Find Richmond Recent Arrests

Richmond Recent Arrests are tracked each day by the Richmond Police Department and the Richmond Sheriff's Office. The state capital has the largest court system among the cities on this site. This page shows you how to search for recent arrests in Richmond, find booking info, and look up court case files. You can use city police, the sheriff at the Justice Center, the Circuit Court Clerk, or the statewide system. Most data is open to anyone who asks.

Richmond Police Recent Arrests

The Richmond Police Department Crime Incident Information system lets the public search the department's database of founded crime. The system covers all founded crimes reported after 12/31/1999. You can search by location, date range, and offense type. The data is preliminary and may not yet be verified by further work.

Source: Richmond Police Department Crime Incident Information, rva.gov/police/crime-incident-information.

The page shows the search tool and a note that all arrested people are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act sets the basic right of access. Va. Code § 2.2-3700 spells out the policy. The five-day reply rule lives in § 2.2-3704. Police records have their own carve-outs in § 2.2-3706. Basic facts of an arrest stay open even on an active case. For media, the contact is the Media Relations Unit at PoliceMediaRelations@richmondgov.com.

Note: Richmond Recent Arrests data shown by the city is preliminary and may shift as the case moves through the system.

Richmond Sheriff and Justice Center

The Richmond Sheriff's Office runs the Richmond Justice Center, which is the city jail. The office is at 1700 E. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23219. The sheriff holds people on local charges, on warrants, and on short sentences. Most people booked by Richmond Police end up at the Justice Center for at least a short time.

Source: Richmond Sheriff's Office, rva.gov/sheriff.

The Sheriff's Office page lists hours, contact info, and links for inmate visits.

State law on warrantless arrests is in Va. Code § 19.2-81. Officers must take an arrested person before a magistrate without delay under § 19.2-82. The magistrate sets bond and reads the charges. From there the case moves to General District Court or Circuit Court.

Richmond Court Case Search

The Richmond Circuit Court Clerk keeps the case file for every felony filed in the city. The clerk's office holds the indictment, motions, orders, and the final result. Plain copies and certified copies are sold at the window. Most case files are open to the public during normal court hours.

For misdemeanors and traffic cases, look at the General District Court. Both courts feed the statewide system. Use Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information to search by name. Pick the Richmond court from the dropdown. The system shows case number, charge, hearing date, and outcome.

Older case files may sit at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. Court records that have aged out of the courthouse get moved to the state archive for storage and public review. Staff can help with old cases that go back many decades.

For people now serving a sentence in state prison, the Virginia Department of Corrections runs an inmate locator. The site lists name, age, sentence, and the prison where the person is held.

Statewide Recent Arrests Tools

The Virginia State Police keeps the central criminal history file. Name-based checks are open to the public for a fee through the CARE program. The page is vsp.virginia.gov/CJIS_Criminal_History.shtm. Va. Code § 19.2-389 sets who may see the data and for what reasons.

The free Virginia Sex Offender Registry is also useful for a quick name check. Search by name, by city, or by zip code. The site lists photos and home address data for people on the list.

• Start with the Richmond Police crime incident tool
• Call the Richmond Sheriff's Office for jail status
• Use OCIS to find court files
• Check the State Police CARE system for full history

Note: Always confirm a name match with a date of birth or case number before drawing any hard conclusions.

FOIA and Code of Virginia

The Virginia FOIA Advisory Council posts forms, training, and rulings. The right of access comes from § 2.2-3700. The full Code of Virginia is free to read online. Title 19.2 is the part that covers arrest law and criminal procedure.

City agencies can charge a fair fee for staff time and copies. The fee must match the real cost of the work. If a request is denied, ask for the reason in writing and then move to court if needed.