Washington County Court
Washington County Arrest Records

Washington County, Wisconsin Arrest Records

Washington County arrest records are official documents that provide information on the arrest and detention of individuals in the county. Wisconsin Statute § 111.32(1) defines arrest records as information that shows that an individual has been taken into custody, detained, or questioned for any criminal offense.

Typically, these documents are generated by the arresting agency upon the arrest or booking of the arrested person to summarize the circumstances surrounding the arrest and provide offender, offense, booking, and charge details. Additionally, these records are related to court records, inmate records, and criminal history record information, which may be created in connection with the arrest or case.

For instance, if law enforcement agencies such as the West Bend Police Department or the Germantown Police Department maintain original arrest reports, arrest information may also be available to other criminal justice agencies that use a shared network/database of crime- and offender-related information pursuant to state laws. Nevertheless, access to these records is guided by the Wisconsin Public Records Law.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Washington, Wisconsin?

Yes, arrest records in Washington County are considered as public records. The Wisconsin Public Records law does not exempt access to adult arrest information, and case law has held that the public interest in disclosing arrest records outweighs the need for privacy. Hence, anyone (including residents of another county or state) may access arrest records upon proper request to the appropriate custodian.

However, requesters may receive incomplete arrest or inmate information, as law enforcement agencies can withhold confidential or sensitive personal information that may compromise investigations or endanger an individual’s safety.

What Do Public County Arrest Records Contain?

In Wisconsin County, public arrest information includes the arrestee's biographical details, arrest and booking information, charges, and other available case details. Generally, members of the public may access the following:

Arrestee’s name, sex, date of birth/age
Mugshot and/or physical descriptions
Arrest date and time
Arresting agency
Booking date, facility, and ID number
Charges
Case details
Custody status
Bail and bond details

The extent of available information depends on the record custodian. For instance, court records and comprehensive background checks may include case disposition details (if available), and inmate records may provide detention details.

However, custodians may withhold access to the following:

Information on active investigations
Sealed or expunged records
Juvenile records
Social Security numbers
Personal identifying data on victims and informants
Other information deemed private or confidential by law.

Washington County, Wisconsin Arrest Search

Interested persons can find arrest information from different criminal justice agencies or custodians. Law enforcement agencies create arrest reports and logs, correctional facilities collect booking details, courts provide warrant and case disposition information, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains a statewide repository of criminal history data (including arrest and conviction information).

Therefore, record seekers should determine the extent of information that they require and direct queries to the appropriate custodian. For instance, interested persons may perform free searches on the statewide case search system or use the DOC offender search tool to find state prisoners. The Bureau of Prisons also provides an online inmate locator for federal prisoners.

Alternatively, individuals may conduct background checks for a fee through the Wisconsin Online Record Check System (WORCS) or contact the arresting agency for copies of arrest records.

Washington County Inmate Locator

To locate persons arrested and booked into the Washington County Jail, individuals may use the Wisconsin VINE system to perform searches by inmate name or assigned ID number. Alternatively, persons may contact the Sheriff’s Office that manages the county jail system at:

Washington County Sheriff's Office/Jail

500 Rolfs Avenue,

West Bend, WI 53090

Phone: (262) 335-4427

Fax: (262) 335-4426 or (262) 306-2251

Email: sheriffinfo@washcowisco.gov.

Additionally, interested persons may direct queries for arrest reports to the local police or law enforcement agency that carried out the arrest.

Active Warrant Search in Washington County

Arrest warrants are legal documents authorizing law enforcement agents to take a specific individual into custody. A judge or magistrate issues this order after a law enforcement agent or prosecutor files a complaint and presents evidence and affidavits establishing probable cause that a person committed a crime.

According to Wisconsin statutes, an arrest warrant must:

be in the name of the state of Wisconsin
be signed by the issuing judge
be directed to all law enforcement officers in the state
contain the defendant’s name, alleged offense, issuing date, and command for arrest and court appearance. It may also attach a copy of the complaint or citation with findings of probable cause.

Arrest warrants are typically public information. The Circuit Court Clerk is the primary custodian of arrest warrants in Washington County. However, the clerk does not provide an online list of active warrants. Instead, use the Wisconsin Court’s online case search system to search by name or case number and check the case summary to see if there is an active warrant. Persons may also contact the Circuit Clerk at:

Clerk of Circuit Court

Washington County Justice Center

484 Rolfs Avenue,

Room 3151

West Bend, WI 53090

Phone: (262) 335-4341

Fax: (262) 335-4776.

Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office and other local authorities may maintain warrant information. However, the Sheriff’s Office does not provide online access to warrant lists. Instead, persons may check the Most Wanted site to view a list of some wanted fugitives with active arrest warrants. The Mid-Moraine Municipal Court also provides an Active Warrant List for citations or complaints filed in the court.

Otherwise, individuals can only obtain or confirm warrant details by directing inquiries to the court or law enforcement agency by phone, mail, or in person.

Agency / Resource	Purpose	Search Methods	Notes
Washington County Circuit Clerk	For official confirmation from the original custodian	Phone, mail, in person	Inquiries should include specific details like names, citation numbers, or dates.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office	Maintains and serves warrants	Phone, email, or in person.	A most wanted list is available online.
Wisconsin Court System (WCCA)	Statewide case search	Online searches by case number, party name, or business name	Users can screen results by including a birth date or county name in the search. Case summaries may include warrant details.
Mid-Moraine Municipal Court	Municipal warrants	Alphabetical listing	Includes names, citation numbers, offense, and amount due.
West Bend Police Department	Warrant information site	Alphabetical listing	Includes name, date of birth, offense, bond amount, and last known location.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Washington County

The Sheriff’s Office and local police departments do not provide free online access to arrest records or booking/inmate information. Alternatively, interested persons may find free access through the Wisconsin VINE system or other third-party resources. Persons using these sites may perform searches by name, inmate ID number, location, or date. However, available information may be limited per the Wisconsin Public Records law.

Additionally, record custodians may provide access to inspect arrest records or logs in person. This access may be free, as long as records are easily retrievable and do not contain exempted information. Requesters usually have to provide personal information/ID and specific details such as the arrestee's name and arrest date to help locate the needed record.

However, law enforcement agencies generally require requesters to pay for public copies of arrest records. Finding older records may also incur additional charges.

Washington County Arrest Report

An arrest report is the official document written by the arresting officer that explains the circumstances surrounding the arrest, whether it was carried out with a warrant or upon witnessing a violation. This document narrates the incident and may include sensitive details such as witness statements, victim information, and investigation notes.

Hence, access to arrest reports is typically restricted (under Wisconsin Statute § 19.32(2)) to persons authorized by law or court order to inspect or obtain the record.

On the other hand, arrest records typically summarize arrest facts. It states who was taken into custody and under what charges, with other related details that are mostly public information.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Washington County

There are two different types of expungement in Washington County, Wisconsin:

The DOJ Crime Information Bureau fingerprint/arrest record expungement, and
The court conviction expungement.

Under Wisconsin Statute § 165.84, the DOJ/CIB expungement removes an arrest record from the state’s criminal history repository if the arrest resulted in no charges, dismissed charges, or non-convictions. On the other hand, court expungement seals criminal case files of convictions of qualifying offenses (Wis. Stat. § 973.015 and 938.355) committed by a juvenile or youthful offender.

However, qualifying for one kind of expungement does not mean qualifying for the other. So, non-convictions that qualify for DOJ expungement cannot be sealed by the court, which only seals certain convictions. Nevertheless, dismissed and acquitted criminal cases shall be removed from the WCCA website two years after the final order.

To qualify for the DOJ arrest record expungement:

The prosecutor must not have filed any charges concerning the arrest
The arrested person must have had all related charges dismissed by the court or prosecutor, or
The arrested person was found not guilty

Record subjects must satisfy one of these conditions to request expungement. Convictions must remain on one’s criminal history record regardless of whether the court record was expunged or the offender was pardoned.

Meanwhile, judges determine expungement eligibility during sentencing if:

The offender was under 25 years of age at the time of the offense.
The offense has a maximum penalty of six years imprisonment. This means that only misdemeanors and certain Class H and I felonies can be expunged.
The sentencing court concludes that the offender will benefit from having the record expunged, and the decision will not harm society.

However, eligible persons must satisfy all sentencing and parole conditions for the court to automatically begin the expungement process upon receiving a certificate of discharge from the correctional or probationary authority.

How Do You Remove Washington County Arrest Records From the Internet?

The expungement of arrest information from the DOJ files does not affect the availability of the record with other agencies. Similarly, courts expunging conviction records do not affect records maintained by other agencies.

However, once the DOJ decides to expunge an arrest record, the agency shall contact the FBI to remove the same information from the record. Additionally, effective March 30, 2018, dismissed and acquitted criminal cases shall be removed from the WCCA website two years after the final order. Case files shall remain available at the clerk’s office.

To remove arrest records from third-party websites, interested persons may contact the websites individually and provide copies of court or DOJ expungement decisions to compel them to delete all relevant records.