Butler County Arrest Records

The criminal justice process in Butler County begins with an arrest. Generally, law enforcement agents apprehend individuals when:

• There is a warrant out for the person’s arrest
• They reasonably suspect that the individual has committed a crime

Upon arrest, the arrestee is typically transported to a police station, where they undergo an information-gathering process referred to as criminal booking. During criminal booking, the arrestee’s fingerprints and photographs are taken. The arrestees are also questioned to obtain their personal information, including their name and date of birth. When this standard booking procedure is finalized, the arrestee is held in the Butler County Jail (the primary detention center for the county) or in local police departments’ holding cells. The location where an arrestee will be detained depends significantly on the arresting agency’s jurisdiction, and the information gathered during the criminal booking process is

Generally, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office is the primary agency responsible for generating arrest records in the county. However, every arresting agency maintains records of the arrest of every individual they have detained or are in their custody.

It is worth noting that an arrest record can be part of other documents, especially Butler County court records, as it moves through various criminal justice agencies.

Are Arrest Records Public in Butler County?

Yes, public access to Butler County arrest records is guaranteed by virtue of Ohio’s Public Records Law. However, some situations may warrant specific arrest record information to be made available to only limited authorized persons, such as the subject of the record and law enforcement agencies. These include juvenile arrest records, records of ongoing investigations, and identifying information of confidential informants.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Publicly accessible arrest information in Butler County includes:

• The arrestee’s full name, date of birth, age, physical description, and identifying marks
• The circumstances of the arrest (arrest date, location, time, etc)
• The arresting agency/officer
• Charges
• Bond details

Butler County Crime Rate

According to statistics from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS), Butler County recorded a total of 10,686 crimes in 2022 (the latest year for which data is available). Of that number, crimes against property accounted for 4,470, making this the highest category of crimes in the county. This is followed by:

• Crimes against society- 3,309
• Crimes against persons- 2,167
• Other crimes- 1,010

Butler County Arrest Statistics

Credible and detailed Butler County arrest statistics are unavailable online. However, individuals can contact law enforcement agencies within a municipality of interest for available data on arrested persons.

Find Butler County Arrest Records

Different criminal justice agencies are responsible for maintaining records of inmates arrested in Butler County on the local, state, and federal levels. Depending on the arresting agency, members of the public can expect to conduct a Butler County inmate lookup by contacting the following entities:

Local Police Departments

As earlier stated, local police departments in Butler County generate and keep records of individuals detained within their jurisdictions. Such records are often made available at their physical locations for members of the public to access. Individuals may also submit public records requests to the appropriate local arresting agency to obtain copies of arrest records. For example, the Fairfield Township Police Department entertains public records requests from members of the public. Interested parties can submit their public records requests to the agency via telephone in person at official business hours, or via email to policerecords@fairfieldtwp.org, in writing with a self-addressed stamped envelope after filling out a public records request form.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO)

Another option for searching inmate records in Butler County is by checking the jail roster maintained by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Individuals can access the BCSO jail roster online through the Miami Valley Jails official website. Information on the website is updated every 2 hours and interested parties can view information of individuals currently in jail after passing a simple security check.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office also accepts public records requests for arrest records via mail to the following address:

Butler County Sheriff's Office
705 Hanover Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011

A self-addressed and stamped envelope should be attached to mail requests. Alternatively, parties can send an email records request to recordsrequest@butlersheriff.org.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC) maintains records of individuals in jail facilities across the state, including Butler County. Interested members of the public can access such records by visiting the DRC’s Offender Search page. Through this method, parties can search inmates of interest by name (first and last) and status (Incarcerated, APA supervision, and violators at large) or number. The result of the search will reveal the following information:

• Inmate’s name, date of birth, gender, and race
• Admission date
• Institution status
• Offense information

Federal Criminal Justice Agencies

Federal criminal justice agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), United States Marshals Service, and the U.S Customs and Border Protection, can arrest individuals suspected of committing crimes within their jurisdiction in Butler County. Individuals arrested for such crimes are often incarcerated in federal detention facilities maintained by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). One can lookup records of such inmates by accessing the BOP’s Inmate Locator tool. The requested information can be searched by BOP Registration Number, DCDC number, FBI number, or INS number. Individuals may also conduct a search using the subject's first, middle, and last name.

Parties may also inquire about arrest/inmate records from the specific federal arresting agency. Some entities provide special channels through which individuals may obtain information about arrested persons. For example, the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) maintains a publicly accessible Online Detainee Locator System to locate detainees in ICE,’s custody. Parties can also send a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the record custodian.

Free Arrest Record Search in Butler County

Most online arrest record search platforms provided by the agencies above are free to use. Parties may also inspect records at the record custodian’s physical location without paying anything. However, obtaining records of documents often comes at reasonable costs. Individuals may also leverage third-party options to access Butler County arrest records for free.

Get Butler County Criminal Records

Also called criminal history information, the Butler County criminal records refer to official documents that detail an individual’s criminal history from the first to the most recent interactions they have had with a criminal justice agency. These records can be obtained by contacting the following entities:

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office Central Records Division

Individuals can obtain Butler County criminal records by conducting a local background check with the Butler County Sheriff's Office. Local background checks search relevant databases to return information regarding the subject’s criminal history in Butler County. Members of the public can conduct this search by visiting the Central Records Division of the Butler County Sheriff's Office in person during regular business hours. This service costs $4, and individuals can wait to receive the documents directly after processing. They may contact the BCSO Central Records Unit at (513) 785-1030 for more information on how to go about the search.

The Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)

The Ohio Attorney General's BCI is responsible for maintaining the criminal history information of individuals who interacted with criminal justice agencies in the state, including Butler County. However, computerized criminal history records maintained by the BCI are not public records. Interested parties can only conduct a statewide criminal background check through the Bureau when they are the subject of the record or have obtained the fingerprints and signed consent of the subject of the record. A background check with the Bureau costs $22.

Public and private employers can conduct criminal background checks for employment purposes through the Ohio Attorney General's BCI. To do this, they must visit one of the official web check locations (the Butler County Sheriff's Office is one) to process their fingerprint-based request.

Butler County Courts

Butler County criminal records include details of criminal proceedings presided over by a court of competent jurisdiction in the county. The Butler County Clerk of Courts is the chief custodian of these records which are made available to members of the public through the Courts Record Search page. Upon accessing the page, individuals will be allowed to conduct a search using numerous parameters, including:

• Name (first, middle, last name, and suffix)
• Company/business name
• Case type (parties should choose “CRIMINAL” to obtain criminal court case records)
• Party type

One can also send a public record request to the Butler County Clerk of Courts for copies of criminal records. The request may be made via email to clerkmail@butlercountyohio.org, fax, mail, or physically at the Clerk of Courts Legal Division during regular business hours. The location is highlighted below:

Legal Office
5th Floor
315 High Street
Hamilton, OH 45011

Copies of documents cost 10 cents per page and $2 per page for certified true copies. To avoid delays in processing requests, parties are advised to include all the necessary case information in their requests.

Butler County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

In Butler County, criminal records and arrest records refer to different (but related) documents that represent a distinct scope of criminal history information. Butler County criminal records serve as a comprehensive breakdown of a person's encounters with criminal justice agencies within the county. On the other hand, Butler County arrest records highlight a specific aspect of the subject's criminal history information — the arrest. In summary, if Butler County criminal records are a complete book of a person's criminal history information, Butler County arrest records represent only one chapter in the book.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests stay on a subject’s record forever until they are expunged. Expungement refers to a legal process whereby an arrest or conviction is removed or erased from an individual’s criminal record so that it is assumed to have never existed.

Expunge Butler County Arrest Records

Only eligible offenders, as prescribed by Ohio laws, are qualified to have their arrest records expunged in Butler County. To become an eligible offender, an individual must meet specific requirements, including:

• Completing a statutory-mandated waiting period (typically between 1-5 years, depending on the subject’s specific case)
• Having a conviction that did not carry a mandatory prison sentence
• Having no pending criminal cases
• Obtaining an expungement approval by a competent court

Generally, the factors below may also affect a person’s eligibility for expungement:

• The nature and severity of the offense to be expunged
• The nature and severity of other events that make up the subject’s criminal record
• How much time has elapsed after the arrest

However, an eligible offender status does not automatically expunge a person’s criminal record. To have their records sealed forever, the individual must fill out and submit an Application for Criminal Sealing/Expungement accompanied by a completed Sealing/Expungement Information Sheet to a court with jurisdiction to determine the application within Butler County. They are to pay the required filing fees and wait for a scheduled hearing on the matter. The court maintains the discretion to grant or deny the application based on facts before it. While lawyers are not required to represent applicants, individuals are often advised to hire the services of an expungement attorney for a more seamless process.

Butler County Arrest Warrants

In Butler County, an arrest warrant is a written command issued by a judicial officer to a law enforcement agent to apprehend a named person suspected of committing an offense.

How are Arrest Warrants Issued in Butler County?

Per Section 2941.36 of the Ohio Revised Code, arrest warrants are issued in two ways:

• By a court order

A court order can be made for the arrest of an individual who fails to appear in court on a scheduled date, refuses to obey an earlier court order, or violates probation/parole. This type of arrest warrant is often referred to as a bench warrant.

• Upon a prosecuting attorney's motion after a filed indictment, information, or affidavit

A prosecutor or law enforcement officer can request an arrest warrant by filing an indictment or information with the court stating that the subject has committed a crime. This is often followed by an affidavit outlining supporting facts and evidence. The presiding judicial officer will review the above document to determine whether there is probable cause for an arrest. If there is, an arrest warrant will be issued.

What Information is Contained in a Butler County Arrest Warrant?

A typical Butler County arrest warrant contains numerous pieces of information, including:

• The name and last known address of the person named in the warrant
• Physical description of the
• A description of the alleged offense
• An order for the subject’s arrest
• Amount of bail required (for bench warrants)
• Issuing judge or magistrate's signature
• Butler County Arrest Warrant Search

Active warrants in Butler County can be obtained by accessing the Butler County Sheriff's Office Most Wanted page, which displays the subject’s mugshots, names, addresses, and alleged offenses. Interested persons may also visit the Sheriff's office in person to inquire about an arrest warrant.

Do Butler County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Arrest warrants in Butler County do not expire until they have been executed.