Franklin County Arrest Records

Arrest records are official documents that detail important information about people arrested for suspected crime involvement. The Franklin County Sheriff, borough police departments, and other law enforcement agencies are responsible for making arrests in their respective jurisdictions. Upon arrest, suspects are taken to the county jail, leading to the creation of arrest records. Law enforcement agencies maintain arrest records, including information about crimes that led to the arrest, basic personal information about the suspect, the circumstances, and intake at a detention facility.

Warrants are necessary for arrest, and law enforcement officers can only apprehend suspects if they witnessed the crime being committed or if they have probable cause linking an individual to a crime. Records on arrests that resulted in a court trial constitute Franklin County court records. They may also appear during a criminal background check.

Are Arrest Records Public in Franklin County?

Under Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law (RTKL), public members may access public records maintained by governmental agencies, including Franklin County arrest records. This law mandates custodial agencies to make these records available upon request, except where the affected records are protected from public disclosure by other laws or court orders. Interested parties can obtain records by submitting a request to the agency that made an arrest or perusing online repositories for the sought-after records. The following general exemptions apply to the public dissemination of arrest records:

• Classified personal information, such as social security numbers and contact information
• Expunged or sealed records
• Records related to the arrest of minors
• Information with the potential to instigate violence or endanger a person
• Witness personal or identifying information.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The following contents of arrest records are

• Crime classification or category, such as whether the offense was a felony or a misdemeanor, and their specific class
• Name and description of the suspect, which may include hair color, height, weight, and race
• A description of the alleged crime incident
• Booking information, including photographs, fingerprints, date and time of arrest or booking, the name of the arresting agency (and officer), and the charges filed

Franklin County Crime Rate

The Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program is the state’s crime data and statistics repository. Its annual crime statistics report, which covers every county in the state, is public and may be found online through the Crime in Pennsylvania Dashboard. According to its 2023 publication, 2,559 cases were reported for notable crimes, with a clearance rate of 59.16. In the previous year, 2,618 cases were reported, with a clearance rate of 1,443. The data shows a 2.25% drop in the 2023 crime rate. Crimes reported in 2023 included:

• Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: 4
• Manslaughter by negligence: 2
• Rape: 53
• Robbery: 18
• Aggravated assault: 121
• Simple assault: 1,024
• Burglary: 193
• Larceny – theft: 1,040
• Motor vehicle theft: 90
• Arson: 14.

Franklin County Arrest Statistics

Franklin County arrest statistics are also displayed on the Crime in Pennsylvania webpage. Statistics for 2023 showed a total of 1,328 arrests. This included arrests made for murder and non-negligent manslaughter (4), robbery (16), rape (17), aggravated assault (77), other assaults (716), burglary (58), theft (412), arson (3), human trafficking (commercial sex acts), and motor vehicle theft (17). No arrests were made for negligent manslaughter and human trafficking (involuntary servitude). The total number of juvenile arrests in the said year was 220. Compared to 2022 when the total number of arrests was 1,195, the number of arrests in 2023 increased by 11.13% (133).

Find Franklin County Arrest Records

Suspects arrested in Franklin County are held at the Franklin County Jail. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is the primary agency responsible for maintaining records arising from these arrests. Local police departments also maintain an information repository for every arrest made by their officer. Interested persons can look up arrest information through a website provided by the Franklin County Sheriff.

This website covers information on arrests made by every law enforcement agency in the county. There is no search feature on this website. Users must peruse through other suspects to find an arrestee of interest. Records are arranged with the most recent arrest at the top. Alternatively, researchers can contact the sheriff’s office or the Common Pleas Court clerk.

Free Arrest Record Search in Franklin County

Many free resources exist for arrest record searches, such as the county sheriff’s online lookup tool. Researchers can also find these records using private third-party websites. Despite their commercial nature, these websites can be used to view basic arrest information, such as a suspect’s name, reason for arrest, and arresting agency. Third-party lookup tools are mostly multi-jurisdictional, and their main search parameter is a suspect’s name. Some of these websites offer search filters to ease the search process.

Get Franklin County Criminal Records

Franklin County criminal records document people’s criminal activities and the outcome of the associated arrests and prosecutions. Their contents include information about arrests, charges, court trials, convictions, sentences, and appeals. Apart from record subjects, their designees, certain employers authorized by law, and law enforcement officers, only third parties with a reasonable interest in a case may be allowed access to a person’s criminal records. A subpoena is required. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office maintains a repository of criminal records created within the county’s criminal justice system and may facilitate searches by eligible parties.

The Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) website may be used for a statewide criminal record request and covers records for suspects arrested or convicted in Franklin County. A user must first create an account on the website and complete the appropriate forms for a complete background check. They must also provide their full name, social security number, and address. The PATCH website charges search fees starting from $10.00, payable by credit card. As such, requesters are required to provide their credit card details. Fees vary depending on the depth of the information they need.

Alternatively, requesting parties may submit a request to the Pennsylvania State Police. Record requests are typically responded to within three weeks. They must complete and print the Individual Access and Review Form (SP 4-170). This form is available on the Pennsylvania State Police website. Mail the completed form along with a certified money order of $10 payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one government-issued photo ID, and a letter of representation to:

Pennsylvania State Police
Central Repository
1800 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110.

Franklin County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records and criminal records are distinct legal concepts with differing scopes and implications. An arrest record documents instances of an individual's apprehension and detention by law enforcement and often encompasses multiple arrests within a single agency. They typically do not include post-conviction details. The general content of arrest records includes personal data, arrest date and time, arresting officer and agency, and alleged offenses. Importantly, arrest records do not indicate guilt, as some arrests don’t lead to convictions.

On the other hand, a criminal record provides a comprehensive overview of an individual's interactions with the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. These records encompass court dispositions, arrest records, sentencing information, offense descriptions, parole and probation details, and detention history. Several agencies, including the courts, contribute to the creation of criminal records. Given their inclusion of a court's final disposition, criminal records can be used to infer guilt. While arrest records are generally public, criminal records are often subject to greater confidentiality restrictions.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. However, the state of Pennsylvania operates under the Clean Slate Law. Per this law, individuals have the right to appeal for their arrest records to be sealed. However, certain criteria must be fulfilled by a record’s subject to qualify for record sealing. For instance, record subjects must have stayed free of convictions for more than ten years since their last conviction.

Expunge Franklin County Arrest Records

Expungements are necessary to avoid the negative impact the existence of certain arrest records can have on a defendant’s chances of getting meaningful employment or other public privileges. A record expungement is a legal process that erases a person’s criminal record from public databases. Expunged records do not appear during background checks and cannot be obtained by landlords or employers. However, law enforcement agencies and courts typically have access to them but still treat them as expunged records. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § 9122 outlines some criteria that may qualify a defendant for an expungement, including the following:

• Defendants who have stayed without an arrest or prosecution for ten years since their last arrest or they have reached age 70 (having completed all paroles or probation requirements not less than 10 years prior).
• Defendants who were minors at the time of an arrest may qualify for an expungement upon reaching 21 or older.
• If a defendant is acquitted of all charges that led to an arrest, they may qualify for the expungement of all related records immediately.
• Criminal records may qualify for expungement if the record’s subject has been dead for at least three years.
• Where the arrest led to a conviction for a summary offense, the defendant may qualify for an expungement if they are not arrested or convicted of a crime for five years after the arrest.
• Arrests by mistaken identity or where a defendant was not convicted typically qualify for expungement.

Most times, expungements are not automatic, as record subjects must petition for their records to be expunged despite meeting the requirements. Arrests where a defendant was convicted of murder, rape, domestic violence, or aggravated assault may not qualify for expungement. Arrests involving minors convicted of the aforementioned crimes and other similar offenses who were placed on Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) may not be expunged. Qualified persons can begin their expungement process by following these steps:

• Complete and print the Individual Access and Review Form (SP 4-170). This form is available on the Pennsylvania State Police website.
• Mail the completed form along with a certified money order of $20 payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one government-issued photo ID, and a letter of representation to the address on the form.

This process enables an applicant to obtain their full arrest record from the agency. They must then review the record and contact the Franklin County Clerk of Courts for further instructions regarding the expungement proceeding. A defendant will typically have to petition the court to have their record expunged. The court reviews the petition and may schedule a court hearing where it will examine the evidence backing the expungement as well as any objections to the petition. Depending on the outcome of the hearing, the court may grant or deny the petition. If the court grants the petition, it issues an order to all involved agencies with custody of the affected record to have them expunged.

Franklin County Arrest Warrants

Judges issue arrest warrants to authorize the arrest of individuals with reasonable grounds to believe they have committed a crime or will not obey a summons. Arrest warrants are considered official documents executed by the police or the sheriff’s office. Bench warrants also serve the same function as arrest warrants. Title 234 of the Pennsylvania Code sets forth rules regarding the execution of arrest warrants. Law enforcement officers may only arrest without a warrant if

• It involves violence.
• There is an imminent threat of violence.
• There is likelihood that the defendant will flee before a warrant can be issued for their arrest.
• A traffic violation occurred.

Arrest warrants contain the suspect's name, identification details, offense description and type, warrant issuance date, name and signature of the issuing authority, bond information (where applicable), and arrest clause.

Franklin County Arrest Warrant Search

Active arrest warrants are public in Franklin County, as they help residents identify potentially dangerous individuals. The Franklin County Sheriff maintains an information repository for all arrest warrants issued in the county. Details about wanted persons are available online, courtesy of the Chambersburg Police Department. Warrant details on this website include the alleged offense, warrant type, issuing authority, holding department, and issue date. It also contains personal and identifying details about the wanted person. For in-person inquiries, contact the county sheriff, local police departments, or appropriate court clerks.

Do Franklin County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Arrest warrants issued in Franklin County stay active until the person named on the warrant gets apprehended or dies. Other than these, warrants can only go away if they are recalled or quashed by the issuing authority, which may happen if a suspect contests the warrant and wins or the charges that led to the issuance of the warrant are dropped.