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  1. Oakland County Court
  2. Oakland County Arrest Records

Oakland County, Michigan Arrest Records

Oakland County arrest records are documents created by dedicated law enforcement staff in the county to preserve information about arrests made by any law enforcement officers of the county's sheriffs' office or police departments. 

Public arrest records in Oakland County provide the public with valuable information about a subject's arrests and answer questions about why and how a person was arrested. These arrest records can be used as evidence in court to prosecute an offender and to track a person's arrest history and run-ins with law enforcement. According to Section 28.243 of the Michigan Legislature, arrest records are classified as criminal history records and are of two types: non-conviction and conviction arrest records.

Oakland County arrest records are maintained in law enforcement offices' record management systems. Two such offices include the Oakland County Sheriff's Department and the Ann Arbor Police Department. These offices retain arrest records indefinitely unless they are expunged, and also have archive rooms within their units where they store very old arrest records.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Oakland, Michigan?

Yes, arrest records in Oakland County are classified as public records in Michigan under the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The law gives citizens the legal right to access arrest records maintained by law enforcement agencies and other custodians, such as the Oakland district and circuit courts. The FOIA also mandates that arrest record custodians establish channels for citizens to request arrest records. However, a section of the FIOA provides exemptions for specific categories and types of arrest records from public access. For example, juvenile arrest records and arrest reports from ongoing criminal investigations are kept confidential until they exceed the retention schedule set by the law enforcement office that maintains them, or until they are made public by a court order.

Generally, arrest records can be requested by anyone in Oakland County, Michigan, regardless of nationality, citizenship status, or state of residence at the time of the request. However, record seekers will need to provide a copy of their valid ID as part of the standard request procedure.

What Do Public County Arrest Records Contain?

The information in public arrest records from law enforcement in Oakland, Michigan, consists mainly of arrestee information, the cause of the arrest, and details about the arrest incident. Arrest records from court documents include extra information about convictions. The following are common elements found in most arrest records in Oakland.

  • Full name and alias of the arrestee
  • A description of the arrestee
  • Asrestees mugshot
  • A summary of the arrest report
  • Arestees county of primary residence and address
  • Date and time of arrest
  • Cause of arrest 
  • Name of arresting agency 
  • Name of arresting officer 
  • Charges against the arrestee
  • The Michigan legislature supports charges 
  • Facility where the arrestee is currently held 
  • Information about bail and bond 

  Michigan's legislature provides confidentiality to personally identifying information(PII) of victims of an arrest incident, especially if the crime is sexually motivated. Juvenile arrest records are also kept confidential to protect the information of the minor. Persons who want their arrest records removed from public access can apply for expungement or sealing.

Oakland County,  Michigan Arrest Search

 Individuals looking for Oakland County arrest records can perform a statewide search for these records on the Criminal History Access (ICHAT) portal maintained by the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center. The portal provides access to a repository of law enforcement and court records in all 83 Michigan counties. Record seekers can access the portal by providing descriptors, such as the subject's full name, and paying the record search fee. The fee options include pay-as-you-go for one-time searches or a subscription fee, billed monthly or yearly. A search on the ICHAT portal will provide users with a subject's arrest history, arrest records, and other criminal history records.

Records from Federal arrests conducted in Oakland, Michigan, can also be searched through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) portal. The portal can be used to find arrest and other criminal records from federal cases that have at least reached trial. Federal arrest records can be searched on the PACER portal by specifying the court where the case was handled and entering the name of a person who was arrested and faced federal charges.

Oakland County Inmate Locator

The Oakland County inmate locator tool is a web-based portal managed by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office that allows searching for inmates housed at any Oakland County jail facility.  Information seekers can search for records on the portal using the full name of a person detained in the county's jails. Users can then filter inmates with similar names by date of birth or physical characteristics. Some of the information that can be provided from a search includes :

  • The full name of the inmate 
  • Inmates ID
  • The name of the facility where they are currently housed and their current custody status
  • Charges against the inmate
  • Information about convictions and sentencing
  • Bail amount
  • Scheduled transfer to another jail

Persons who want to make inquiries regarding inmates  in Oakland County jails  can contact or visit the Oakland County Sheriff's Corrections Department at the following address:

Oakland County Sheriff's Office

1200 N. Telegraph Rd, 

Bldg 38E in Pontiac, MI

Tel: 248.858.5000

General Info Email: ocso@oakgov.com

Active Warrant Search in Oakland County

An arrest warrant is a court order issued by a judge that commands law enforcement to arrest a person named in the warrant and bring them before the issuing court. According to the Michigan legislature (MCL Section 764.1), a warrant can be issued only by a judge upon a law enforcement officer filing a written complaint detailing charges against an individual, accompanied by an affidavit that provides sufficient evidence to support the issuance of an arrest warrant. Warrants issued by Oakland County courts include the following information:

  • The name of the subject of the warrant 
  • Date and time the warrant was issued
  • Charges against the subject
  • Name of issuing judge and court
  • Signature of the issuing judge 
  • An order to make an arrest

Every arrest warrant issued by a court in Oakland County is added to the Michigan courts database and subsequently sent to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, where law enforcement agents can execute it. Persons who want to make inquiries about active warrants in Oakland County can do so by visiting the Oakland County Sheriff's website to search their " wanted persons” roster or by calling the Oakland County Sheriff's Department's warrants unit hotline at 248-858-5000 to inquire about active warrants. A statewide search for Oakland warrants can also be conducted on the Michigan Courts Portal.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Oakland County

Individuals seeking free copies of arrest records in Oakland County can submit a public records request letter by e-mail or fax to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. The email request should include detailed information about the arrest record needed,d including the arrest record no, the name of the arrestee, and the date and time of the arrest. Individuals can also visit the sheriff's office in person and request a fee waiver for records requests.

Another way to obtain arrest records at no cost is to use the Oakland County court records portal to search for them in criminal cases. The portal can be searched using keywords such as the full name of an individual named in the arrest record. Arrest records obtained from the courts are much less informative than those from law enforcement.

Oakland County Arrest Report

Law enforcement in Oakland County distinguishes between arrest records and arrest reports in terms of their content, format, creation, and their overall function within an agency's record-keeping duties. Arrest reports are a type of law enforcement record that narrates events of a particular arrest. They provide a narrative description of the arrest, almost as if telling a story. 

Oakland County arrest records, on the other hand, are documents that contain an overall summary of the key details of an individual's most recent arrest and arrest history. The actual arrest record document is organized into sections, each containing bullet points on the arrestee's personal information, arrest history, and details of the arrestee's latest arrest. While both arrest records and reports serve similar record-preservation functions. Arrest reports are more often used within law enforcement offices and sometimes by courts as evidence in resolving specific cases. Third parties, such as employers and landlords, more often use arrest records.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Oakland County

The Michigan expungement statute, also known as the setting aside laws, allows for the automatic expungement of arrest records for misdemeanors and provides a process for expunging convictions of certain felonies after a waiting period. The first step a person can take to expunge arrest records in Oakland County is to determine, forthwith, whether the applicant meets the criteria outlined in MCL - Section 780.621. Persons found not guilty or whose cases are dismissed are given priority in the expungement process. While individuals with felony life sentences, traffic offenses under Michigan's Vehicle Code, MCL 257.1 to MCL 257.92,3, and persons with any sexual criminal convictions are not eligible for expungement.

Eligible persons can follow these steps. 

  • Applicants must first obtain a copy of their arrest record online from Michigan’s Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT)  or in person at the Oakland law enforcement office that made the arrest.
  • Applicants must then complete an Application to Set Aside Conviction form, have it notarized, and submit it to the Oakland County court that handled the arrest charges.
  • Upon completion of the application, the court clerk will arrange a hearing at which a judge will decide the application.

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

The specifics of removing arrest records from an online platform or database depend on the document's public record status and the removal options available on the website. Most websites allow users to request the removal of arrest records that they publish by contacting the website owners by telephone or email. In most cases, the requester will need to provide a valid government ID to prove that they are the subject of the record being removed. 

Applicants will also need to provide a court order or police directive that proves that the arrest records being disputed are not public records or have been expunged. Depending on the website, the removal can be effected in 24-72 hours.