Search Monroe County Arrest Records
Monroe County arrest records are created and maintained by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the Monroe County Jail, and the 38th Circuit Court, all based near downtown Monroe. Located in southeastern Michigan along the Ohio border and Lake Erie, the county processes arrests through established state systems including ICHAT, OTIS, and the Michigan courts case search. This page outlines the main sources for public arrest records in Monroe County and explains how to access each one.
Monroe County Overview
ICHAT Searches for Monroe County
ICHAT, the Internet Criminal History Access Tool, is run by the Michigan State Police and provides online access to Michigan arrest and conviction records from all 83 counties, including Monroe. Each search costs $10 and pulls from fingerprint-backed records, which makes the results more accurate than a basic name match. The system is available at apps.michigan.gov and does not require an account to use.
ICHAT is governed by MCL 28.241 and returns information such as arrest dates, charges filed, case numbers, and disposition data when it has been entered into the state system. Monroe County arrests handled by the sheriff's office, state police, or local departments will appear in ICHAT if they were reported to the state. Some older records, particularly those from before full digital reporting was in place, may not be in the database. In those cases, the Monroe County Clerk's office is the best place to look for paper records or microfilm files.
A $10 ICHAT search is usually the best first step for Monroe County criminal history research.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office and County Jail
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is located at 100 E. Second Street, Monroe, MI 48161. The office can be reached by phone at (734) 240-7401. The Monroe County Jail is operated by the sheriff's office and is the primary holding facility for people arrested in the county. When an arrest is made, booking records are created at the jail, and those records form the basis of much of what is available to the public through formal records requests.
Copies of arrest reports, incident reports, and jail booking records are available through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, codified at MCL 15.231 et seq. Requests should be submitted in writing to the sheriff's office. The office must respond within five business days, either providing the records, sending a written denial with a legal basis, or notifying you that more time is needed. You can expect some records to be partially redacted if the underlying case is still active, involves a minor, or falls under a specific statutory exemption. Fees for copying or staff retrieval time may apply depending on the scope of the request.
The Michigan State Police FOIA portal, shown in the screenshot below, handles requests for records involving MSP activity in Monroe County alongside the county's own records process.
File a state police FOIA request online at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia for incidents where MSP was the responding agency in Monroe County.
38th Circuit Court Case Records
Felony arrests in Monroe County are prosecuted in the 38th Circuit Court, which is based in Monroe. Misdemeanor cases are handled in the Monroe County District Court. Both courts generate public records that document what happened after an arrest, including charges filed, plea agreements, trial outcomes, and sentencing orders. Court records give you a fuller picture of a case than a booking record does.
The Michigan courts case search portal at courts.michigan.gov/case-search/ is a free tool that covers Monroe County cases. You can search by the person's name or by case number. Results typically show the case status, charges, and key hearing dates. Not every historical case is in the online database, so for older records or cases that don't appear in the search, contact the circuit court clerk's office in Monroe directly. The clerk can tell you what records are available and how to request copies.
The Michigan courts case search tool, shown below, covers Monroe County criminal and civil filings statewide.
Search Monroe County cases by name at courts.michigan.gov/case-search/ before making a trip to the courthouse on East Second Street.
OTIS Offender Records for Monroe County
OTIS, the Offender Tracking Information System from the Michigan Department of Corrections, tracks people who are serving or have served state sentences. If someone was arrested in Monroe County and sentenced to a Michigan state prison or placed on parole, their record is in OTIS. You can search it free at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2/otis2.html using the person's name.
OTIS records include the MDOC number, offense description, current supervision status, and projected release dates. People who were arrested and held only in the Monroe County Jail without receiving a state sentence will not appear in OTIS. The same applies to people who received fines, community service, or county-supervised probation. OTIS is specifically for those who came under Michigan Department of Corrections supervision at the state level, either through prison or through parole and post-release supervision.
Michigan Sex Offender Registry
The Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry at mspsor.com lists registrants across all Michigan counties under MCL 28.721. Monroe County residents with a registration requirement appear in the database with their current address, photograph, and offense information. The registry can be searched by name, zip code, or map and is free to use.
Registration is based on current residence, not the location of the original offense. Some people on the Monroe County registry may have been arrested in Ohio or another Michigan county before moving to the area. Others were charged locally and still reside in the county. The state police update the registry regularly, and registrants are required to check in and keep their information current. If someone fails to register or provides false information, that is a separate criminal offense under Michigan law.
PSOR is the fastest free tool for checking whether a Monroe County resident is subject to sex offender registration.
Ohio and Lake Erie Border Considerations
Monroe County sits on Michigan's southern border with Ohio and touches Lake Erie on its eastern edge. This geography matters for records searches. Crimes committed across the state line in Ohio are processed through Ohio's court system and will not appear in Michigan's ICHAT or court databases. If you are researching someone with ties to both Monroe County and the Toledo, Ohio area, you will need to check Ohio's records systems separately through the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Federal offenses that occurred in Monroe County, such as drug trafficking or federal weapons charges, are handled by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Federal court records are publicly accessible through the PACER system at pacer.gov, though an account is required to view case documents. Interstate records searches are common in Monroe County given its border location, and knowing which system to use saves time when chasing records across jurisdictions.
Clean Slate Law and Record Expungement
Michigan's Clean Slate Act under MCL 780.621g created new options for people who want to clear older criminal records. Monroe County residents with arrests or convictions on file may qualify for automatic expungement if they meet the criteria around offense type and time since the incident. Others can file a petition with the 38th Circuit Court or the district court, depending on which court handled the original case.
Once expungement is granted, the record will no longer appear in ICHAT or most public searches. However, law enforcement and certain courts retain access to expunged records. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction are often easier to expunge under Michigan law than actual convictions. A Monroe County attorney who handles expungement cases can review the specific facts, determine whether the record qualifies, and walk through the petition process. The clerk's office in Monroe can also provide information about how to file.
Not every offense qualifies for expungement. Serious felonies and some repeat offense patterns are excluded from Clean Slate relief.
Nearby Counties
Monroe County borders Ohio to the south and Lake Erie to the east, with Wayne, Washtenaw, and Lenawee counties as its Michigan neighbors.