Clay County Arrest Records

Missouri law instructs law enforcement agencies in Clay County to record incidents reported to them and arrests executed by their officers. The law gives them custody of Clay County arrest records, which include the identity, physical description, and biodata of people apprehended by officers and placed in secure custody. These records become part of the Clay County court records when arrested individuals are arraigned and charged in the county's circuit court or city municipal courts.

Arrest records are vital because they offer public insight into neighborhood crimes, allow people to find loved ones who may have been recently arrested, and provide helpful data for ongoing criminal investigations.

To obtain arrest records, people can approach the Clay County Sheriff's Office, city police departments, state highway patrol, circuit and municipal courts, and correctional facilities.

Are Arrest Records Public in Clay County?

Yes. Missouri law, specifically Mo. Rev. Stat. § 610.100.2(1), otherwise known as the Missouri Sunshine Law, labels arrest information as "open" records and directs law enforcement to provide these records to interested members of the public.

However, the Sunshine Law does not grant statutory access to every record, as some information and documents are confidential. They include:

• Personal information, like names and addresses, that can pose a danger to specific victims and witnesses when released to the public
• Arrest records that are part of ongoing criminal investigations
• Arrest records containing personal information, such as social security, state identification, motor vehicle operator license, credit card, and bank account numbers
• Certain juvenile information
• Arrests that were never charged in court
• Expunged arrest records

While confidential cases are closed to the public, they may be accessed by law-authorized entities. These include federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies, parties seeking such records in connection to certain civil investigations, and people directly connected to a criminal case, such as arrested persons and their legal representatives.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

People searching for Clay County arrest records can obtain the following information:

• Arrest date and time
• Arrestee's name, sex, race, photograph, physical description, and age
• Charges
• Arresting agency
• Release details, such as bond amount and release date
• Detention facility
• Court date

Clay County Crime Rate

The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) is the state's crime statistics aggregator. The agency's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) showed 6,509 crimes in Clay County in 2023, representing a crime rate of 2,508.68 per 100,000 people.

From the crime total, the county reported 1,457 crimes against persons, 4,002 crimes against property, and 1,050 crimes against society. Simple assault, property destruction/damage/vandalism, and larceny were the county's most popular offenses in 2023.

Clay County Arrest Statistics

In 2023, the MSHP's NIBRS database revealed 1,630 Group A arrests and 1,758 Group B arrests made by local law enforcement in Clay County. Of the Group A offenses, there were 408 crimes against persons, 768 crimes against property, and 454 crimes against society arrests.

In both arrest categories, adults aged 25 - 34 and 35 - 44 were the most frequently arrested in Clay County in 2023. Furthermore, 71 juveniles were arrested for Group A offenses and 18 for Group B crimes.

Find Clay County Arrest Records

Finding Clay County arrest records involves approaching local law enforcement agencies. However, state and federal agencies and correctional facilities also maintain records of people they have arrested or confined from Clay County.

Clay County Law Enforcement

The Sheriff's Office runs the county's detention center where inmates serving sentences, awaiting trial, and about to be transferred to state prison are held. People can use the office's Detention Listings webpage to look up these individuals. The system displays each inmate's name, race, booking date, cell number, and charges.

Those looking for more details, such as bond information, can visit the detention center lobby at 14 South Water Street, Liberty, Missouri.

The next option involves submitting a request to the Sheriff's Record Custodian by mail, online, in person, or by phone. People looking to use the online option must access the county's records request portal run by a third-party vendor. They are expected to provide valuable information, such as case numbers (if applicable), to help the office find their desired records. Those interested in a mail-in or telephone inquiry can use these details:

Custodian of Records
Clay County Sheriff's Office
12 South Water Street
Liberty, MO 64068
Phone: (816) 407-3710 (Police reports)

Each regular police report costs $5 but could be free in specific situations.

Another local option is to approach the city police department that arrested the individual. For example, the public can email or call the Liberty Police Department's Records Unit at (816) 439-4740 for arrest information.

Missouri State Highway Patrol

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, under the Department of Public Safety, can make arrests anywhere in Missouri, including Clay County, under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 43.190. The division's Troop A mainly covers Clay County. Suspects arrested by this agency are taken to the county's detention center. While these arrestees are listed on the Sheriff's Office inmate website, individuals can still contact the state patrol for more information about an arrest incident, especially if the person's details are yet to be entered online.

Troop A Headquarters
504 South East Blue Parkway
Lee's Summit, MO 64063
Phone: (816) 622-0800
Fax: (816) 622-0715

People can also use the Patrol's online records request portal to ask for the arrest information.

State and Federal Correctional Departments

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 217.075 designates most offender records compiled by the Missouri Department of Corrections as public information. Individuals can submit Missouri Sunshine Law requests to the department's office of the director or parole board to find specific details about inmates arrested and convicted in Clay County and remanded to state prison. They can request details about people currently serving time or those on parole.

Members of the public can also contact the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for information about individuals arrested in Clay County for federal crimes and sent to federal prison. They can use the Bureau's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) online request form to ask for details about certain federal inmates or search the Federal Inmate Locator.

Free Arrest Record Search in Clay County

People do not have to pay to view arrest information on the Clay County Sheriff's Office Detention Listings website. However, when requesting copies of documents, one generally has to cover the costs of reproduction and postage (if required).

Those seeking state and federal inmate information also have access to free resources. For example, the Missouri DOC's Offender Web Search, which displays each inmate's offense, photograph, DOC ID number, date of birth, and other related details, is free.

Similarly, the BOP's Federal Inmate Search tool allows people to confirm whether inmates are in BOP custody for free. The tool can be searched with a person's name or register number.

Finally, those accessing the Missouri Highway Patrol's Arrest Report Portal can select Troop A to see all the recent arrests executed by that troop for Clay County. The portal shows the personal details of arrestees, their alleged offenses, and detention facilities.

Additionally, people can view recently arrested suspects in Clay County for free using third-party websites. Certain private entities collate arrest data from different law enforcement agencies and publish them on their websites.

Get Clay County Criminal Records

Criminal records are documents and information pertaining to people's arrests, prosecutions, and convictions. They include each subject's historical engagements with the criminal justice system. A person's criminal record is commonly called their rap sheet or criminal history. The process of finding these records is generally known as a criminal background check.

People looking for criminal records in Clay can use methods and resources provided by courts and local law enforcement.

The Missouri Highway Patrol

The Missouri Highway Patrol's Criminal Justice Information Services division operates the Missouri Automated Criminal History System (MACHS). The database contains criminal records collected from local/state law enforcement agencies, prosecuting attorneys, and courts. The CJIS disseminates these records to law enforcement (state and federal) for investigations and members of the public for non-criminal justice purposes, such as employment background checks.

The division offers two types of background checks:

• Personal Identifier Search: This is the division's name-based search, where individuals must provide the subject's name, date of birth, and social security number to retrieve records. Each search costs $15 and produces only open records and "possible matches". Open records include the following:
  • Conviction records
  • Arrests within 30 days
  • Details of charges tied to ongoing prosections
  • Records containing SIS (suspended imposition of sentence) when the individual is still on probation

Closed records include the following

• Arrests after 30 days with no charges
• SIS (suspended imposition of sentence) after the probationer has completed their program
• Criminal records where the subject was exonerated or had the charges dismissed
• Arrests whose charges were never filed (nolle prossed)

Those who intend to use this portal must create an account. Users can only view search results after logging in to their accounts. Results cannot be sent via regular mail or email unless the user indicates they want notarized results mailed to them (costs an extra $5).

• Fingerprint-Based Search: This method uses a subject's fingerprints to initiate a background search through the division's AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) database. Each inquiry costs $20 and can provide closed records to qualifying entities. This search method produces exact (or positive) identification results, which are more reliable than name-based searches.

Individuals must register to use the fingerprint search portal. However, they need registration numbers from employers or licensing agencies to complete user registration. People who want to use the portal for personal purposes can contact the division by phone at (573) 526-6153 (option 3).

The Court System

Members of the public can use the Case Records portal provided by the Missouri judiciary to search criminal records by name, filing date, or case number. The name search helps individuals who do not have case numbers or know when the criminal charges were filed. It allows them to use partial names like last names and specify the court and type of case.

The Case Records portal displays circuit court case dockets (detailing case events from the initial complaint and arraignment to sentencing), party and attorney details, case outcomes, and sentences.

Individuals can also fax requests to (816) 407- 3899 to obtain copies of court documents.

Moreover, people can also visit the websites of city municipal courts, such as the Liberty Municipal Court's website, to search for criminal records pertaining to city ordinance violations.

Clay County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records and criminal records have different implications. A person's arrest record is created to document their arrest and confinement conditions before the trial commences. The record does not contain trial or conviction information.

Meanwhile, criminal records cover each defendant's progress through the justice system, from the point of arrest to post-conviction programs.

Essentially, a person with an arrest record in Clay County cannot be said to be guilty of a criminal offense. Meanwhile, a criminal record indicates a person's guilt or innocence regarding an offense for which they might have been apprehended or cited/summoned.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrest records remain on a person's record indefinitely, especially where the individual was convicted of a serious criminal offense, such as murder and certain sexual offenses. However, arrest records are automatically sealed for people who were found not guilty, not charged after their arrests, or had their cases dismissed by a court pursuant to Mo. Rev. Stat. § 610.105. Criminal justice agencies and courts can access sealed records unless someone obtains an expungement.

Expunge Jefferson County Arrest Records

Missouri law allows eligible individuals to destroy their arrest records permanently through an expungement process (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 610.123). People who can apply for such relief include those arrested on false information, who had no charges filed against them or pending proceedings, and who did not receive a suspended imposition of sentence (SIS). They must also prove that there is no probable cause to suggest they committed the crime for which they were arrested.

The petition process involves filling out Form CR 145 and providing the following information on the form:

• Petitioner's full name, date of birth, social security number, gender, address when they were arrested, and driver's license number
• Names of agencies and public institutions that may have the records in their possession, including prosecutors, courts, law enforcement agencies, AFIS, and others
• County of arrest
• Arrest date
• Arresting agency
• Case number
• Description of charges and offenses for which they were arrested
• Court where charged
• Fingerprints, which must be submitted on a standard card and accepted by AFIS

The court may dismiss the petition if the individual does not provide the required information. Also, only agencies named in the petition as record custodians will be ordered to destroy the petitioner's records.

The applicant must send the completed form to the circuit court in the county where the original case was handled (in this case, the Clay County Circuit Court).

People can also expunge or seal certain criminal records following a conviction. However, there are specific steps to follow, and the interested party must confirm they satisfy the state's requirements for sealing or expunging their records. The steps to follow and forms to complete are available on the state judiciary's website.

Clay County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are legal directives instructing peace officers to take suspected offenders into custody and bring them before a judge (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 544.020). In Clay County, associate circuit court and municipal court judges can issue an arrest warrant. These warrants generally identify the suspect, the alleged offense, and the warrant's issue date. However, courts can authorize clerks to issue warrants to the Sheriff's office when indictments are filed.

Clay County Arrest Warrant Search

People can visit or contact municipal police departments and the Clay County Sheriff's Office to inquire about an arrest warrant.

They can also access the Clay County Circuit Court's website to view active arrest warrants. A user account is required. Alternatively, they can visit a local circuit or municipal court to confirm whether someone has an arrest warrant.

Do Clay County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. An arrest warrant remains active in Clay County until law enforcement arrests the suspect or the suspect turns themselves in. However, a judge can void an arrest warrant in light of new evidence.