Pierce County Arrest Records

Arrest records in Pierce County are official documents about an individual’s seizure and detention by law enforcement officials in the county. A typical arrest record contains the arrested person’s information, the alleged offense committed, the date of the arrest, the arrest warrant, the arresting agency, and the arrest location.

In Pierce County, arrests can only be made based on reasonable suspicion that a person has committed, is committing, or will commit an offense. Although several arrests are made with arrest warrants, arrests may also be made without warrants, especially if the offense was committed in the presence of a law enforcement officer. Persons arrested are held in the Pierce County jail for prosecution.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, and city police departments are responsible for making arrests and maintaining arrest records in the county. Other sources of finding arrest records are inmate records and Pierce County court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Pierce County?

Yes. Per the Washington Public Records Act, written records owned and generated by government agencies are public records. Hence, arrest records from Pierce County are open to the public and can be examined by anyone. However, juvenile arrest records and certain information in public arrest records can be exempt from public view to preserve privacy and protect sensitive information. These records include:

• Information that can endanger the safety of individuals involved in an investigation
• Information that can compromise an ongoing investigation
• Expunged or sealed records
• Sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers and driver’s license number

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The following information can be found in a Pierce County arrest record:

• Arrested person’s personal information, such as name, gender, race, date of birth, address, height, and weight
• Arrest charges
• Arrest warrants
• Arresting agency
• Date of arrest
• Location of arrest
• Booking number
• Booking date
• Arrestee’s mugshot

Pierce County Crime Rate

According to the 2023 Crimes in Washington Annual Report by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), Pierce County Sheriff’s Office reported 18,625 Group A offenses in 2023. There are over 30 offenses classified as Group A offenses in Washington State, including murder, rape, fraud, pornography, assault, larceny/theft, and kidnapping. The most committed crimes in the county in 2023 were larceny/theft (4,164), destruction of property (2,997), motor vehicle theft (2,784), simple assault (1,908), burglary (1,507) and fraud (1,427).

Pierce County Arrest Statistics

According to the 2023 Crimes in Washington Annual Report, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office arrested 2,088 Group A offenders, out of which 1,858 were adults and 230 were minors. There were 4 murder arrests, 675 simple assault arrests, 47 kidnapping arrests, 14 rape arrests, 119 burglary arrests, 62 robbery arrests, and 55 larceny/theft arrests.

Find Pierce County Arrest Records

Inmate records in Pierce County include arrest information such as arrest charges, arrestee’s personal information, and detention facility. Inmate records are public documents under the jurisdiction of county, state, or federal agencies. Pierce County Sheriff’s Office- Correction Bureau provides an online Jail Roster platform for all inmates in Pierce County Jail. Information on the jail roster includes inmate name, charge, charging agency, warrant type, dooking date, court jurisdiction, charging agency, sentence date, sentence, and release date.

The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) also provides inmate records for public viewing through its Inmate Search website. Persons interested in accessing arrest records from Pierce County can search by name or DOC Number. Furthermore, the Federal Bureau of Prison allows the public to search for persons incarcerated in federal prisons via the Inmate Locator platform. They can search by the inmate’s name or the prison identifying number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Pierce County

In Pierce County, official government websites that provide free inmate records and arrest information include:

• Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Jail Roster
• DOC Inmate Search
• Federal Bureau of Prison Inmate Locator

As an alternative, anyone may view Pierce County arrest records on free third-party websites. These websites give users access to various public records, such as criminal, court, and prison records. Third-party websites should be used carefully, as their information is not as current or reliable as records obtained from official government sources.

Get Pierce County Criminal Records

Pierce County criminal records are official documents containing the criminal conviction history of an individual in the county, including arrests, charges, convictions, and sentences. Criminal records are also called “WATCH” reports, rap sheets, or criminal history reports in the county. They are different from court records or arrest records because they cover all convictions in Washington State.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) collates and maintains criminal history records for all counties in the state, including Pierce County. Interested persons in Pierce County can request Criminal History Records Information (CHRI) from the WSP via mail, online, or in person. Individuals requesting criminal records online must create a credit card account on the Washington Access to Criminal History (WATCH) website. They can search by name or date of birth, and each report costs $11.

Persons making criminal history record requests by mail must complete the Request for Conviction Criminal History Form and mail it with the applicable fee to the Identification and Background Check Section of the WSP at:

Washington State Patrol
Identification and Criminal History Section
P.O. Box 42633
Olympia, WA 98504-2633

To request CHRI reports in person, requesters must complete and submit the Request for Conviction Criminal History Form at their office located at:

Helen Sommers Building
106 11th Ave. SW
Suite 1300
Olympia, WA 98501

There is an additional fingerprint option for requesting CHRI reports by mail and in-person requests. Those interested in the fingerprint option must include a full set of fingerprint cards with their completed form. The fee for name or date of birth CHRI processing is $32, while the cost of fingerprint card CHRI processing is $58. While results for online CHRI and in-person requests for self are provided the same day, it may take up to 2 weeks to obtain results for mail and third-party in-person requests.

Pierce County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records and criminal records are records used in the criminal justice system for different purposes. Although most people see them as the same, their forms, origins, and uses are different. Pierce County arrest records show that an individual was suspected of an offense and arrested, while criminal records reveal that a person had been tried and convicted of a crime. An individual's arrest record in Pierce County will typically contain details such as their alleged crime, the location of the arrest, the arresting agency, mugshots, fingerprints, arrest warrant, and personal information. On the other hand, criminal records comprise information about the arrest, trial details, sentences, incarceration, and other interactions an individual had with the criminal justice system in the county. Fines, probation, and incarcerations all constitute convictions and are included in criminal records.

Arrest records are essentially a part of a criminal record and are used during the prosecution of an offense or subsequent crimes by the individual. It is created after an arrest and does not reveal whether the person is guilty of the crime or not. Conversely, the existence of a criminal record is proof of a person's guilt. Criminal records are generated after conviction and are helpful for background checks when applying for housing, jobs, or business partnerships.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Pierce County, an arrest record is retained in the Washington State Identification System (WASIS) until the record owner reaches 120 years of age unless it is expunged. Pierce County’s arrest records can only be removed from record by expungement.

Expunge Pierce County Arrest Records

Per the RCW 10.97.060, non-conviction records, including arrest records, can be deleted from the Washington criminal justice system a minimum of 3 years after the arrest and if there was no conviction, or 2 years after it became a non-conviction record. A person in Pierce County will not be eligible for expungement of their arrest records if any of the following apply:

• There is a case of deferred prosecution against the individual
• The applicant has been convicted before of a misdemeanor or felony
• An individual is charged with another offense during the waiting period
• The non-conviction was for the reason of insanity
• The dismissal was after a diversion

Expunged arrest records are deleted from the WSP system but will remain on the arresting agency’s records unless sealed by court orders. An eligible person in Pierce County can do the following to expunge their arrest record:

• Obtain a court order from the court where the case was tried instructing the Washington State Patrol and any other law enforcement agencies in the state to destroy their arrest records
• Submit a request for expungement to the Washington State Patrol by completing the Request for Expungement/Deletion of Non-Conviction Records form. They must then mail the signed form and details of the case with proof of identity to the criminal history records section of the WSP
• Write to the law enforcement agency with the record and request for its expungement as a result of the non-conviction of the case

Pierce County Arrest Warrants

In Pierce County, an arrest warrant is a legal document that gives a law enforcement agency the authority to arrest and detain a person suspected of committing a crime in the county. A law enforcement officer must file a statement with a judge explaining why they believe that a person has committed an offense. The judge reviews the application and issues the warrant if the explanation is sufficient to establish probable cause. A Pierce County arrest warrant has the following information:

• The name of the arrestee or their description if the name is unknown
• The date the warrant was issued
• Warrant number
• The court that issued the warrant
• Signature of the judge
• A description of the alleged offense

Pierce County Arrest Warrant Search

Pierce County arrest warrants can be viewed on the Warrant Search platform managed by the Washington State Department of Correction. One can narrow down the listing by selecting only Pierce County results. In addition, anyone can contact the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office at (253) 708-4800 to search for arrest warrants.

Do Pierce County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. An arrest warrant in Pierce County does not expire. It remains active until the person named on the warrant is apprehended or the warrant is quashed by a court.