Hamilton County Arrest Records

Arrest records are official law enforcement documents that detail the circumstances of individuals' arrests. An arrest may become necessary if law enforcement officers have evidence or probable cause that a person has committed an offense or may breach the law. In Hamilton County, Ohio, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Cincinnati Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and municipal police departments generate arrest records in their lines of official duties. Hamilton County may hold arrestees, detainees, and inmates at any of the following facilities:

• Hamilton County Justice Center
• Woodburn Avenue Detention Center
• Hamilton County Juvenile Court Youth Center
• Hamilton County Workhouse (Turning Point)
• Local law enforcement agencies jails.

Arrest records are part of Hamilton County court records because they provide information for early the stage of criminal trials within the county's courts.

Are Arrest Records Public in Hamilton County?

Hamilton County arrest records are public documents and are accessible to interested persons. Ohio Rev. Code § 149.43(B)(2) establishes the public's right to access government records in the custody of state, counties, cities, townships, villages, school districts, and other government records custodian agencies.

Notwithstanding the public availability of Hamilton County arrest records, Ohio laws exempt public access to

• Juvenile arrest records
• Confidential law enforcement investigatory records
• Arrest records whose public access may compromise public security and breach state and federal laws
• Sealed and expunged arrest records.

Also, Ohio laws authorize the redaction of the following information from publicly accessible Hamilton County arrest records if available:

• Victim information
• Security and infrastructure records
• Personal Information of Law Enforcement Personnel
• Medical and Psychological Records of the owners of the records.

To access Hamilton County-exempted arrest records, a requester must have legal standing. For instance, exempted arrest records may be available to law enforcement agencies, the owners of the records, or representatives of interested parties to the cases resulting from the arrests. Nevertheless, the law emphasizes the protection of victim and witness information when releasing Hamilton County arrest records to the public.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

An arrest record contains information detailing the circumstances under which law enforcement takes an individual into custody. Typically, arrest records contain the following information:

• Personal details of the arrestee (this includes full name, aliases, address, date of birth, gender, race, and physical description)
• Date, time, and location of arrest
• Arresting officers and the agency responsible for the arrest
• Charges against the arrestee (this describes the offense and its severity)
• Booking information (such as booking number, date and time of booking, mugshots, and fingerprints)
• Bail and Custody information (this encompasses bail amount, custody status, and detention facility)
• Court case number, date of appearance in court, and disposition (if the arrest results in a court case)
• Incident Report.

Hamilton County Crime Rate

Crime trends and statistics available at the FBI Crime Data Explorer reveal that Hamilton County had notably high violent crime rates and even higher reports of property crime in the county in 2024. The county reported concerning rates of aggravated assault and larceny-theft. The Cincinnati Police Department alone recorded 1,695 reports of aggravated assault, 1,321 reports of robbery, 193 reports of rape, 1,226 reports of burglary, 4,449 reports of larceny-theft, and 947 reports of motor vehicle thefts. The county is served by over 30 police departments, and all crime statistics are accessible at the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Hamilton County clearly experiences an increasing violent crime rate.

Hamilton County Arrest Statistics

Following a thorough analysis of arrest data for Hamilton County, Ohio, in 2024, provided by the FBI Crime Data Explorer, arrest statistics recorded by local law enforcement authorities serving Hamilton County total 11,731 arrests. The most common offences leading to arrests in the county for 2024 include Larceny, simple assault, drug/Narcotic offenses, aggravated assault, robbery, destruction/damage/vandalism of property, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and driving under the influence.

Find Hamilton County Arrest Records

Hamilton County arrest records are publicly accessible. To access arrest records in Hamilton County:

• Log in to the Hamilton County, Ohio Inmate Search Page and use a name to obtain arrest records through inmate records
• Call the Hamilton County, Ohio Sheriff's Office at (513) 946-6400 or (513) 474-5770 and request access to arrest records, or make in-person visits to the following addresses:

1000 Sycamore Street,
Cincinnati,
OH 45202

5555 Hamilton Avenue,
Cincinnati,
OH 45238

• Call or visit the Cincinnati Police Department or any law enforcement agency within Hamilton County that executed the specific arrest and request access to their arrest records.

Free Arrest Record Search in Hamilton County

Per the Ohio Sunshine Laws, government records custodians can charge reasonable fees for labor, copying, and making copies of public records to requesters. Nevertheless, interested persons may access Hamilton County arrest records for free. To look for Hamilton County arrest records at no cost:

• Log in to the Hamilton County, Ohio Sheriff's Office Inmate Search Page and access arrest records on inmate records
• Search for Hamilton County arrest records online through third-party websites. Arrest records may be available through private online repositories with databases of law enforcement records.
• Log in to the Hamilton County, Ohio Clerk of Courts Records Search Page and use online search tools to look for arrest records for free using a name as the search criterion.
• Visit local libraries and search for Hamilton County arrest records through available public records databases.

Get Hamilton County Criminal Records

Hamilton County criminal records refer to official documents detailing individuals' crime histories and prosecutions within the county's criminal justice system. In Hamilton County, the following agencies are responsible for maintaining criminal records:

• Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
• Hamilton County Clerk of Courts
• Cincinnati Police Department
• Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)
• Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

To access Hamilton County, Ohio criminal records:

• Log in to the Hamilton County, Ohio Clerk of Courts Records Request Page:

• Scroll down and download a Document Request Form

• Fill out the request form and mail it to:

The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts
1000 Main Street, Room 315
Cincinnati,
Ohio 45202

• Visit the Hamilton County, Ohio Sheriff's Office website:

• Navigate to the Justice Center Services Inmate Search Page and use a name to search for inmates’ criminal records

• Call or visit the Cincinnati Police Department at:

801 Linn St,
Cincinnati,
OH 45203
Phone: (513) 352-6903

Hamilton County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

In Hamilton County, Ohio, and the rest of the United States, arrest and criminal records are crucial for maintaining public security and order. Notwithstanding, there are distinctions between an arrest record and a criminal record. The table below outlines the key differences between Hamilton County arrests and criminal records.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

An arrest may stay on a record indefinitely if the owner of the record does not take legal steps to remove it. However, per Ohio Revised Code § 2953.31 – 2953.62, the owner of an arrest record can file a petition to seal it if they are eligible.

Expunge Hamilton County Arrest Records

To seal an arrest in Hamilton County, Ohio, the owner of the record must be eligible and fulfill the requirements outlined in the Ohio Revised Codes Sections 2953.31 through 2953.36. Ohio laws permit expungement for dismissed or acquitted charges if:

• There is acquittal or no conviction of the accused
• The petition for expungement is for non-violent misdemeanor or felony cases
• A waiting period of one year (for misdemeanors) or three years (for felonies) has elapsed after the final discharge
• There are no more than one felony or two misdemeanor convictions (one felony and one misdemeanor or no felony and two misdemeanor convictions).

In addition, an individual filing a petition to seal a Hamilton County arrest record must not have pending criminal charges and complete the sentence or rehabilitation resulting from the conviction. Also, the record expungement must be in the public interest. To file a petition for sealing of Hamilton County arrest records:

• Gather supporting documents that will aid the petition (these may include documents relating to the arrest, fingerprint records from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, and photo ID)
• Download a Petition for Sealing of Records Form from the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts website
• Complete the petition form, attach the supporting documents, and submit it to the clerk's office of the court that handled the cases that resulted from the arrest.
• Pay the applicable filing fee (the amount depends on the specific court)
• Serve a copy of the petition to the Hamilton County, Ohio Prosecutor's Office
• Attend any hearing on the petition to provide evidence or answers to objections that may arise from interested parties.

The judge will review the evidence and objections from the Prosecutor's Office or other interested parties and come to a decision. If the petition is successful, the court will issue an order to the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts to seal the records.

Hamilton County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is an official document that authorizes law enforcement to take a person into custody and bring them before a judge. A judge/magistrate may issue an arrest warrant if a person commits a crime or there is evidence a person may commit a crime. In Hamilton County, Ohio, law enforcement may have to show probable cause to obtain arrest warrants.

A Hamilton County, Ohio warrant typically contains the following information:

• Full name, aliases, date of birth, and physical description of the suspect
• Details of offense ( this includes a description of the offense and statutory reference)
• Warrant information such as:
  • Type of warrant
  • Date of issuance
  • Issuing authority
  • Court Information (this includes name, jurisdiction, and location of the authorizing court)
• Law enforcement information (this encompasses the name of the agency executing the warrant, the executing officers’ names, and badge numbers)
• Conditions of the warrant (this outlines how the arresting agency should execute the warrant and bail information such as bail set amount and the conditions for bail).

Hamilton County Arrest Warrant Search

There are several options to look for information on Hamilton County active arrest warrants. To search for active arrest warrants in Hamilton County, Ohio:

• Call, email, or mail the Hamilton County, Ohio Sheriff's Office at

1228 Central Parkway, Cincinnati,
OH 45214.
Phone: (513) 946-6400
Email: publicrecords@hcso.org,

• Visit the Cincinnati Police Department website, navigate to the Police Press Release Page, and search for information on active arrest warrants
• Call or visit the Hamilton County, Ohio Clerk of Courts Office for information on court-issued arrest warrants at:

1000 Main St, Cincinnati,
OH 45202
Phone: (513) 946-5656

Do Hamilton County Arrest Warrants Expire?

In Hamilton County (and the rest of the United States), an arrest warrant will remain active until law enforcement apprehends the wanted person or a court recalls the warrant. Nevertheless, arrest warrants will become inactive at the death of the suspect or fugitive.