Search Michigan Public Records

How to Look Up Criminal Records in Michigan

MI state law enforcement handles all requests for criminal records and arrest records. They conduct them in two ways, by fingerprints and also through a name search. They have an online portal for the general public to use to access Michigan arrest records and criminal history. All serious misdemeanors and felonies are entered into this system. However, they do not include juvenile, traffic or tribal records. Users have the option of creating an account or using the system as a guest.

Victims & Offenders by Gender and Race

What Information Does Arrest Records Michigan Report Include?

A MI criminal report is a criminal history containing some basic details like the name of the person, the date of the arrest, the charges they were accused of, fingerprints, mughsot details and booking numbers. Typically, they will also include mug shot taken at the time of arrest, other details about the crime along with the arresting officer’s name and badge number and arresting agency. The report will also contain general information like date of birth, address, phone, height, weight, gender, race and physical description. It may also include bail, bond, pleas or any other fines paid.

State of Michigan Police Report and Mugshots

Are State of Michigan Police Reports Public Record?

Per Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 1976 PA 442, police reports and other government documents are considered public records. The Michigan State Police (through the michigan.gov website) has set up, and an area called the MSP Records Request Portal for the general public to easily request copies of police reports online and through the mail. The State Police do charge a fee for this service. The fee will be based on the number of pages and how long the search takes. Some of the information contained within a report will be:

• The date and time of the incident.
• Details of the crime/incident.
• The name of the suspect or person(s) involved.
• The person’s age and where they are from.
• How the officers handled resolution (was the person arrested, given a warning or left alone).
• Other warrants out for the person’s arrest.
• The jail location they were taken to.
• The police department that responded to the call.
• Bail details if available.
• The charges filed against the suspect.

Additionally, the Michigan State Police has set up a “Traffic Crash Purchasing System” website where you can easily download a copy of any car crash report for $10.

Mugshots Michigan

Michigan mugshots may be found all over the internet. News outlets like WNEM in Michigan post mugshots for news spots and to help the police by getting a picture out there for the public to identify and possibly catch the criminals. Most of the mugshots are taken on a gray, plain background, so the features of the persons show up well.

Mugshots themselves originated in the 1800s when a French policeman started using them as part of the booking process. Alphonse Bertillon devised a composite image of a front shot and a side shot together. Now, most countries in the world use this type of police photo when arresting someone. Investigators use them to help witnesses and victims identify suspects. Mugshots can also be found online on government websites and database information portals.

Michigan Arrest Booking Process

The Michigan arrest and booking process varies by county and local police station. In some cases, suspects will be arrested and taken to jail, and some will go to a detention center. Sometimes all suspects are held in one large jail cell, or they may be placed in individual cells until they make bail.

After basic questioning, the booking process will entail:

• A thorough search of the suspect. Their belongings will be inventoried and held for them.
• They will be given jail clothes.
• They may be subject to a physical exam by a medical professional.
• Their fingerprints and mugshots will be taken.

Typically, the booking process takes a few hours. Bail may or may not be set until the following day. Most people will stay in jail until their bail is paid, or they see the judge for a hearing.

Violent Crime Rates for the last 10 years

The crime rate has decreased over the past decade in Michigan, going from 48,635 crimes in 2006 to 36,264 by 27% lower than it was back in 2006. The largest percentage of violent crimes falls into the Aggravated Assault category, with Revised Rape being the least popular crime in the state.

Arrest Law

According to MI law 764.15, a peace officer may arrest someone with a valid arrest warrant. Additionally, they may also arrest someone when the officer witnesses someone committing a felony, misdemeanor, or ordinance violation. They can even arrest someone if they know that they committed a felony but did not witness it. If they have reasonable cause to believe that someone committed a felony, they can arrest them. If the officer receives a credible tip about a felony or misdemeanor being committed, they can arrest someone based on that. If they believe a person has violated parole or probation, they also have the right to arrest them.

The Arrest Rate in Michigan

For 2017, this state recorded 248,548 arrests. Juveniles committed only 10,945 of those. From the total, 179,239 were committed by males and 69,309 by females. The majority of them (110,537) were committed by white men and 45,702 of them by white women. The next largest demographic were black males who committed 61,083 of the crimes and 20,467 were committed by black females.

State Offender and Victim Age Group Statistics

Most of the violent crime offenders in Michigan were 20-29 and the largest percentage of violent crime victims were 20-29.

Crime Victim Demographics

Residence Home is the place where the majority of crimes in Michigan were committed, in most of the crime cases the offender was an otherwise known.

Michigan Arrest Records by Type of Crime

The popular arrests for 2017 in Michigan was for All Other Offenses (except traffic) - 89,085, the same popularity of the arrest type was seen in Alabama, Alaska, and Arizona. The least popularity had Gambling arrests - with only 45 crimes a year.