Monroe County Arrest Records

Finding Monroe County arrest records usually starts with contacting a local law enforcement agency. This may include reviewing Monroe County court records, specifically if the arrestee has been prosecuted.

People looking for arrest records primarily want to know where the arrested person is remanded, why they were arrested, and their release conditions. Lawyers usually need these records when defending clients during pretrial and trial proceedings. Conversely, prosecutors use arrest information to determine the charges to file, especially when the individual is confined without a warrant.

Arrest records are also important to the subjects of the records, employees, law enforcement, and regulators. Individuals who want to seal their criminal convictions also need their records to submit their petitions and serve other parties. Public and private organizations and regulators assessing potential licensees and employees often rely on their arrest records to determine whether they are suitable for the vacant role or license.

Are Arrest Records Public in Monroe County?

Yes. The Michigan Freedom of Information Act, the regulatory framework for access to official government and public office affairs, instructs agencies funded by the public, except courts and specific departments, to release official information to the requesting members of the public (apart from incarcerated individuals). While courts and court clerks are exempt from the mandates of the state's FOIA, Michigan's Supreme Court operates on a policy of transparency pursuant to MCR 8.119. The rule permits anyone to view court records and request copies of court documents that may contain arrest information.

However, the public’s right to access court and arrest records do not extend to statutory confidential information such as the following:

• Records that have been set aside under the Michigan Clean Slate Act
• Records that have been set aside after individuals successfully petition courts to remove their arrest and criminal data from public records
• Most juvenile arrest and trial records
• Information created during active investigations

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office, local police departments, courts, and other state agencies are permitted by law to release the following arrest information:

• The arrested individual's personal details, such as their name, race, sex, age, and physical description
• Charges, including charge degree and description
• Arrest date
• Arresting agency
• Bond type and amount and presiding judge
• Warrant information
• Arraignment date

Monroe County Crime Rate

The Michigan State Police releases the Great Lakes State’s annual Incident Crime Reporting publication to educate the public about crime trends. According to the 2021 report, there were 3,820 total crimes in Monroe County. 915 of these incidents were Part 1 offenses and 2,904 are classed under Part 2 crimes. Aggravated assault represented 112 reports, robbery accounted for 2 crime occurrences, and robbery stood at 71.

Note: Individuals may have to contact the Michigan State Police's Criminal Justice Information Center for more comprehensive numbers where they feel the data might be incomplete.

Monroe County Arrest Statistics

The MSP’s 2021 arrest publication may not fully capture arrests recorded by local law enforcement agencies. However, its most recent release reveals 532 total arrests with Part 1 crime accounting for 26 apprehensions and Part 2 crimes representing 506 arrests. People who want more up-to-date statistics can contact the Monroe County Sheriff's Office or the Criminal Justice Information Center.

Find Monroe County Arrest Records

The first and best place to start when finding arrest records is the law enforcement department closest to the scene of the arrest. This agency could be the City of Monroe police department or the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. The right arresting agency to approach also depends on the nature of the crime for which the individual was apprehended. If they were caught for a federal crime, then their arrest information will typically be compiled by the U.S. agency.

However, the Monroe County Sheriff's corrections division often holds inmates for federal and state agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. People interested in viewing details of inmates in the Sheriff's custody can contact the corrections division or use its web inquiry portal. The portal shows the arrestee's personal details, charges, bond information, arrest date, and the agency holding the individual.

The Sheriff's records division is another place to seek arrest data. People can call or visit:

Records Division
100 East Second Street
Monroe, MI 48161
Phone: (734) 240-7415
Fax: (734) 240-7482
Email: sheriffrecordsmail@monroemi.org

Information about people who have been sentenced for state crimes can be found by going through court records or viewing inmate files maintained by the Michigan Department of Corrections. The department’s Offender Information Tracking System (OTIS) allows members of the public to view details about people sentenced for serious state criminal offenses. active inmates, parolees, probationers, absconders, and recently discharged individuals. However, the system does not show information about people who may have been found guilty but still awaiting their sentencing hearing and former inmates whose last supervision date was more than 3 years ago.

OTIS shows each inmate’s bio data, location, sentence, offense, and other incarceration information. Individuals looking to obtain information not available online can use the department’s FOIA request process.

As stated earlier, records about federal suspects are created and maintained by federal agencies. People can contact these institutions if they want to find their loved ones and provide support. For example, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement allows people to find detainees using its Online Detainee Locator System. Individuals can also use the online locator provided by the Bureau of Prisons to find people serving their sentences in federal prison.

Free Arrest Record Search in Monroe County

The following are free resources for finding Monroe county arrest information:

• Monroe County Sheriff's online inmate search tool
• The Offender Information Tracking System provided by the MDOC
• The BOP’s federal inmates locator
• Monroe County circuit and district court case search systems (more below)

Third-party public records vendors also display arrest details from different Michigan law enforcement agencies, including the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, on their websites.

Get Monroe County Criminal Records

Records related to state and local violations that go through circuit, district, and municipal courts in Monroe County are called criminal records. These include citations, indictments, complaints, arrest warrants, and filed motions. These records also include judgments, sentencing information, and incarceration.

Criminal documents and data are typically maintained by courts, department of corrections as explained earlier, and the Michigan State Police.

Criminal court records are generally available to members of the public, but one must determine the type of record they seek to identify the right court to approach. The following are cases handled by different courts:

• Circuit court: Handles felony matters (punishable by more than one year in prison).
• District court: Adjudicates all misdemeanors (punishable by a fine and not more than one year in prison) and traffic offenses. It also holds preliminary hearings for felony actions.

Individuals can use the district court or circuit court's Case Search portal to view case IDs, filing date, case status, judge of record, charges (and charge level), arraignment date, and bond details (including actions). The database also shows details of case events and hearings (hearing types, dates, and hearing officers). The system allows users to search by name or case number.

People seeking copies of court documents can approach the clerk of the court that handled the case. For example, the Monroe County Clerk maintains and disseminates copies of circuit court criminal records. Court documents are available at courthouses for viewing and copying.

Background checks, or criminal history searches, are another way to obtain comprehensive criminal records. Only the Michigan State Police offers this service statewide. Interested parties can use its Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) to find anyone's criminal records. However, the tool does not contain information that has been set aside or suppressed. It also lacks traffic, juvenile, and local misdemeanor records (mostly crimes punishable by 93 days or less in prison).

The MSP provides name-based and fingerprint-based background checks. Only statutorily authorized parties, such as certain employers and license regulators, can use the fingerprint option. People looking to run name-based checks must use ICHAT. The state police offers details on how to use these options on its fingerprint-based search and ICHAT webpages.

Monroe County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records are generally created to create verifiable accounts of people's arrests. Information contained in these records do not include trial and sentencing details and do not imply a person's guilt. People who may have been arrested but not charged are not considered offenders, and their records are not accessible to the public.

Conversely, criminal records contain arrest, trial, sentencing, and imprisonment information for people prosecuted and convicted for committing state and federal crimes. These records are accessible through ICHAT, courts, and correctional facilities.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Records for arrests without convictions are generally not accessible to members of the public, but they may show up in certain cases after an ICHAT query. Individuals can remove such records. Also, certain eligible convictions under the Michigan Clean Slate can be set aside automatically from public access and others require eligible record subjects to apply to courts to set aside their criminal records.

Be that as it may, law enforcement agencies can still obtain and use sealed records, as they are not completely destroyed. Other entities with statutory permission can also view nonpublic records in certain cases. These parties include:

• Courts
• Prosecutors' offices
• Michigan Department of Corrections
• The Attorney General
• The Governor

Expunge Monroe County Arrest Records

Arrest records can show up in the Michigan State Police’s ICHAT even if there was no conviction. Individuals can rectify this error by contacting the arresting agency to obtain a “release no prosecution” document or similar paperwork and sending it to the MSP by fax at (517) 241-0866. The office to contact depends on the agency. For example, affected individuals can approach the Monroe County Sheriff's Records Division if it is the arresting agency. Most city police departments also have records units that handle such issues or can provide guidance.

If the person was convicted, they may qualify for the automatic set aside program under the Michigan Clean Slate law if their crimes are listed under MCL - Section 780.621g or outlined on the Michigan State Police’s automatic set aside checklist webpage. Affected persons can also apply to a court to set aside their records if they meet the requirements under MCL - Section 780.621.

One can lookup their criminal records through the ICHAT platform to check whether their conviction matches the eligible convictions outlined in both pieces of legislation.

The setting aside process involves filling out the Application to Set Aside Adult Conviction form or other specific forms provided through the Michigan judiciary's website. The next steps involve the following:

• Submitting the form to the court that issued the conviction
• Sending one's fingerprints, a copy of the obtained record of conviction and set aside application, and a $50 money order or check payable to the State of Michigan to the MSP
• Sending copies of the certified conviction record and the set aside application to the prosecutor who handled the case and the Michigan Attorney General.

The clerk of the court where the application is filed will set a hearing date. Individuals should do well to prepare for their hearing by providing important information about why and how they meet the requirements to have their records set aside. They can provide statements of facts, materials, and witness testimony to support their case. It is important to note that when they acquire letters supporting their motion, they also have to serve those letters to prosecutors and the Attorney General.

As stated, sealed records are only closed to members of the public but can be disclosed to certain. These are the situations that require viewing closed records:

• The individual is filing a license application that will be reviewed by a personnel of the judiciary branch
• The governor is assessing a pardon request for a separate crime and applicant has set aside a conviction in the past
• A judge is trying to determine the right sentence for a person that has been found guilty of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment
• The individual is seeking employment with the department of corrections or other law enforcement agencies
• When applying to set aside another conviction
• During matters related to the Sex Offenders Registry Act (SORA)

Monroe County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are written legal orders commanding law enforcement to take a person into custody and bring them before a court. Michigan law (MCL - Section 764.1) allows judges and district court magistrates to issue arrest warrants after law enforcement follow specific instructions to file complaints against suspects. The complaint must convince the issuing authority that there are reasonable grounds to believe the named individual has committed a crime.

Judges and magistrates can also issue arrest warrants for the capture of people that have disobeyed court orders, such as summonses and community service or violated certain legal directives like parole and probation. These types of warrants are called bench warrants and do not require the submission of complaints.

Warrants generally contain the name of the suspect and their alleged offense. They also direct police officers to arrest and bring them before a judge or summon them to court if possible.

Monroe County Arrest Warrant Search

People looking for active warrants can approach the Monroe County Sheriff's Office or Monroe PD. They can go through each agency's records division to make inquiries. The Sheriff's Office's inmate search portal shows details of people's arrest warrants, but these are usually executed processes.

Further, executed warrants can also be viewed at court clerk offices. People can also see details of a person's warrant using the district and circuit courts' case search portals.

Do Monroe County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Arrest warrants do not have termination dates. They are resolved and filed as court records once law enforcement arrest subjects. Notwithstanding, judges have the power to recall or invalidate arrest warrants when suspects are proven to be not guilty.