Kitsap County Arrest Records

In Kitsap County, law enforcement officers may apprehend and detain county residents suspected of committing an offense. Following an arrest, the arresting officer(s) takes the suspect to a holding facility or the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, where they are booked. Booking entails collecting the suspect’s personal information and details about the arrest, which are found in arrest records.

If the suspect ends up in court, some information may also be found in Kitsap County court records. Arrest records are generally transferred between multiple agencies in the criminal justice system for documentation purposes. Furthermore, they are part of Kitsap County criminal records maintained by court administration at state and county levels.

Are Arrest Records Public in Kitsap County?

Yes. The Washington Public Records Act promulgates that records created and maintained by state and local agencies within the state be made available to interested persons upon request.

As such, arrest records are typically available to interested persons in Kitsap County unless such records are restricted or have portions redacted for privacy reasons. Nevertheless, non-public arrest records remain accessible to law enforcement officers, record subjects, their attorneys, and other individuals authorized by statute or court order.

Arrest records containing any of the following are not public:

• Identifying juvenile information
• Information that may risk the integrity of an ongoing criminal investigation
• Information that may endanger the life or safety of a person
• Identifying victim information
• Sealed or expunged arrest records.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The content of an arrest record is public information unless otherwise determined by law or court order. Thus, persons who obtain arrest records can expect to find the following details:

• Subject’s full name and address
• Physical descriptors: race, gender, eye and hair color, height, weight
• Photographs and fingerprints.
• Name of the arresting officer and agency
• Booking details: date, place, and time
• Filed charges
• Court dates
• Probation and parole details
• Bond/bail terms.

Kitsap County Crime Rate

According to the Washington State County Criminal Justice Data Book, Kitsap County recorded 16,587 crimes in 2022. These included five murders, 20 kidnap cases, 3610 assaults, 129 robbery cases, 40 arson cases, 1403 burglary cases, 7697 thefts, 11,506 property crimes, 185 drug violations, and 236 weapons law violations. Compared with 13,019 crimes recorded in 2021, there was a 27.4% increase in crime occurrence. In 2021 and 2022, the total crime rate per 100,000 population was 1817.61 and 2048.41, respectively.

Kitsap County Arrest Statistics

According to the Washington State County Criminal Justice Data Book, Kitsap law enforcement made 3013 arrests in 2022, indicating a 15.3% drop compared to 2021, when 2,612 arrests were made. In 2022, assaults were most prevalent, with a total of 875 arrests. 13 arrests were made for murder, 44 for robbery, nine for arson, 170 for burglary, 483 for theft, 19 for drug violations, and 33 for weapon law violations.

Find Kitsap County Arrest Records

The Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) publishes information about arrestees on its Inmate Search website. This database contains information about inmates held in various correctional centers and is searchable by an inmate's first and last name or DOC number. Inquirers may contact the DOC for information not obtainable from this site. Information obtainable from the DOC includes parole dates, a mandatory release date, booking information, imposed fines, and supervision conditions.

To find information about federal inmates, interested persons may use the Federal Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) website. This site allows users to locate the whereabouts of federal inmates and is searchable by an inmate’s BOP register number or name. Once an inmate’s holding facility is known, an inquirer may contact them for information about the person of interest or visit their website for any relevant resources or a search feature.

Free Arrest Record Search in Kitsap County

The Kitsap County Sheriff provides several resources that can be used by interested parties to find inmates booked into the Kitsap County Jail within the past 72 hours, inmates currently in custody at the jail, and jail inmates released within the past 24 hours. The aforementioned resources support name-based searches, and results can be filtered using a booking date range.

Individuals who do not know the specific agency or county where a person was arrested may use third-party websites due to their multi-jurisdictional coverage. These sites are typically searchable by first and last name. Note that most third-party websites only disclose basic arrest details for free and require a nominal fee for a detailed report.

Get Kitsap County Criminal Records

Criminal records are documents that contain information about people’s criminal histories, mainly about their interaction with the criminal justice system and law enforcement agencies. It details a person’s criminal past and information about the outcomes of their criminal activities, such as criminal prosecutions, parole and probation, sentencing, court dispositions, and arrests.

Residents of Kitsap County may contact the sheriff’s office by completing and submitting a Request for Criminal History/Arrest Record Information form. This form can be submitted via mail, email, or in person at the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO). On the form, an inquirer is required to provide details about the record’s subject, such as their full name, address, date of birth, and place of birth. A $24.50 fee is applicable.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) facilitates criminal record searches via various methods, including online, by mail, and in person at their office location. Resources provided by the WSP cover the entirety of Washington State and include criminal information for Kitsap County. Online criminal record checks utilize the Washington Access to Criminal History (WATCH) portal and involve certain nominal fees, including $11 per searched name plus $10 per notary request.

Kitsap County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Kitsap County criminal records and arrest records, although similar, are distinct record types and serve different purposes. The most significant distinctions between both records are the depth and scope of the information they contain. Furthermore, while the existence of criminal records generally results from convictions and implies guilt, arrest records don’t always imply guilt, as many arrests do not lead to convictions.

Criminal records provide in-depth documentation of a person’s criminal history and generally include information about notation and description of detentions, arrests, indictments, dispositions, and the criminal charges a person was found guilty of. An individual’s criminal record typically contains information collated from various agencies in the criminal justice system and includes arrest records.

Whereas an arrest record is limited to a particular arrest event, with its content being limited to basic information about the arrestee (such as their name, address, date of birth, and physical descriptors), the charges that led to the arrest, and information about the arresting agency (such as its name, the arresting officer’s name, and the detention facility).

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests remain on a person’s record indefinitely, except when a petition is submitted to the court to have them removed by expungement or sealing. While arrests associated with certain crimes can be expunged others cannot be expunged, including those related to DUIs, child abuse, and domestic violence, where the arrest resulted in a conviction.

Expunge Kitsap County Arrest Records

Under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 10.97.060, criminal history records, which include arrest records, on file with a law enforcement agency may be deleted at the request of the record’s subject. To be eligible for expungement:

• At least three years must have elapsed since the date of arrest
• The record’s subject has not been arrested or charged with another crime within three years from the arrest in question
• There has not been a prior conviction for a gross misdemeanor or felony
• The arrest did not lead to a conviction or other dispositions with unfavorable implications on the record’s subject.

Record subjects that meet the eligibility requirement should seek legal assistance from an attorney or approach the clerk of a court with competent jurisdiction for relevant information and guidance. If the court grants the expungement, the record’s subject must make a separate request to the sheriff’s office or other local agency that made the arrest, in accordance with the agency’s procedure, for the deletion of the said records from its database.

Kitsap County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are vital to an arrest, as they are required before any law enforcement official can make an arrest. Otherwise, arrests can only be made without a warrant if the arresting officer was an eyewitness to the crime or they have probable cause to establish that the defendant committed a crime. Courts in Kitsap County may issue an arrest warrant if there is probable cause to establish that a person may be guilty of an offense.

An arrest warrant is typically issued based on sworn testimony or affidavit establishing grounds on which the warrant shall be issued. An arrest warrant must be in writing, in the name of the State of Washington, and must contain the signature of the clerk of the issuing court. Furthermore, an arrest warrant contains the defendant’s name, the date and county of issuance, and the title of the issuing office. If the defendant’s name is unknown, the warrant typically contains any known aliases or descriptions that can aid the identification of the defendant with reasonable certainty.

Arrest warrants also specify the charges against a defendant, bail amount (if applicable), release conditions (if available), and warrant order. After executing the arrest ordered by a warrant, the peace officer must return the warrant to the issuing court to have it canceled.

Kitsap County Arrest Warrant Search

Kitsap County residents should contact their attorney if they suspect that an arrest warrant has been issued in their name. The Kitsap County prosecutor’s office should be able to furnish an inquirer with information on how to find warrants. Another way to find arrest warrants is by contacting the sheriff’s office. In any way, the requestor must possess the necessary details to facilitate a search, e.g., the subject’s name. Generally, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office does not provide information about unexecuted warrants. Furthermore, requestors may be required to provide a valid photo ID before warrant information is made available.

Do Kitsap County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Kitsap County arrest warrants do not expire and do not have a statute of limitation. They stay active until the person named in the warrant is arrested or dies. However, the issuing authority may recall or squash a warrant, making them invalid.