Search North Dakota Public Records

How to Look Up Criminal Records in North Dakota

The state’s state law enforcement agency is the government entity in charge of criminal records for the state. Background checksv  offer criminal records with arrest details to the general public. Individuals can request a name-based or fingerprint criminal record search. If someone needs to be fingerprinted, they suggest visiting the local law enforcement agency. To request reports, individuals will need the name and date of birth of the subject. They charge $15 per record, and it can be processed via mail. Normal response times are 7-10 business days.

Victims & Offenders by Gender and Race

What Information Does North Dakota Criminal Records Report Include?

North Dakota arrest records are pretty complete, and along with general information like name, address, phone, email, height, weight, gender, race, scars, tattoos, fingerprints. They will also include North Dakota mugshots and details of their crimes. Additionally, reports contain arrests, date of arrests, the location of arrests, charges, sentencing, dispositions, pleas, fines, bail, bond, and the arresting officer’s information. Often the agency that arrested them, prison details, and vehicles involved will be included as well.

North Dakota Police Reports and Mugshots

Are North Dakota Police Reports Public Record?

For the most part, police reports are public records in North Dakota. However, it depends on the particular area and city police rules. For example, Fargo stipulates they can only release police reports under the following conditions:

• If the case has not cleared the court process, we will not be able to provide the report.
• If juveniles or victims of domestic violence are involved in the case, we must black out their names.

They charge a 25-cent fee per page up to an hour’s worth of work. If compiling the report takes longer than one hour, you will be charged an additional $25. You can pay over the phone using a debit or credit card for an additional $2. They can email you the reports for expediency. They post the following disclaimer regarding police reports:

“Information in incident crime reports and accident reports may be redacted based on both North Dakota open records laws as well as Fargo Police Department policy. If information is redacted from the report, a “redaction reason form” is included, so the requester knows why the information was taken out. Most information that is redacted is due to domestic violence, juvenile or Marsy’s Law situations. Suspect information is no longer redacted from reports, regardless if they were charged or not.”

North Dakota Mugshots

People arrested in North Dakota are required to wear jail clothes (gray and white) and are photographed against a gray background to keep things consistent. Mugshots can be found online pretty easily. Dozens of websites procure them from police departments and display them online to inform the public or sell them back to the person in them.

Mugshots were first used back in the 1800s by a French policeman, and then soon after, other countries started using them. They typically consist of two angles, a front shot, and a side shot. They help witnesses and victims to identify criminals and suspects.

North Dakota Arrest Booking Process

People in North Dakota are arrested after a police investigation. The investigation can take minutes or months. For example, a DUI may take only 15–20 minutes before the police determines the person is impaired and arrests them. Anyone arrested in North Dakota will be transported to the local police station for processing. The booking process is straightforward and may consist of:

• Mugshots.
• Fingerprinting.
• A full body search.
• Possibly a medical exam.
• All their personal belongings will be confiscated and inventoried and held for them until release.
• A background check, searching for any outstanding warrants.
• Possibly a DNA swab.
• Basic questions asked such as name, address, date of birth, etc.

The person may have the option of paying bail and getting released or waiting for the judge and a bond hearing.

Violent Crime Rates for the last 10 years

The crime rate has increased over the past decade in North Dakota, going from 668 crimes in 2006 to 1,493 by 3% higher 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

A peace officer may arrest someone with a valid arrest warrant. They may also arrest someone without a warrant at any time of day or night when in fresh pursuit of a suspect. If they have reasonable cause to suspect someone of committing a felony, misdemeanor or traffic violation, they can arrest them in those circumstances also. If any offense is committed in the presence of the peace officer, they also have the right to arrest that person.

The Arrest Rate in North Dakota

During 2017, 715 people were arrested for violent crimes. The majority of them were between the ages of 25-34. Four hundred thirty-three of them were white, 151 were black, 114 were American Indian, and three were Asian and the rest unknown.

State Offender and Victim Age Group Statistics

Most of the violent crime offenders in North Dakota 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 North Dakota were committed, in most of the crime cases the offender was an acquaintance.

North Dakota Arrest Records by Type of Crime

The popular arrests for 2017 in North Dakota was for All Other Offenses (except traffic) - 12,865, the same popularity of the arrest type was seen in Alabama, Alaska, and Arizona. The least popularity had Arson arrests - with only 21 crimes a year.