According to the crime data report from New York's Division of Criminal Justice Services, St. Lawrence law enforcement agencies account for approximately 1,900 arrests out of New York's 350,000 yearly arrests. Non-confidential records generally include arrest records, vital, property, and bankruptcy records. However, some records are exempted from disclosure; such records include ongoing criminal investigative records, divorce, youthful offender, mental health, child abuse, and medical records.
Through New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), the public are able to access or duplicate public records that are non-confidential. Certain governmental entities such as the District Attorney, Court Clerk, parties involved in a case, their legal representatives, and law enforcement officers have confidential records within their purview. A criminal history record search (CHRS) costs $95 per search through the New York State Office of Court Administration (OCA).
Certain records, particularly arrest records, may be obtained from state law enforcement agencies, which encompass the police, sheriff, and the New York State Police.
You may request arrest records in person or by mail from the Sheriff's Office. A walk-in appointment to the Criminal Division of the Sheriff's Office may be made to request arrest records at 48 Court Street, Canton, NY 13617. In addition, you may also mail your request to the same address for arrest records.
In specific PDs a request for official arrest records may be directed to the Chief of Police. The public may access criminal history records from Police Departments through a written request or by exploring their website for more information regarding the process of obtaining an arrest record. The following are accredited Police Departments in St. Lawrence County:
Reports generated by the NYSP may be obtained using the FOIL request process. Records may be obtained by filling out the FOIL form or via mail. For an online application, you may follow this procedure:
In addition, you may address a written request via mail to obtain arrest records from the New York State Police at:
New York State Police Attn: Central Record Bureau 1220 Washington Avenue, Bldg. 22 Albany, NY 12226-2252
The Supreme Court is a higher-level trial court with jurisdiction over felonies and misdemeanors in St. Lawrence County. Therefore, major criminal cases are adjudicated in this court. The County Clerk files criminal court records for the Supreme and County Courts and serves as the appointed record keeper for the county. In order to review criminal court records, the Clerk may be contacted in person to review records at:
48 Court Street
Canton, NY 13617
Phone: (315) 379-2237
Alternatively, the public may find case information of a criminal nature on the New York ecourts WebCriminal Portal. To access records, you may opt to search by a case identifier or by the name of a defendant. For a case identifier search, you may enter either a case number or the summons number (for summons cases in NYC). You may also search by a defendant's first and last names or the first two letters of the first and last names.
Third-party websites, such as InfoTracer, are reliable sources for obtaining public records. With a history of providing access to non-confidential records, the platform also allows the general public to obtain arrest records online.
St. Lawrence County has a crime rate of 1,374.7 per 1,000 population. The following table depicts the number of arrests in relation to offenses in the county.
| Arrest Type | NUMBER OF ARRESTS |
|---|---|
| Assault | 75 |
| Manslaughter | 3 |
| Driving while Intoxicated | 217 |
| Rape | 4 |
| Burglary | 66 |
| Murder | 7 |
| Arson | 9 |
| Robbery | 22 |
| Criminal Trespass | 81 |
Source: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)