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How to initiate a search for TN arrest records, warrants information, court cases and criminal records?

If your search for arrest records and warrants is limited to the state of TN, I’d say you won’t have too much trouble finding the data you need. Save for information on juveniles, domestic violence, financial matters and health status, all other details are up for grabs.

 

In fact, I find the generosity of TN law enforcement agencies and judiciary quite refreshing. Not only do these kind folks offer all the criminal records you’ll need but also many of them provide criminal case information for free.

 

Those that do charge for their criminal background check service, keep the fees in the range of $10-$30. And that’s how much you’ll be asked to pay even if you are requesting a formal criminal history report. Moreover, it also isn’t hard to find jail records, information on arrest warrants and a court docket. In fact, you’ll easily be able to get these details from the websites of the concerned agencies.

 

With that said, I am going to jump right into the first section of the article which talks about launching an arrest inquiry through state agencies.

Tennessee Arrest records

 

Like in many other states, TN arrest records can be found easily and for free as long as you know where to look and have a clear idea about the information you want. The fact that the local police department should be the starting point for an arrest inquiry is a no-brainer.

But, you may not always get the required criminal records online. For instance, people are often left a bit surprised and disappointed when their search for recent arrests in Tennessee gets them the arrest log for their county and not the information on all the arrests in the name of their subject. Are these two different? You bet! I will discuss this ahead but for now I won’t digress.

 

As I explained, the information that you get through an arrests records check can vary based on the agency that you approach. For example, a lot of law enforcement offices do not provide details on the arrests in the last 1-30 days. But, they do provide their jail records online, which should suffice for an arrest inquiry.

 

 

So, will the arrest log have information on all instances of arrests in TN?

 

No, it won’t. Let us get one thing clear- the arrest booking history of a county cannot be used in place of an arrest report. For one, the arrest records of a specific individual offer details about all criminal matters that led to the detention of the subject. The information is not limited to just recent arrests.

 

So, even if this person was arrested over a decade ago, unless the criminal records have been expunged, you will find details about the case that led to his detention in the arrest report. So, such arrest records are certainly not the same as the arrest booking list of your county. That said, the police typically offer details on recent arrests in their jurisdiction in two forms:

 

• The arrest log: Think of this as the list of the most recent arrests in the county. Typically, the arrest log does not have information on detentions that are more than 30-60 days old. In fact, most agencies only provide details on arrests in last 1-5 days. While the arrest log may/may not have the arrest mugshots, you will find the full name of the accused and very often the details on the charges against this person.

 

• The jail records: Jail records don’t always have arrest mugshots. Along with the information on the charges against the subject, you can also find details on bail and bond amount.

 

Of course, you are also likely to come across law enforcement agencies that offer both the arrest list and the jail records. In fact, some even provide police reports for various incidents. With these offices, it’s almost as good as getting access to the police blotter maintained by the agency.

 

How do I access TN jail records online?

 

1. Hamilton arrest records: The Sheriff’s Office of Hamilton County has its “Look Who Got Busted” list at http://www.hcsheriff.gov/cor/cor_booking.php. The page has the arrest history for each day for the most recent 30 days. The agency’s jail records are available at http://www.hcsheriff.gov/cor/iio/.

 

2. Arrests in Robertson County: You can initiate an inmate search to find prisoners currently being held at the Robertson County Detention Facility by using the tool at http://50.234.4.112/dcn/. This is a simple inquiry that uses the name of the detainee as the search criterion.

 

3. Montgomery County arrests records: The arrest booking log of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department is available at https://api.mcgtn.org/publicinquiry/booking/view. The list comes complete with arrest mugshots, information on the charges against the accused, the arrest date and the release date. You can also find a 911 call log on the agency’s website at https://api.mcgtn.org/publicinquiry/e911call/view.

 

4. Washington County arrest report: The weekly arrest report for Washington County is uploaded on http://www.wcso.net/faqs.html. The list is offered in the form of a PDF file that has the arrest mugshots as well as other information about the prisoners.

 

5. Knox County arrest log: The arrest list for Knox County is available at http://www.knoxsheriff.org/24hrlist/, while their jail records can be accessed at http://knoxsheriff.org/inmate/index.php.

 

6. Polk County arrest inquiry: The Polk County Sheriff’s Office offers jail records at http://173.12.194.130:9000/InmateInformation/. You can view the entire arrest log or you can search by using the name of the detainee. The app allows you to access information about current as well as past inmates.

 

7. Wilson County arrests records: The list of recent arrests for Wilson County can be found at https://portal.wcso95.org/index.aspx. Like other law enforcement agencies, the Sheriff’s Office of Wilson also provides the arrest mugshots and information on charges in their “just busted” list.

 

8. Rhea County jail records: You can access the inmate roster for Rhea County at http://97.89.58.126:9000/InmateInformation/. The tool provides the facility to access details on current and released inmates. The search can be conducted by using the name of the subject.

 

9. Recent arrests in Davidson County: The active inmate search tool for Davidson is available at http://dcso.nashville.gov/. Moreover, you can also request inmate information online by using the facility at https://www.nashville.gov/Sheriffs-Office/Inmate-Information-and-Services/Inmate-Record-Requests/Online-Record-Request.aspx.

 

 

What other options do I have for an arrests records inquiry?

If you want to know about a person who is currently serving his/her sentence in a correctional facility in TN or if would like to know if your subject ever spent time in such a facility, you can seek help from the Tennessee Department of Corrections. The agency offers a simple, “search with name” tool that can be used to locate current and past convicts. You can use it by visiting the webpage at https://www.tn.gov/correction/redirect-agency-services/foil.html. They also have a mobile app version of the tool.

 

 

 

Tennessee arrest warrants

 

The biggest problem that I encounter when doing a warrant search in TN is the lack of standardization in terms of what details are offered, and if they are provided at all. The thing is that in Tennessee, information on arrest warrants is not considered a part of public criminal records unless the warrants are served. So, law enforcement agencies take two approaches when it comes to offering details on arrest warrants.

 

Don’t allow a warrant search:  Some law enforcement offices use this statute to keep information on active warrants to themselves. Although I am averse to the concealment of such information, I cannot say that their apprehension is misplaced or uncalled for. After all, I have heard of instances when people tried to make citizens arrests after getting information from the warrant list or the most wanted page of the local police department and ended up endangering their lives.

 

Also, I know for a fact that people who are involved in criminal acts are often the first to go through the information that comes from the warrant division of the Sheriff’s Office. It goes without saying that many of them simply take to their heels the moment their name is thrown up in the results of the warrant lookup.

 

Provide warrant check facilities: These agencies will often offer details on arrest warrants either through their website or after a visit to their office. The information is offered in a bid to get public support in maintaining law and order in the community.

Once again, I also know of cases when arrests were made solely on the tips provided by alert citizens who got to know about the arrest warrants from the website of the local sheriff’s office.

 

 

Will I get information on all TN arrest warrants through a local warrant check?

Not really! If you get in touch with the Sheriff’s Department of your county, you will only be told about arrest warrants issued locally. Of course, the police have access to the state and national warrant database. But, as a civilian, you cannot get this information, unless you launch a formal inquiry for the criminal history of a person. I will come to that in the last section of this article.

 

Also, depending on the agency you approach, you may not get details on active warrants. These are arrest warrants that have been freshly issued or are less than 6 months old. However, you will be told about any outstanding warrants against your subject. These are also unserved warrants but they are more than 6 months old.

 

Some agencies do not provide information on warrants issued in felony cases to the public. They do, however, offer details on arrest warrants issued in misdemeanor cases as well as bench warrants. The latter are arrest orders issued when a person does not abide by the ruling or decree of the court.

 

For example, bench warrants are issued when a defendant does not pay up a fine or does not make alimony or child support payments as ordered or does not appear in court when ordered to do so. Bench warrants can also be issued in matters concerning traffic offenses and violations of municipal rules.

 

Before I go to the next question, I am going to cover one more definition- warrant roundup. This is not a search for arrest warrants, but a procedure used to roundup people who have outstanding warrants in their names. So, while you may get warrant information, you are certainly not getting any details on the next warrant roundup.

 

 

What details will I need to conduct a warrant lookup in TN?

 

If you can find a warrants search tool on the website of the county sheriff’s office, you’re only going to need the name of your subject to launch your warrant inquiry. In fact, you can make do with just the last name, although you will have to sift through quite a bit of data to find information on your subject from the extensive warrant list.

 

Using even the first, few characters of the first name or an alias can help you to get more pertinent results. Most agencies do not allow the public to search the warrant database by using other query criteria like the date of birth or the social security number.

 

However, if you approach the police department in person, you may be asked to provide this information. Additionally, you may also have to tell them the purpose of your inquiry.

 

 

How do I perform a warrant search online?

 

There is no state-wide warrant search tool but you can check the website of the local sheriff’s office to see if they offer the facility for an online warrant search. I am going to start you off with a few examples:

 

Anderson County warrant list: The local law enforcement agency only offers a most wanted list, and a very concise list it is. In fact, often you won’t find more than 1-2 entries on the page. But, they do provide photographs and information on the charges against the accused whenever they can. This data is offered at https://www.tnacso.net/wanted.php.

 

Shelby County warrants: The Sheriff’s Office of Shelby County is quite forthcoming with the information they hold. So, they not only offer you their most wanted list but also their warrant list. The most wanted page on their website has photographs, warrant number, charge details and more, and it’s available at http://www.shelby-sheriff.org/mostwanted.html. The warrant check facility is offered at http://www.shelbywarrants.org/. You can launch the warrant lookup with the name of the subject and/or the address.

 

Hamilton County arrest warrants: The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department offers its warrant check tool at http://www.hcsheriff.gov/cid/owio/. The app allows you to find all outstanding warrants from 2008 to the present time.

 

Robertson County warrant check: The local law enforcement agency offers both their warrant list and information on their most wanted through their page on http://www.robertsonsheriff.com/public-information/. Click on the warrant search link to access their list of arrest warrants. Some of the warrants on the page go back to 2013. The warrant list shows the full name of the accused, warrant issue date and place, address of the subject, name of the court that issued the warrant and charges against the accused.

 

 

 

Tennessee Court Records

 

OK, I am going to give you the good news first on this one- Court records are not all that hard to find. The bad news is that Tennessee does not have a Courts Open Access System that can be used to find judicial records from all over the state.

 

So, what I am trying to say here is that a judiciary case search in TN calls for the investment of a significant amount of, not elbow, but mouse grease. Without a Unified Court Connect Network, you will basically have to sift through the data offered by the judicial entities of each county of the state to find details on the court cases that are of interest to you.

 

Now, here is where the problem gets a bit more complex. Tennessee has 31 judicial districts and each has its own circuit court. These are courts of general jurisdiction. In addition to these, 13 judicial districts also have Criminal Courts. Moreover, each county has a General Sessions Court, which is a limited jurisdiction court. Every city also has its own municipal court.

 

Each judicial branch has its own clerk of court’s office. So, when you need judicial records from a specific court, you will have to approach the court clerk of that specific branch of the judiciary. In essence, you could be looking at 3 offices at the least per county. I am sure by now you must have a fair idea about the amount of research that this would take.

 

But as usual, I will get you started on your way to finding the courts records you need with a few examples. However, before that, let me answer the first question of this section-

 

What information can I get from the Courts Public Access System?

 

I am sure you already know that a case lookup can get you criminal case information as well as civil case records. I am not going to get into how the information pertaining to a civil matter that involves your subject can help you to construct a profile of this individual. Instead, I am going to tell you about the data that you can get by initiating your case search through different clerk of courts’ offices in your area.

 

• Municipal court records: If you approach the municipal court clerk, you will get details on traffic and municipal ordinance violations.

 

• General Sessions court records: The Clerk of the General Sessions Court can get you information on misdemeanor cases and a few felony matters.

 

• Circuit Court records: If you need felony court records, you should approach the clerk of the Circuit Court, unless your judicial district has a separate criminal court.

 

• Criminal Courts: Get in touch with the court of the criminal court if you want details pertaining to criminal matters, including appeals in misdemeanor cases from the lower courts.

 

 

How do I find court records from TN over the internet?

 

The good thing is that the most court clerks’ offices do maintain a website and offer the facility for a court case search or at least a court docket lookup online. As promised, I am going to give you a few examples:

 

Davidson County judicial records: To find case records from the Criminal Court that has jurisdiction in Davidson County and Metropolitan Nashville, use the tool at https://sci.ccc.nashville.gov/Search/Search. General Sessions Court records are limited to appearance reports, which can be found at https://sci.ccc.nashville.gov/Reporting/GeneralSessionsScheduledAppearance . If you want to find a criminal court docket, you will get this information at https://gscourt.nashville.gov/court-case-information/criminal-cases-2/.

 

Hamilton County court records search: You can find a Hamilton County court docket by visiting the page at http://www.hamiltontn.gov/courts/Default.aspx. It has a listing for all the courts in the area. For a case search involving Criminal Court records, you can use the facility at http://www.hamiltontn.gov/courts/Criminal/CrimDisclaimer.aspx. The tool allows you to find information on court cases by using the name of the defendant, the case number or the name of investigating officer. If you want to access General Sessions Court records, these can be accessed by using the app at http://www.hamiltontn.gov/courts/Criminal/GenSessDisclaimer.aspx.

 

Montgomery County case lookup: Court records for Montgomery County can be accessed by using the search app at https://montgomery.tncrtinfo.com/Default.aspx. The page can be used to procure case information from the Circuit as well as General Sessions Court. On top of the page, you will find the option for choosing the court. To your left you will find the options for accessing civil or criminal court records. This is a name-based case search facility that will get you felony court records from as far back as 1999.

 

Shelby County case search: The General Sessions Court Clerk offers the facility to find judicial records at https://gscivildata.shelbycountytn.gov/pls/gnweb/ck_public_qry_main.cp_main_idx. The tool can be used to initiate a name based case lookup. You also get the option to access details about judgments against a defendant and case information and activities. Circuit Court records are available at https://cjs.shelbycountytn.gov/CJS. But, you will need to register with the Shelby County Criminal Justice System Portal to access the search tool.

 

Rutherford County court cases: The Rutherford County case lookup tool has the same design as the case search tool offered by the Court Clerk of Montgomery County. You can access it at https://rutherford.tncrtinfo.com/ and the service can be used to find General Sessions Court and Circuit Court case information. Both the civil and the criminal docket for Rutherford County is posted at http://circuitcourtclerk.rutherfordcountytn.gov/docket.htm.

 

 

Is there no Courts Open Access System at all in TN?

 

The Central Court Connect System can only be used to get information on matters that have been heard or are being heard by the Appellate Courts. So, if you want details about the cases that are being handled by the Court of Appeals, the Court of Criminal Appeals or by the TN Supreme Court, use the case search facility at https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/public-case-history.

 

 

 

Tennessee Criminal Records

 

Unlike an arrest inquiry or the search for warrants and judicial records, a criminal check gets you a comprehensive report that is neither time bound nor limited to a specific kind of criminal data. So, when you initiate a criminal background check, you will basically get the details about every criminal matter initiated against the subject, no matter the stage/status of the criminal proceedings.

 

Personally, I save the state-wide criminal search for the last, but as an individual interested in public criminal records, you will find this to be the fastest way to get a lot of information about the criminal past of your subject, if he/she has one.

 

That said, if you need a criminal history report for employment, emigration, adoption or any other purpose that requires you to submit or gain access to certified criminal records, a background check will be your only option. Now, there are two ways in which you can conduct a criminal case search:

 

A local criminal check: As the name suggests, this inquiry will only get you criminal history from a particular city, town or county. Depending on where you live, this facility may be offered by the local police or the judiciary.

 

However, don’t be surprised if either or both these agencies ask you to approach the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for your criminal search. In fact, only about a handful of law enforcement agencies and judicial offices in TN offer the facility to conduct a local criminal background search.

 

A statewide criminal lookup: The name, once again, says it all. This criminal check will cost more and it will take longer to get the criminal history report. However, we are talking about criminal court records from all over the state here. So, the higher price and the wait are totally worth it.

 

Having said that, I also want to clarify that a criminal record search can be done in the name of a third-party or subject or in your own name (first party). Also, such an inquiry can be conducted on the basis of the name of the subject and one or more bits of identifying information or on the basis of fingerprints.

 

 

Can I access statewide criminal records through a TN criminal background search?

 

Well, I have already told you that the state-wide criminal check facility is offered by the Tennessee Bureau of investigation (TBI). The agency also provides the facility to conduct a nationwide (FBI) criminal background search. Let’s start by talking about the TN criminal background check:

 

1. A state level criminal case search: TBI charges $29 for a name based criminal background check and the facility is open to all; meaning you can launch personal as well as third party criminal searches through this service. There are two ways to file your request for the criminal search.

• To submit the request online, you will have to create an account with the website. The information form is available at https://tbibackgrounds.tbi.tn.gov/Toris/.

 

• To submit your request through mail, contact TBI at 615-744-4057 to access the criminal history search form. You will have to send the form with the $29 fee paid in the form of a check/money order to the Records Division, 901 R.S. Gass Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37216.

 

2. The nationwide criminal background check: The FBI check is a fingerprint base background search that is not available for third party inquiries. However, you can get personal criminal records by submitting your fingerprints. The service can be availed for $50/inquiry.

 

For employment and international adoption, qualified organizations can request an FBI and TN combined criminal history report. This again is a fingerprint based search and the fee can range from $20.65 to $32.65, depending on purpose of the inquiry.

 

How do I initiate a local criminal background search?

 

Hamblen County criminal records: For a local criminal background search for Hamblen County, you can get in touch with the Sheriff’s Office at (423)586-3781. If you are interested in a criminal check for Morristown City, you can get in touch with the local police department at Morristown City Center, 100 West 1st North Street. They charge $10 for a local background check.

 

Madison County criminal court records: For a criminal background search in Madison County, you will have to approach the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 100 E Main St. Jackson, TN 38301. You can use the public service terminals in the lobby for a criminal search. They won’t charge you for computer use but you will have to pay a nominal fee for copies and certification (if needed).

 

Shelby County criminal check: For criminal history records from Shelby County, get in touch with the Records and Identification Division of the local Sheriff’s Office at 201 Poplar Ave, Rm 1006 Jail Annex, Memphis, TN 38103.

 

Bradley County criminal search: If you are interested in a criminal background search for Bradley County, get in touch with the Clerk of the General Sessions Court at the Bradley County Justice Center, 2290 Blythe Ave SE; Cleveland, Tennessee 37311.

 

Davidson County criminal background check: You can get a criminal search done through the office of the Howard Gentry Criminal Court Clerk. They charge $0.5 for each page of the results and $5 for certification.

 

Knox County public criminal records: The Criminal Court Clerk of Knox County offers the facility for a criminal background check. The agency charges $15/inquiry but you are allowed to find criminal records by using the name, aliases and the social security number of a subject. You can also include additional aliases for a fee of $5 per alias name. To avail this service, get in touch with the law enforcement office by writing to them at sessions@knoxcounty.org. Alternatively, you can call them at 865-215-2375 to initiate the search.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]