Erie County Arrest Records

In Erie County, law enforcement agencies are mandated to arrest individuals under certain circumstances. This includes when officers catch someone committing a crime when an individual’s conduct suggests that they are engaged in an unlawful act unnoticed by the public, when a thorough investigation provides probable cause to believe that a specific suspect is responsible for a crime, and when there is an outstanding warrant for the suspect’s arrest.

The range of offenses that could be committed varies widely and includes arson, homicide, manslaughter, burglary, property theft, and drug-related crimes.

Nevertheless, arrestees are presumed innocent until a court confirms they committed the crime. Suspects adjudged guilty typically serve their sentences in the Erie County jail.

Consequently, Erie County court records document court findings related to guilt and innocence. Additionally, every institution involved in the individual’s incarceration, from the relevant law enforcement agency to the County jail, maintains records of its role in the process. These various records form part of Anoka’s public records, showing the changes in the status of the individual as they progress through the justice system.

Are Arrest Records Public in Greene County?

In Erie County, most arrest records are open and readily available for public inspection and copying under the right-to-know law. As such, interested individuals may request arrest records from the holders of these records. However, specific records may have certain legal restrictions preventing public access. For example, records relating to an ongoing investigation and those sealed or expunged under a court order are generally not disclosable. Consequently, interested parties may need to obtain a corresponding court order to access them.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Erie arrest records typically contain this information:

• Full name of the arrestee
• Mugshot
• Age
• Personal Descriptors such as race, gender, height, weight, hair color, eye color
• Arresting agency
• Location of arrest
• Circumstances of arrest
• Charge
• Date of arrest
• Warrant details (where applicable)

Erie County Arrest Statistics

In Erie County, offenses such as murder, negligent manslaughter, rape, and aggravated assault are generally considered violent offenses, while burglary and theft are property-related offenses. According to the state’s Uniform Crime Reporting System 2023 report, the number of total arrests for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter was 13. Only one arrest was recorded for manslaughter by negligence, 10 for rape, 60 for robbery, 312 for aggravated assault, 145 for burglary, 1,076 for theft, 70 for moto-vehicle theft, 6 for arson, and 2 for human trafficking commercial sex acts.

Find Erie County Arrest Records

Arrest records are documented at local, state, and federal levels of government. However, certain resources provide quicker access to specific documents. This includes the State Department of Corrections Inmate and Parolee Locator. Inquirers who wish to locate specific inmates through this tool must first indicate whether they are searching for an inmate or a parolee by clicking the “inmate locator” button.

Secondly, they must proceed to the “search criteria” section and enter this information in the relevant field: the inmate’s first, middle, and last name, inmate number, gender, committing county, current location, citizenship, and date of birth or age. Then, specify whether you need the search sorted by name, inmate number, date of birth, location, or committing county. At the end, click “Search” to query the records database.

Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmates Locator tool allows members of the public to find records of inmates in the federal prison system. Accessing records through this medium requires providing information that sufficiently identifies the specific case, including the first and last names of the inmates and other relevant information that may be required.

You may also look inmates up on VINELink, a national inmate tracking resource.

Free Arrest Record Search in Erie County

Requesters may be able to find arrest records through:

• The state’s Uniform Crime Reporting
• Erie County PA Crimewatch
• The PATCH online system

Third-party aggregate sites may also provide electronic access to arrest records. You may log in to one of such websites and provide information relating to the specific record you seek, usually the arrestee’s name and county of arrest. However, it is important to remember that while efforts are constantly made to ensure that the information provided is up-to-date and current, they do not provide any warranty that the information obtained is accurate.

Erie County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records are created when law enforcement apprehends and detains an individual based on reasonable suspicion that they have committed a crime. An arrest is not the same as a conviction; while an arrest may lead to a conviction, it doesn’t always result in one. Various circumstances may lead to an erroneous arrest, such as mistaken identity, being rounded up in a crowd at an event, police evidence error, witness error, and lack of evidence. Thus, arrestees are always presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Conversely, criminal records typically document guilt and convictions resulting from legal proceedings. They are public documents that record a suspect's travails in the justice system. This includes their apprehension and detention by law enforcement, charges, arraignment, information about legal proceedings, court findings, verdict, sentencing, and incarceration.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Erie County, the police retention period for an arrest record typically depends on the severity of the crime and its category. For example, homicide cases must be retained for 75 years, while summary offenses are retained for 25 years. The retention period for other offenses is 20 years after the close of the investigation, per state code. Nevertheless, a criminal record and its corresponding arrest may be expunged before the retention period expires. This means the record is sealed and made inaccessible to the public.

Expunge Erie County Arrest Records

Under state law, an individual may clear arrest records through four different means: expungement, petition-based sealing, automatic sealing, and pardons.

An arrest record will be eligible for expungement if:

• The arrest did not result in a conviction. This includes dismissed, withdrawn, or nolle prossed charges.
• Offenses were resolved through an ARD program (Accelerative Rehabilitative Disposition), where the charges were unrelated to a sex crime against a minor.
• Underage drinking offenses (person below 21), where the person has completed their sentencing.
• Acquittals: where the defendant was found innocent of all charges.
• Summary offense after 5 years, during which the arrestee remained arrest-fee.
• Individuals who are 70 years or older where they have been arrest-free for 10 years.
• Certain misdemeanor

Individuals seeking expungement must file a petition for expungement in the court where the case was heard. In addition, they must pay the filing fee and serve copies of the petition with the District Attorney’s and court administration. Petition forms are electronically accessible and may be downloaded from the judicial branch’s main website or the relevant court website. If there is any objection to the request, the court will hold a hearing.

An arrest record may also become automatically sealed. This means the arrestee does not have to file a petition or do anything to get the records sealed. Some convictions become automatically sealed after a certain period:

• Second and third-degree misdemeanors and ungraded offenses with a maximum sentence of not more than 2 years imprisonment
• Summary offenses that are 10 years old or more
• Non-conviction records, and
• Pardoned offenses

Note: The arrestee must have completed all conditions relating to their sentence, plus any restitution order, and must remain conviction-free for 10 years.

Erie County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a court-issued document that permits a law enforcement agency to apprehend and detain a suspect. Law enforcement typically needs to obtain one to apprehend suspects of crimes not witnessed by them but where subsequent investigation provides probable cause to believe a specific individual is responsible.

To obtain an arrest warrant, a law enforcement agency usually approaches a judge to present a convincing argument supported by evidence that the suspect most likely committed the offense. If the judge is satisfied with the evidence and believes that the individual poses an imminent risk to society if not promptly apprehended, she issues a warrant authorizing the agency to arrest the suspect.

An arrest warrant usually contains this information:

• Warrant Type: Arrest
• Date Issued
• Issuing Authority
• Holding Department
• Docket Number
• The suspect’s name
• Charge

Do Erie County Arrest Warrants Expire?

In Erie County, arrest warrants generally do not expire and remain active until the suspect named in the warrant is apprehended. Typically, a notice of the warrant is publicized and disseminated in the media to gather public support for the prompt arrest of the individual.

Nevertheless, these factors may affect an active warrant:

• When the person named by the warrant has been arrested
• When the judge recalls the warrant
• When the crime has a limitation period within which the suspect could be tried and that period has passed. In such cases, the judge will be more inclined to quash the warrant since the suspect cannot be tried regardless.