Wayne County Arrest Records
Wayne County, home to Detroit and roughly 1.8 million residents, maintains arrest records through several overlapping agencies. The Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Detroit Police Department, and the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court all hold pieces of the puzzle. This page explains how to search Wayne County arrest records, look up current inmates, and get criminal case details through official portals and public records requests.
Wayne County Overview
How to Search Wayne County Arrest Records
Wayne County is Michigan's most populous county, and it has more than one way to look up arrest data. Your best starting point depends on what you need. For someone currently in custody at the Wayne County Jail, the inmate inquiry portal gives you real-time booking details. For past arrests tied to court cases, the 3rd Circuit Court records are the right call. For a full criminal history that covers Wayne County and the rest of the state, Michigan's ICHAT system pulls everything together in one place.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office runs the main jail and its booking system. Detroit police handle arrests within city limits and keep their own report files. Both agencies fall under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231 et seq., which gives the public a legal right to request most arrest-related documents. Knowing which office made the arrest helps you figure out where to send your records request.
Most searches start online. The free tools work well for current inmates and recent bookings. Older records or certified copies usually require a visit to the courthouse or a written request by mail.
Wayne County Inmate Search and Jail Roster
The Wayne County Sheriff runs the Andrew C. Baird Detention Facility at 570 Clinton Street in Detroit. The complex holds more than 2,000 inmates at any given time across several housing units, including the Adult Detention Facility, the Electronic Monitoring Unit, and Residential Mental Health Treatment Programs. Two free portals let you look up anyone currently booked there.
The direct portal at inmateinquiry.waynecounty.com is the county's own system. You can search by name, subject number, or booking number. You can also filter results by custody status or narrow a date range. Each record shows the person's full name and known aliases, their subject number, booking number, current custody status, arrest date, housing facility, listed offenses, bond amount, next court date, and release date if one has been set. That's a lot of detail for a free tool.
The lead-in screenshot below shows the Wayne County inmate inquiry portal, which is the county's primary tool for looking up current detainees.
The portal updates as new bookings come in, so results reflect current jail population rather than historical snapshots.
Sheriff Connect at sheriffconnect.com offers a second interface with the same underlying data plus a separate recent bookings feed. The screenshot below shows the Sheriff Connect inmate search interface.
Sheriff Connect also shows recent bookings at sheriffconnect.com/dashboard/bookings, which lists people booked in the last 24 to 48 hours.
If you need to send mail to someone in custody, address it to: Wayne County Adult Detention Facility, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Include the person's full name, booking number, and facility number 248211 or the mail may not reach them.
The portal homepage screenshot below gives a broader view of how the Wayne County inmate search system is organized.
Both portals are free and available around the clock without any login requirement.
Wayne County Sheriff's Office Records and Contact
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office is headquartered at 5301 Russell Street in Detroit. You can reach the main line at (313) 224-0797. The Records Division, which handles public records requests for arrest and booking documents, is located at a separate address: 4747 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201. Requests can be made in person, by mail, or through the county's public records portal. Bring a valid ID if you go in person, and be aware that fees apply for copies.
| Agency | Wayne County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Main Address | 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211 |
| Records Division | 4747 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201 |
| Phone | (313) 224-0797 |
| Fax | (313) 224-5505 |
| Jail Address | 570 Clinton Street, Detroit, MI 48226 |
| Jail Capacity | 2,000+ inmates |
| Sheriff Connect | sheriffconnect.com |
Arrest reports and booking logs held by the Sheriff's Office are public under MCL 15.231, though records tied to open investigations or protected by court order may be withheld in part. The Sheriff's Office generally responds to routine records requests within the five-business-day window set by state law, with a possible ten-day extension for complex requests.
Detroit Police Department Records and FOIA Requests
Detroit covers the largest share of Wayne County's land area, and Detroit Police Department handles arrests within city limits. DPD is located at 1301 3rd Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226. For non-emergency calls or general inquiries, dial 313-596-2200. The department's website at detroitmi.gov has links to most public-facing services.
To get a copy of a police report or arrest record from DPD, you file a FOIA request. Routine records like standard police reports, simple arrest documents, and booking photos go through DPD's Law Unit. Non-routine records tied to homicides, shootings, or narcotics investigations route through the City of Detroit Law Department FOIA Division at Coleman A. Young Municipal Building, 2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 500, Detroit, MI 48226. You can also fax to 313-224-5505 or email [email protected].
When you submit a FOIA request, include as much detail as you can: a description of the incident, the date and time it occurred, the location, names of people involved, and the report number if you have it. The city has five business days to respond, with a possible ten-day extension. Michigan's FOIA statute, MCL 15.231 et seq., governs the whole process. The online FOIA request form for Detroit police records is at detroitmi.gov.
Wayne County Courts and Criminal Case Records
Once an arrest leads to charges, the case moves into the court system. Wayne County has two primary criminal courts. The 3rd Judicial Circuit Court handles felony cases. It sits at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, 1441 St. Antoine Street, Detroit, MI 48226. The clerk's phone is (313) 224-5261. More information about the circuit is at 3rdcc.org.
The 36th District Court at 421 Madison Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226 handles misdemeanors and preliminary hearings for felony cases before they move up to circuit court. You can reach them at 313-965-2300. General county court information is available at waynecountycourt.us.
Copy fees at the circuit court clerk's office are $1.50 per page, plus $10 for a certified copy. That's a standard rate for Michigan courts. If you need certified records for legal purposes, budget accordingly. The Michigan courts statewide case search tool at courts.michigan.gov lets you look up cases by name or case number without a fee, though it shows limited detail compared to what you can get from the clerk directly.
Note: Court records for cases that were dismissed, acquitted, or expunged may not appear in public search results. If you are looking for a record that has been set aside under Michigan's Clean Slate law (MCL 780.621g), the court clerk can confirm whether a record exists but may not be able to share the contents.
Michigan ICHAT for Wayne County Criminal History
ICHAT stands for Internet Criminal History Access Tool. It's run by the Michigan State Police under authority of MCL 28.241 and covers criminal history across all 83 Michigan counties, including Wayne. A single search costs $10 and returns a report that includes felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions punishable by more than 92 days, and any sex offender registration entries. Results pull from the statewide criminal justice information network, so a Wayne County conviction that went through the 3rd Circuit will appear here.
You can run an ICHAT search at apps.michigan.gov. The search uses name and date of birth. It won't show arrests that did not result in conviction, and it won't show juvenile records. For employers or individuals who need an official background report rather than just a quick lookup, ICHAT is the most reliable statewide source. For people who just want to check current jail status, the Wayne County inmate portals are faster and free.
Michigan also maintains a Sex Offender Registry at mspsor.com under MCL 28.721. Registrants from Wayne County appear there by name, address, and offense type. That search is free and open to anyone.
The Michigan Department of Corrections runs OTIS, the Offender Tracking Information System, at mdocweb.state.mi.us. OTIS covers people currently in state prison or on parole in Michigan, including those from Wayne County cases. It's a different population than the county jail, which holds people awaiting trial or serving short sentences.
Wayne County Arrest Record Laws and Expungement
Michigan's FOIA law, MCL 15.231 et seq., is the foundation for public access to arrest records in Wayne County. Under that statute, arrest logs, booking records, and most incident reports are public documents. Agencies can withhold information that would interfere with an ongoing investigation or reveal protected personal details like social security numbers, but the basic facts of an arrest are generally available.
Michigan's Clean Slate law changed things for people with older convictions. Under MCL 780.621g, many convictions are automatically set aside after a waiting period of seven to ten years, depending on the offense type. Automatic set-asides started in 2023. If a conviction qualifies, the court sets it aside without the person having to file a petition. Once a record is set aside, it no longer appears in most public searches, and public agencies are generally prohibited from disclosing it. However, law enforcement and certain courts can still see it. People who think they may qualify should check with an attorney or the Michigan State Police FOIA unit at michigan.gov/msp.
The Michigan Legislature's website at legislature.mi.gov has the full text of MCL 15.231, MCL 28.241, MCL 780.621g, and other relevant statutes. If you need to cite a specific code section for a legal matter, that's the official source to use.
Arrest records and criminal history are not the same thing. An arrest record shows that someone was taken into custody. A criminal history shows convictions. A person can have an arrest record with no resulting conviction if charges were dropped or the person was acquitted. Both types of records have different legal protections, and the rules around access depend on which type you're looking for.
Cities in Wayne County
Several major cities in Wayne County have their own records pages with city-specific information.
Nearby Counties
Wayne County borders several other Michigan counties, each with its own arrest records and court system.