How to Find Washington County Arrest Records

Arrest record information that is released for the public includes the type of offense made, description, date of committing the offense, date of conviction, amount penalized, photo of the offender, and jurisdiction under which the arrest had been made. The arrest record is part of a criminal records background check. To access a Washington county arrest record, the best way is to go to the sheriff’s office of that county. An online search for the arrest records is possible if the office has an official website. These sites are maintained and updated regularly, hence you can access the authentic records from this source. However, if your county sheriff's office has no website, you need to visit them in person or mail them your request form.

Where to Find the Arrest Records

Arrest records are public records and are, to a certain extent, accessible to the general public. The Washington State Patrol is responsible for compilation and maintenance of this database. The website of Washington Access to Criminal History is https://watch.wsp.wa.gov/ which gives you the information on conviction, the arrests that have been made less than a year ago, kidnapping and sex offenders, and additional information like arrest records. The latter were not open for general public before this online platform came into existence in 2005.

Specific County Arrest Information

A Washington county arrest record can be accessed by visiting the county sheriff’s office or website. The official website of the Whatcom County Sheriff is http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/sheriff/. The database is not available online hence you can visit the office in person or mail them your request. The mailing address is Whatcom County Sheriff Office, 311 Grand Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225. You can call the administrative section at 360-676-6652 which remains open from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. Or, you can call the Records Division directly, which remains open from 9.30 am to 4.30pm.

As a resident of Benton County or if the individual whose arrest record you are looking for had been convicted in Benton County, you need to visit http://www.co.benton.wa.us/pview.aspx?id=714&catID=45.  For an online arrest record search, go to https://watch.wsp.wa.gov/. For each search, you will be charged $10 even if you don’t get the desired output. You can mail your request to the county office at: Benton County Sheriff's Office, 7122 W., Okanogan Pl., Bldg. A, Kennewick, WA 99336. The phone number of the office is (509) 735-6555 and fax number is (509) 783-5852.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office does not support online search. Download the public records request form from http://www.lesa.net/pdfs/Public_Records_Request.pdf and post or hand deliver it to: LESA Records at 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Room 239; Tacoma, WA 98402. Or, you can email the form to info@lesa.net. $.15 is charged per copy of the record and it can take fifteen business days to process your request.  To reach the sheriff’s office, use the following address: County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Avenue South, First Floor, Tacoma, WA 98402.

There are a total of 39 counties in Washington. Go to http://www.wacounties.org/wsac/about_members.asp and click on any county on the map. The website will be opened and you can access the local sheriff's office.
As per the law, non-conviction Washington county arrest record can be expunged. If the case meets the criteria of RCW 10.97.060, then the identifying data or the fingerprints are destroyed. The website link of http://www.courts.wa.gov/ along with the Washington State Patrol can explain how to pursue the expungement of a record.