Lauderdale County Arrest Records

When a law enforcement official takes someone into custody to question them about a crime or offense, this is called an arrest. If a citizen witnesses a crime or locates a wanted person, they may also be authorized to make an arrest. The aftermath of an arrest is the arresting agency creating arrest records of the arrested person.

If the arrest leads to charges, a trial, a hearing, or a lawsuit, Lauderdale arrest records are used in the judiciary process as part of Lauderdale County court records. They serve as proof that an arrest occurred and can be used to determine the legality of the arrest. Lauderdale arrest records also provide evidence that a person committed a crime.

Are Arrest Records Public in Lauderdale County?

Yes, arrest records are public records per the Mississippi Public Records Act 1983. The act provides that arrest records are generally regarded as public property and that everyone is free to examine or get a copy, subject to specific guidelines relating to expenses, time, location, and access method. However, the act makes an exemption for specific categories of arrest records. These categories of records are exempt from public disclosure and are only available to law enforcement and judicial bodies. Some of these exempt arrest records include:

• Arrest records that are part of the Investigatory report
• Arrest reports that contain protected witness statement
• Any arrest record with sensitive information such as the victim's name, witness, and social security numbers.
• Arrest records involving children.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

As a standard, arrest records created and maintained by law enforcement in Lauderdale County contain the following information:

• The name of the arrested person
• A physical description of the arrested individual
• The reason for the arrest (state statute supporting the arrest)
• The date of the arrest
• The location of arrest
• The name of the arresting officer
• The name of the arresting agency
• Charges if any
• Bail information(if set)
• Date of possible release

Lauderdale County Arrest Statistics

Data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer shows that the Lauderdale County sheriff's office made 604 arrests in 2023. Arrests for driving under the influence and drug/narcotics each made up about 30% of the arrests made in that year. Gambling (46) and disorderly conduct (21) made up 8% and 3% of the arrests made for that period, respectively. The lowest number of larceny and robbery arrests comprised less than 1% of the total arrests made that year.

Find Lauderdale County Arrest Records

Interested public members can request arrest records from the law enforcement office that made the arrest. For example, arrest records maintained by the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department are, by law, accessible to the public and can be obtained from the records division of the sheriff's office. The records division also maintains Criminal reports, traffic accident reports, missing person reports, police records, and warrants. The records clerks enter these records into the department's Records Management System (RMS). To access these records, individuals only need to visit the sheriff's office and make a records request for specific arrest records. Staff at the office will provide requestors with a records request form. The requestor must supply the following information on the request form.

• The name of the person arrested.
• The date and location of the arrest.
• A description of any additional information they need on the arrest form.

Most records divisions of law enforcement offices also provide a way to send arrest records requests by mail to the divisions. On average, a small processing fee of at least $10 may be requested for each request for arrest records.

Individuals can also look up inmates held in jail by Lauderdale County law enforcement by looking through their online arrest logs. Arrest logs can also be used to find information on arrested persons. People can contact the sheriff's office to learn more about someone arrested, taken to a patrol station, or detained at any Lauderdale County jail.

Free Arrest Record Search in Lauderdale County

Generally, there is always a cost associated with searching for arrest records in Lauderdale. Authorities might waive the fee for an arrest record search if the person was arrested unfairly in a case of mistaken identity or if the person has had their cases dismissed. One way to access and perform a free arrest record search in Lauderdale County is through third-party sites. Third-party websites are private databases that allow individuals to look up arrest records for free. The free-to-use third-party websites offer arrest record searches as a side service, while others provide premium arrest record searches with more information for a fee.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. Arrest records stay on a person's records essentially forever. There is no timeline for having a person's arrest records automatically erased in Lauderdale County; hence, once they are recorded, they remain on record until the owner of the record applies to have their record expunged from the public domain. Lauderdale law enforcement, however, adheres to the Mississippi local government retention schedule and destroys arrest records 25-50 years after the person has served time for the arrest, depending on the severity of the crime committed and if the arrest leads to a conviction.

Expunge Lauderdale County Arrest Records

Expungement is the process of removing a person's arrest information from their personal criminal history. Arrest records that have been successfully expunged will be as if they never happened in the first place. An expungement restores a person to the point before any arrest or conviction takes place in the eyes of the law.

Persons can expunge their arrest records in Lauderdale County if they are eligible as per state law. Persons who are eligible to have their records expunged are those that fall into the following categories:

• First-time offenders for minor misdemeanors that are not a traffic violation under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-71(1).
• Persons who were arrested but have had their charges dismissed and those who were not charged for a crime
• Persons convicted of DUI who are not holders of commercial driving licenses and are not restricted as per Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-30(13).
• Individuals who have been convicted of certain felony crimes and have successfully fulfilled all terms and conditions of the sentence for their conviction upon a hearing have paid all criminal fines and court expenses.

Eligible individuals can apply to have their arrest records expunged through the following steps:

• Obtain a copy of the court case abstract from the Lauderdale court where the case proceeding occurred.
• File a motion to expunge using the case details at the court where the Lauderdale court where the case proceeding took place.
• Wait for the judge to review and to see if the judge will sign the order to expunge.
• If the judge signs the order to expunge, send it to the arresting agency and the Mississippi Criminal Information Center (MCIC). The MCIC will review and remove the order from the state's database, and the arresting agency will erase it from its internal database.

Lauderdale County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a document containing a court order for a law enforcement official to detain a criminal or person suspected of committing a crime.

For an arrest warrant to be issued in the county of Lauderdale, a crime or infraction must occur inside the county's judicial boundaries. A complaint about another person who is suspected of committing a crime is often filed before a warrant is issued. This complaint might be from a citizen or law enforcement officer. The complainant must then go to the main office of the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department and sign an affidavit. Following oath-taking to the contents of the deposition, a magistrate will decide if there are sufficient legal grounds to issue a warrant. The warrant is going to be issued if there are valid grounds.

Individuals can search for arrest warrants at any law enforcement office in Lauderdale County. Warrants issued by courts in Mississippi are entered into a statewide database accessible to law enforcement within the state. As per state law, the following information must be included in a Lauderdale arrest warrant

• The name of the individual to be arrested
• A description of the individual
• The date of issuance
• The complaint and/or charges supporting the warrant issuance
• Last known address of the defendant
• The name and signature of the issuing court and judge
• A command to arrest the defendant and bring them to court

Do Lauderdale County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Unlike other types of warrants issued by a Lauderdale court, an arrest warrant does not expire. Instead, it remains active until the subject of the warrant is arrested. Law enforcement always maintains a list of active arrest warrants, both physically and electronically, to ensure that persons are brought to book no matter how long they run.