if they observe a crime firsthand or suspect the arrestee of a crime. An arrest may also be made if there is a warrant to detain the arrestee.

In Richmond County, arrests are usually made by the New York City Sheriff’s Office (NYCSO) in Staten Island and the New York Police Department (NYPD). Therefore, Richmond County arrest records are available from these law enforcement agencies. The New York Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) also has Richmond criminal and arrest records.

When arrestees are charged to court in Richmond County, they are usually held in the holding jails in the three court buildings in Staten Island. Court officials then use the information provided by law enforcement, including arrest records, to open files for such cases. The Richmond County court records generated in this way are maintained and accessible from the various courts in the county.

Are Arrest Records Public in Richmond County?

Yes. Anyone can request access to Richmond County arrest records from local law enforcement agencies in accordance with the provisions of the New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). However, FOIL requests do not extend to criminal records maintained by the DCJS.

While the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the NYPD provide public access to arrest records, certain records are unavailable to the public. These confidential arrest records include those:

• Describing juvenile arrests
• Containing evidentiary information that may likely be used in ongoing investigations or cases
• Expunged or sealed sealed by court order or state law

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

A Richmond County arrest record must include the following details:

• Arrestee’s name, age, and gender
• Arrest charge or reason for the arrest
• Name of the officer of the law making the rest
• The Richmond County law enforcement agent represented by the arrest officer
• Booking number
• Where and when the arrest took place

Richmond County Crime Rate

Crime rate data for Richmond County are compiled by the New York State DCJS. The DCJS publishes annual crime statistics detailing the number of criminal offenses recorded in each county of the state. According to its latest crime statistics for Richmond County, local law enforcement agencies reported 7,181 index crimes in 2022. Most (5,435) of these were property crimes while 1,746 were violent crimes. A breakdown of the index crime numbers show that there were 11 murders, 81 rapes, 289 robberies, 1,365 aggravated assaults, 303 burglaries, 4,613 larcenies, and 519 motor vehicle thefts in Richmond County in 2022.

Richmond County Arrest Statistics

Richmond County arrest numbers are also provided by the DCJS. This agency splits the data into adult and juvenile arrests. However, juvenile arrest figures for the counties in New York City are not available because the NYPD does not provide the arrest numbers for offenders who are minors. According to the 2023 DCJS report, there were 2,891 and 3,212 adult felony arrests in Richmond County in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Adult misdemeanor arrest figures for both years are 3,872 and 3,641 respectively.

As with other counties of New York City, the DCJS does not provide jail and inmate population figures for Richmond County. However, its records show that there were 16,627 individuals in jails all around the state in 2023. Out of these, 6,044 were in jails located in New York City.

Find Richmond County Arrest Records

To find the record of an arrestee in Richmond County, you must contact the law enforcement agency that apprehended the individual. For example, you can locate individuals remanded in the jails of the Richmond County Sheriff’s office and the NYPD by visiting or contacting those law enforcement agencies. To locate inmates in state-run prisons, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DCCS) provides a handy search tool. This Incarcerated Lookup search is freely available to anyone and can be used to find inmates by their ID numbers.

While there are no federal prisons in Richmond County, inmates arrested in Richmond may be transferred to nearby facilities such as the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) also allows members of the public to search for inmates incarcerated in any of the prisons it controls. Use this inmate lookup tool to locate a federal inmate by name or registration number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Richmond County

Municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement and correctional facilities usually provide free search tools for finding arrest records such as inmates’ locations. Examples of these are:

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

You can also find free third-party search engines for finding Richmond County arrest records. These usually offer one-stop locator services for inmates in city, county, state, and/or federal prisons and jails. However, their search results are usually limited and may be out of date.

Get Richmond County Criminal Records

A Richmond County criminal record is a complete overview of an individual's history of criminal arrests, charges, prosecutions, convictions, exonerations, incarcerations, and releases as recorded by officers of the law in the county. Also known as rap sheet, a criminal record is the document produced following a background check request. Richmond County criminal records are provided by the the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services

The DCJS only provides fingerprint-based criminal history checks. Individuals cannot request the rap sheets of other persons from the DCJS. However, law enforcement agencies and approved organizations, such as employers and credit reporting agencies, may request the criminal records of persons of interest.

When requesting your criminal record from the DCJS, you must state whether you want to obtain a suppressed record or an unsuppressed record by providing the relevant code (15464Z and 15465F respectively). A suppressed record does not include sealed criminal records while an unsuppressed record reveals the entirety of the subject’s criminal history except for expunged records.

To request your criminal history from the DCJS, you must contact IdentoGo, a third-party fingerprinting service. Call this service by dialing (877) 472-6915 or visit the IdentoGo website to set up an appointment. During this contact, provide the relevant code for a suppressed or unsuppressed criminal record.

To process your request, IdentoGo requires a valid ID to confirm your identity. If you are a minor requesting your own criminal history, you must provide a New York Photo ID Waiver for Minors form completed and signed by your parent or minor. The fee for this appointment is $14.25. Pay with a credit card. IdentoGo will also accept a money order or check made out to “Idemia”.

Within 4 weeks of this appointment, the DCJS will contact you by mail either with a “no record” response or copies of your criminal records. A “no record” response means that you do not have any criminal record in the State of New York.

Richmond County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Although both terms are sometimes used to refer to the same thing, an arrest record is quite different from a criminal record. An arrest record is a shorter document that only provides the details of a civil or criminal arrest. In contrast, a criminal record is a detailed account of an individual’s history with the law as a result of their criminal action. Therefore, a criminal record would mention every criminal arrest, charge, prosecution, conviction, dismissal, sentence, incarceration, and release experienced by the subject.

Criminal records are produced when background checks are requested because they provide more complete histories of suspects’ dealing with the law. A Richmond County arrest record is not an indication of guilt. The subject may be released without prosecution or their case dismissed in court. This arrest record will not provide additional information beyond the booking of the individual. A Richmond County criminal record, on the other hand, details the outcome of any arrest and mentions the severity of the offense committed as well as the punishment handed down by a court in the county.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

As with the rest of the state, arrests stay permanently on their subjects’ records in Richmond County. It is possible to restrict access to an arrest record by sealing it with a court. To completely remove an arrest from your record, you must have it expunged.

Expunge Richmond County Arrest Records

An expunged record is erased and no longer exists. If you get your Richmond County arrest record expunged, the outcome would be the same as if the arrest recorded never occurred. Expunging a Richmond County arrest or criminal record requires a court order or change in state law.

The State of New York rarely allows the expungement of criminal records. However, a provision of the state’s marijuana laws has made expunging criminal records less of a rarity. The state allows the automatic expungement of certain records related to marijuana charges that have been retroactively pardoned. Arrests or criminal convictions eligible for this expungement must involve the possession of up to 16 ounces of marijuana or sale of up to 25 grams of marijuana.

Besides these offenses, it is almost impossible to have a criminal record expunged in New York. Sealing a Richmond County arrest or criminal record is more likely. To have your record sealed, you must submit an application to the court where the record is kept and provide proof of eligibility as well as good reasons to convince the sitting judge to agree to seal your record. Only individuals who meet the following criteria are eligible to seal their criminal records in the State of New York:

• Have no more than two criminal convictions. This can either be for two misdemeanors or a felony and a misdemeanor
• Remain crime-free for at least 10 years post-incarceration or after their last criminal convictions, whichever is later
• Not be involved in any pending cases or active investigations
• Not be required to register as a sex offender in the State of New York

The first step to sealing your Richmond County arrest record is getting the right court to approve your Criminal Certificate of Disposition. This document must be prepared for each record you wish to seal. When you submit this to a Richmond County court for approval, you will be required to pay a $10 fee

When you have an approved certificate, fill out and sign a Sealing Application in front of a notary public. Next, gather all evidence of your rehabilitation to help support your request before the court. Make copies of the disposition, sealing application, and proof of rehabilitation and serve them to the Richmond County DA office. This can be done by hand or mail. However, the server must complete an Affidavit of Service after service and sign it in the presence of a notary public.

Finally, send the original copies of these documents as well as the notarized affidavit of service to the court of interest. If a judge in the court agrees to seal your record, the court will mail a signed Seal Order to your address. You can make a copy of this document and send it along with a completed Request for Seal Verification form to the DCJS to confirm that your Richmond County arrest record has been sealed.

Richmond County Arrest Warrants

In Richmond County, arrest warrants are official orders signed by judges instructing officers of the law to detain named individuals. A judge may issue an arrest warrant for law enforcement to bring in someone who failed to appear in court. Judges also easily grant arrest warrants to detain those who violate their parole or probation. However, law enforcement agencies in Richmond County may also approach judges in the county to approve warrants to arrest suspects or persons of interest identified in the course of the investigations. In such a case, the law officer must provide probable cause to convince the judge to sign the arrest warrant.

A Richmond County arrest warrant will provide the following pieces of information:

• The name of the individual to be arrested
• Charge brought against the subject of the warrant
• Name and signature of the judge approving the warrant
• The court represented by the judge
• Date the arrest warrant was issued
• Warrant number

Richmond County Arrest Warrant Search

For more details about an active arrest warrant, you should contact the law enforcement agency that issued the warrant. In Richmond County, this can be the NYPD, the New York City Sheriff’s Office, or the New York State Police. The NYPD provides information about arrest warrants at its precincts. Alternatively, you can call (646) 386-4900, the New York City Criminal Court information line, or visit its location in Richmond County at 26 Central Avenue between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. between Monday and Friday.

To enquire about arrest warrants at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, visit its office located in the Staten Island Business Center at:

For Richmond County arrest warrants executed by the Sheriff’s Office, visit the Brooklyn branch located at:

350 Saint Marks Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10301

Do Richmond County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. An arrest warrant remains enforceable in Richmond County until the named individual appears before a judge in the court listed on the warrant. The only other way a Richmond County arrest warrant is considered cleared is if the named individual dies.