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Can government agencies help you to get details on warrants and arrests in Kentucky?

Right off the bat, I am going to tell you that it isn’t hard to get your hands on KY criminal records, as long as you are willing to pay for them and don’t have a problem providing information about yourself. Be they arrest records, details on warrants or judicial records, I have found that law enforcement and judicial agencies from KY offer online and offline access to all types of public criminal records.

 

In fact, I have another piece of good news for you- You will find centralized systems that are meant to find a court docket that you may need or even the arrest report of your subject and just about all else that’s there in the criminal history of the person you are investigating.

Of course, some bits of data come for free but they have to be procured from various agencies; case in point the arrest log for each county. So, without further meandering, I am going dive straight in and talk about how to access different types of criminal court records. And, I believe it’s always best to start with the stuff that you don’t have to pay for and is the easiest to find-

 

 

Arrest records from Kentucky

 

First, let me tell you that an arrest report would hardly qualify as the complete results of a criminal background search. However, I would still recommend that you spend some time learning about the arrests in your county. For starters, if nothing else, you will at least know about how your area has been faring in terms of crime rates. Plus, you will get to know who was just busted by the cops.

 

If you can find the name of your subject in the arrest log, you can be sure that this individual still has a penchant for getting on the wrong side of the law. In other words, there has been no desire to reform, as would be evident from old arrests records that date back several years. This brings me to the next logical question-

 

How do you launch an arrest inquiry? Simple, you approach the local sheriff’s office or police department. After all, cops do make all the arrests, with and without warrants. Now, depending on what information you need, you can either look for it online or get in touch the law enforcement agency in your area by paying them a visit. So, let me tell you about the different types of information that your arrest inquiry can bring up.

 

Is there a difference between an arrest report, an arrest log and jail records from Kentucky?

 

You bet!  Although they all refer to information on arrests in some sense, the difference lies in the amount and type of data offered. Let me explain this further by telling you exactly what these refer to:

An arrest log: As you may have guessed, this is the recent arrest booking list of an area. The information may/may not be available on the website of the police. If it is, you will get the names of the people who were recently arrested; we are talking about arrests last 5 days to 90 days. In most cases, the police offer the name of the person detained, the date of arrest and possibly information on the charges.

 

The arrest report: Think of this as a concise and arrest-specific criminal history report. You will find out about every time the subject was detained by the police, even if some of the arrests are several years old. Usually, the arrest report will contain information on the charges against the subject that led to his/her arrest as well as details on time spent in jail and information on what eventually became of the case. At least, in Kentucky, you will be hard pressed to find a law enforcement agency that provides this information online.

 

The jail records: Again, this one is self-explanatory. It’s information about people who are cooling their heels in jail. Some law enforcement agencies will also include details about detainees who have recently been let out. Now, just because somebody has spent time in the county jail does not mean that he/she is guilty, although the county jail does lodge offenders convicted for minor offenses and misdemeanors along with the undertrials. Usually, the jail records will get you the arrest mugshots as well as information on the charges against the jailbirds in the list.

 

 

How do I get access to these arrests records from KY?

 

I have already told you that for a subject-specific arrest report, you will have to approach the Sheriff’s Department of your county, in person. However, I would talk you out of that one if you have a warrant against you; more on this in the next section.

I have noticed that in KY, shockingly, law enforcement offices do not provide an arrest log online. Instead, they provide their jail records in a searchable format and offer an inmate search tool to find the information you need. Let me show you how this work with the help of a few examples:

 

1. Jefferson County arrest records: For jail records from Jefferson County, you can visit the webpage on https://mugshots.louisvilleky.gov/archonixxjailsiteslmdcNew/archonixxjailpublic/. The inmate search tool will fetch results in response to a name and booking number based inquiry. You can also use the booking date to find information about individuals who were arrested over a fixed period of time.

 

2. Logan County arrest log: Information on inmates in the Logan County jail is available at http://www.logancojail.com/Logan_inmate_list.html. Along with the complete arrests log, you also get access to the inmate search tool. This is a simple name based inquiry and you can use the first name, the last name or an alias to find the details you need.

 

3. Jail records from Oldham County: The jail tracker for Oldham is offered at http://www.oldhamcountyjail.com/OldhamCoJail_inmatelist.html. Once again, you will find a regular arrest list with a search function on top that will allow you to find the arrest records you need with a name-based query.

 

4. Recent arrests in Frankfort: This information comes courtesy of the Correctional Authorities of the Franklin County Regional Jail. In terms of format, the arrest list is no different from the one offered by the Logan County Police. It’s a simple list that has the names of all the inmates lodged in the facility. Clicking on the name of an inmate gets you more information about him, including the charges against the person, arrest mugshots, bond related information, case status and more.

 

5. Lexington, KY arrest report: The Sheriff’s Office of Fayette County has taken a completely different path to offering jail records. In fact, I don’t think I have seen any other law enforcement agency asking for a sign up just to use their inmate locator. Fortunately, they just ask you to provide your email-id, but they do make it clear that they monitor account activity to prevent misuse and abuse of the information they offer. In any case, the tool is available at https://www.lexingtonky.gov/inmate-information.

 

 

Kentucky warrant search

 

 

Once I am done snooping around for arrest records, I turn my attention to the warrants. Let me clarify here that just because your subject has never been arrested does not mean that this person never had a run-in with the law. Even if I were exclusively talking about the State of Kentucky, there would still be arrest warrants to consider if you can’t find an arrest report in the name of the subject.

 

Now, here comes the bad news. Finding information on arrest warrants is no easy task. In fact, most agencies will only offer limited data on these court issued arrest orders. Before I tell you more about this, let me give you some background information on warrants, including the different types. I am going to start by answering this question-

 

 

Why is it so hard to get details on KY arrest warrants?

 

This is a logical question considering the fact that nobody seems to have a problem offering details on arrests. Then, why the reluctance when it comes to warrants? The answer to that lies in the definition and the power of arrest warrants.

The truth about warrants: These are court issued instructions given to the police to present an accused before the judiciary for further proceedings. Arrest warrants, depending on the criminal act that they are connected to, give law enforcement personnel the liberty to make arrests anywhere and at any time.

 

Arrest warrants and their powers: In fact, arrest warrants not only have state-wide validity but also have nation-wide validity. As such, a person arrested anywhere in the country can be extradited to the state in which an arrest warrant was issued against him/her. In a nutshell, if a warrant exists, an arrest won’t be far behind.

 

Warrants and the element of surprise: Yes, I do know that there are thousands of warrants languishing in the criminal database of KY law enforcement. But, rest assured that the police will not shy away from serving these orders at the first opportunity they get. And, till such time, they understandably don’t want to make information about warrants available in the public domain from where it can get to the ears of the accused.

 

 

What else do I need to know before launching a warrant search in KY?

 

When performing a warrant check, you will undoubtedly come across a few confusing terms, all of which relate to arrest warrants. For example:

 

• Active warrants: This is just another name given to recently issued arrest warrants. Usually, warrants that are no more than 6 months old and are yet to be served are known as active warrants. These arrest orders are typically linked to misdemeanors and felonies.

 

• Bench warrants: These are also arrest orders but they are issued when a person fails to appear in court or refuses to obey a court directive. For instance, a dead beat parent who fails to provide court ordered spousal and child support. Bench warrants are also issued against individuals who are accused of minor infractions such as traffic and civic ordinance violations but do not show up in court even after summons are issued against them.

 

• Outstanding warrants: This is a collective term used for both bench and active warrants that remain un-served several months or even years after issue. Information on outstanding warrants is not just saved in a central, state-level repository but also in a national warrant database. Unfortunately, only law enforcement personnel have access to this repository.

 

 

Who do I approach for a warrant lookup in KY?

 

Logically, the answer to that question would be the police since all warrants, including bench warrants, are served by the cops. But as explained above, most law enforcement agencies will not provide this information to the public. In fact, in Kentucky, there are only a handful of sheriffs’ offices that provide this information online.

 

And even those agencies that do provide warrant details online, do not offer a complete warrant list. Instead, they provide a most wanted list that has information on some of the suspects, who are accused of committing more serious crimes. That said, some law enforcement offices take a different approach and only offer details on bench warrants and active warrants that are connected to minor infractions.

 

Finally, there are those agencies that will only entertain a personal warrants search; meaning they will only entertain your warrant inquiry if you want to know about the warrants in your own name. What isn’t explicitly mentioned is the fact that you will be arrested as soon as the police find out that there is a warrant out for detention.

 

 

Can I get a warrant list online?

 

As I explained above, some Kentucky law enforcement agencies will allow you access to their most wanted page. Here is a list of a few of these:

 

• McCracken County warrant list: This is offered in the form of the most wanted log at http://www.mccrackencountysheriff.com/wanted.php.

 

• Grayson County arrest warrants: The Sheriff’s Office of Grayson offers details on bench warrants and criminal summons at https://www.gcsheriff.net/warrant-check.html.

 

• Hardin County warrants search: The mugshots of Hardin’s most wanted are available at http://hckysheriff.com/MostWanted.html.

 

• Warrant list from Pulaski County: Once again, you get a most wanted list instead of the warrant list. This is available at http://www.pulaskisheriff.com/mostwanted.htm.

 

 

Can I get details on a warrant roundup?

 

I think you have a warrant roundup confused with a warrant search here. Because a warrant roundup is a term used for an operation that involves the serving of outstanding warrants, I can’t imagine why a civilian would need information on a warrant roundup, unless he/she is the most wanted list of the local law enforcement agency.

 

Having said that, the warrant division keeps information on such operations under wraps because the idea is to catch as many suspects as possible. So, it wouldn’t make sense to release information about the operation beforehand. However, you can expect the local newspapers to announce the success of the warrant roundup a day or two after the operation.

 

 

 

Court records from Kentucky

 

When I need comprehensive criminal history data, I always turn to a court records search. The one thing I must state here is that any inquiry about judicial records is bound to yield both civil and criminal court records. Now, I am sure you are wondering why you ought to trouble yourself with information on civil court cases when you are trying to create the criminal profile of a person.

 

Without a doubt, criminal courts records will paint a clear picture about the criminal antisocial proclivities of your subject. But civil case records that involve the non-payment of dues or breach of trust or contractual terms can also shed light on the background of a person.

 

The good thing is that a Kentucky case search is incredibly easy to initiate. The bad thing is that you will have to pay for the service and that you will have to register to use the facility. Having said that, let me first tell you about the information that a case lookup will get for you.

 

 

How does a KY court records search work?

 

A case search can be used to get information on a specific criminal matter or get all the judicial records in the name of a person. Basically, you get access to all public court records from KY through this facility. You will be able to find out about active cases as well as matters that have been disposed by KY courts.

 

The only information that will be withheld is that which is considered non-public. This includes details on cases, which involve juveniles, mental health related matters and cases of domestic violence. Although you will get information on civil court cases, you won’t be able to get details pertaining to probate matters.

 

The case information will include details on all misdemeanors as well as minor criminal infractions such as traffic cases for the last 5 years and felonies dating back to 1978. Although you will not get information on the criminal docket, the report of the case search will have:

 

• The full name and identifier details of the subject.

 

• The address.

 

• Information on arrest warrants and summons against the subject, along with the issue date.

 

• Details on criminal and non-criminal charges against the subject.

 

• Date of arrest.

 

• Information about release on bail, if applicable.
• Data pertaining to court proceedings.

 

• Image of some of the documents submitted in court.

 

• Case/charge filing date.

 

• Verdict/ case disposal.

 

• Department of Corrections data.

 

• Release on parole/probation or the possibility of it.

 

You can get all of this case information for one specific matter or you can elect to access data pertaining to all the criminal cases against a person. If you go for the second option, the case records for each matter will be separately listed, one below the other in a chronological order.

 

 

How is a court docket different from KY courts records?

 

The court docket is simply the schedule of the court for the day. You won’t get case information from the court docket because it’s more a timetable than anything else. For some courts, you may find the name of the parties/defendant/respondent, the name of the court and the name of judge along with the date.

 

Some courts don’t even offer the name of the parties; instead, they simply mention the case type and the name of the judge. So, you will get less than the bare mini minimum information. However, I would still say that you can use the court docket as a starting point if for some reason you are sure that your subject is currently involved in a criminal or civil matter.  You can find a court docket by using the feature at http://kcoj.kycourts.net/dockets/.

 

 

Can I get in touch with the clerk of court’s office for KY judicial records?

 

In most other states, you can access judicial records by approaching the office of the court clerk. But in Kentucky, neither the circuit nor the district court clerk will provide access to felony court records. In fact, the judicial system of Kentucky is slightly different than that of other states; in the sense that even traffic offenses are handled by the District Courts and not the Municipal Courts.

 

So, even when you need information on an indictment or arraignment or on the issue of an arrest warrant or a traffic offense, you will have to approach one of the 60 district courts. These District Courts are limited jurisdiction courts while the 57 Circuit Courts are general jurisdiction courts that handle felonies as well as civil complaints in which the disputed/claim amount is above $5000.

 

 

Who should I approach for information on KY court cases?

 

The Courts Open Access System of Kentucky offers the facility to conduct a case lookup online. The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) collects courts records from all across the 120 counties of Kentucky. The Court Connect facility is available at https://kcoj.kycourts.net/kyecourts/login/guestlogin. Once you are on the webpage, this is what you need to do:

 

• Complete the Captcha and get to the case search tool. You will find multiple search options.

 

• Pick the name based case lookup if you want to access all the judicial records in the name of a person.

 

• For specific case records, use the case number-search feature.

 

• For civil case records, you can use the party name-search feature.

 

• Choose the case category and the county name.

 

• Then, use a combination of the last name and the birth date or the first and the last name for the case lookup.

 

Click on search and you will get a list of all the court records that match your search criteria. You can also search by citations. Register for the case search service at https://kcoj.kycourts.net/kyecourts/Login/UserRegistration. Use the “Public Authenticated” option to access the feature for individual users.

 

The economy plan costs as less as $5 for 5 case court records. If you are looking for all the judicial records in the name of the person, you will have to proceed through the AOCFastcheck or one-time search facility. This service will cost you $25/inquiry; more about this in the next section.

 

 

Criminal Records from Kentucky

 

And at last, I am going to tell you how to perform a criminal background search in Kentucky. A criminal history report is comprehensive data that includes information on every criminal matter that the subject was and is involved in.

 

A criminal check of this nature can be used for official purposes. So, if you need a certified criminal history report, this is the service you should opt for. That said, as you may have expected, this is a paid service that is offered by two state agencies.

 

You can initiate a criminal check both online and offline and save for criminal court docket, you will have all other case information in the results. This is a name based search although one of the two agencies does offer fingerprint-based criminal background check as well for certain purposes and sectors. So, without further ado, let me tell you how you can go about accessing these criminal records.

 

 

How do I get my hands on criminal court records from the judiciary?

 

The AOC (discussed in the last section) offers 2 options for launching a criminal case search online.

 

1. You can request public criminal records through the AOCFastCheck service. This facility is available at http://kcoj.kycourts.net/PublicMenu/?redirect=https://kcoj.kycourts.net/RecordRequest/Default.aspx and calls for registration before you can use it.

 

2. A combined approach, the one-time request allows you to place your request for criminal records online but you will get the response to your inquiry through mail. For this service, go to http://kcoj.kycourts.net/fastcheck_individual/.

 

Both the AOCFastCheck and One -Time Service will cost you $25/search. While the results of the AOCFastCheck will be delivered almost immediately, you will have to wait to get the results of your one-time case search.

 

 

Do I have any other options to launch a criminal search in KY through the AOC?

 

The State Judiciary also accepts requests for a criminal background check through mail and in person. As with the online criminal case search, these two options can also be used for both first and third party inquiries. It’s a name based search and you will get the same criminal records that you would through an online criminal lookup. Here is more information on the two options:

 

1. In person criminal record search: Visit the AOC Office at 1001 Vandalay Drive, Frankfort from Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. You can pay the $25 fee by credit or debit card, in cash or through check or money order. If paying by cash remember to carry the exact change along. It hardly takes any time to process a single request, but if you need more than 10 case records, you will have to wait for an hour.

 

2. Criminal case search through mail: Send you criminal check request to the Records Unit of the Administrative Office of the Courts, 1001 Vandalay Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601. Send the $25 fee in the form of a check or money order drawn in favor of the Kentucky State Treasurer.

 

The criminal records request form is available at https://courts.ky.gov/resources/legalforms/LegalForms/RU004.pdf. You can take a print out of the document and fill it and take it along or mail it to the agency.

 

 

Is there any other way to get a statewide criminal background check done in Kentucky?

 

You can also initiate the inquiry through the Kentucky State Police. However, this agency does not offer criminal records online at this time. The KY State Police (KSP) criminal check service works differently from the AOC facility for criminal records access.

 

For one, although you can get a third party criminal check done, you will need a signed consent form from the person whose criminal records are being requested. Furthermore, the criminal records from Kentucky State Police are limited to conviction data. In other words, the agency will not tell you about ongoing criminal cases or matters in which the subject was acquitted.

 

That said, KSP does offer this facility for various purposes including employment, emigration, adoption, foster care facility, employment in the senior care, health care and child care sectors, etc. You will find the forms for various purposes at http://kentuckystatepolice.org/forms/background-check-forms/. The agency charges $20 for the criminal background check.

 

Fill out the appropriate form and send it with two self-addressed envelopes and a check/money order of $20 made payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer. You can also request a combined Kentucky and FBI criminal background check. However, this is a fingerprint-based inquiry.

 

 

What if I am interested in a local criminal background search?

 

You will have a hard time finding local law enforcement and judicial agencies that offer a county-specific criminal check, simply because two state-level agencies already offer this facility. So far, I have only managed to find two agencies in the state that offer local criminal checks. These are:

 

• Hardin County criminal cases inquiry: For a local criminal history check in Hardin, you can go to the Sheriff’s Office, Lower level, 150 North Provident Way in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. They charge $1 for the inquiry and you will have to use the document at http://www.hardincosheriff.org/Processes/Criminal%20Records%20Check%20Form.doc to file the criminal search request.

 

• Warren County criminal public records: For a fee of $3, you can get a local background search done or access police reports. Use the form at http://www.warrencountykysheriff.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Open-Records-Application.pdf to file your request. Fill the form and take it to the agency office at 429 East 10th Avenue Suite #102, Bowling Green, KY 42101. They will not provide criminal records for ongoing investigations, and it can take up to 10 days to receive the results of the inquiry.

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