Searching Wisconsin Arrest Records

When someone is arrested in Wisconsin, his or her name is entered into the TIME computer system and the name is cross referenced with more than 7,600 computers in Wisconsin and 250,000 computers nationwide. A Wisconsin arrest results in that person’s name being entered into this vast database, which contains criminal histories, open and closed orders, sex offender information, corrections information, a list of stolen property, and much more.

The Criminal History Repository

Wisconsin maintains Wisconsin’s Criminal History Repository, which is information on more than one million individuals dating back to 1971. The Criminal History Repository is the central fingerprint database and is a computerized history with a wealth of information.

Wisconsin criminal records held in the Repository may be checked online or by mail for a subscription fee. Fees for the general public are $18 per request, and for nonprofit organizations and government agencies, fees for a Wisconsin criminal record check are $12 per request. Online searchers pay slightly less. Visit http://wi-recordcheck.org/ for more information.

Keep in mind that Wisconsin arrests which did not result in fingerprints will not be available by request, either online or by mail. Only individuals who are fingerprinted are entered into the database and cross referenced with their previous criminal records.

Information in Wisconsin Arrest Records

Records on Wisconsin arrests can contain any or all of the following information, depending on individual history:

•    Legal names and known aliases
•    Known addresses
•    Known work addresses
•    Wisconsin sex offender registration information
•    Wisconsin arrests and criminal convictions
•    Federal arrests and criminal convictions
•    Wisconsin correctional system admission and release dates
•    Court findings and sentences
•    Attorney names
•    Fingerprint history

Wisconsin fingerprint records are connected with the FBI’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) which stores information connected with fingerprints and allows Wisconsin law enforcement to search the nationwide and international criminal justice information. The AFIS system was established in Wisconsin in 1993 but fingerprint records go back much further than that.

If you know the person’s name or business name, birth date, and/or case number, you may conduct a simple search by visiting http://wcca.wicourts.gov/simpleCaseSearch.xsl;jsessionid=. The simple search contains both criminal and civil records as well as divorce proceedings. Information is not quite as detailed as a subscription-based search, but names and dates are shown along with a summary of judgments and dispositions.

Anyone who is thinking of hiring a contractor, going into business with a partner, renting to someone, or getting married should run a Wisconsin arrests record search on that person. Even if you are currently in another state, if a person has been arrested in Wisconsin since 1971 and fingerprinted, the record will be stored in the Criminal History Repository. A search of this database will tell you if you should worry or if your potential relationship is truthful and honest.

Wisconsin arrest records are open to the general public under the Freedom of Information Act. Private searchers may call (608) 266-5764 for more information on the latest rules and fees for searching arrests in Wisconsin.