Rankin County, Mississippi Arrest Records

Rankin County arrest records are law enforcement records created primarily to document arrests made by law enforcement agents in Rankin County, Mississippi. Common examples of these records include arrest reports, arrest information summary sheets, online arrest logs, and statistical data on arrests, compiled periodically by arresting agencies. Arrest records originating in Rankin County are created by the booking departments of law enforcement agencies in the county and then transferred to the agency's records management units, where they are stored as physical records or published online.

These arrest records are important tools for preserving criminal information that is revealed during a background check. Rankin County arrest records are also very useful in the legal process, especially to prove to a judge and jury why and how an arrest occurred. The largest database of arrest records in Rankin County is located at the Rankin County Sheriff's Office and the Brandon Police Department building.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Rankin, Mississippi?

Yes. Arrest records in Rankin County are public records under § 25-61-12 of the Mississippi Public Records Act. The Act legally mandates that arrest records created and maintained by any law enforcement office in Ranking county are public records, unless they are exempt from public disclosure by a state or federal statute. However, law enforcement agencies in Rankin County, statewide criminal agencies such as the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, and Rankin County courts impose restrictions on access to arrest records for arrests that did not result in convictions or where charges were dismissed. Generally, every arrest record custodian in Rankin County allows persons to request arrest records through a public records request process, which can be done by anyone regardless of their age or citizenship.

What Do Public Rankin County Arrest Records Contain?

The information on arrests in Rankin County is usually the same, regardless of which agency creates them. The overall theme of these arrest records reveals personal information about the individual, summarises prior arrests, and provides detailed information about the most recent arrest. Some of the public-facing elements of Ranking county arrest records include

• The full name of the arrested person, including any aliases 
• The age or date of birth of the arrestee
• The arestees permanent address
• The cause  of the arrest
• Time and date of arrest
• Name of arresting officer
• Booking number
• The detention facility where the arrestee is currently held
• Bail and bond information

Rankin County, Mississippi Arrest Search

Information seekers in Rankin County, Mississippi, can request certified copies of arrest records from two statewide sources: the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) System. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS) maintains a central database of arrest records collected from law enforcement offices across the state's counties. The arrest information in the MDPS database from these counties is included in individuals' criminal history reports. It is also useful in creating statistical reports and projections to assist law enforcement and agents. Anyone who wants to obtain arrest records from the MDPS database can do so by requesting a criminal background check from the Department of Public Safety's crime information centre. 

The criminal background check from the MDPS is comprehensive and includes local arrests, convictions, and even federal arrests, as it exchanges information with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Crime Information Centre (NCIC). Requesters must provide the full name of the person of interest to initiate a search. Individuals can also visit the MDPS office in person and submit their fingerprints to request a background record check.  

Arrests that lead to charges, court cases, and court trials are also registered into the Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) portal by the presiding court. Individuals can search for arrest information on the portal by specifying the Rankin court that handled the arrest charges, then initiating a search for the arrested individual.

Rankin County Inmate Locator

The Rankin County inmate locator tool is an online portal that provides detailed information about inmates housed within the Rankin County Adult Detention Centre. The Rankin County Sheriff's Office manages the portal. It is updated daily to show persons who have just been arrested, those awaiting trial, and individuals serving court-mandated sentences for an offence. The portal displays the total number of inmates housed in the jail and allows information seekers to look up inmate information by searching by name. Inmate names are also arranged alphabetically on the portal, making them easy to locate. After a search has been done by inputting the inmate's name, Searchers can click on the name of the inmate to reveal information such as:

• The inmates' other names (aliases and middle names)
• The inmates age 
• Inmate sex, race, height, and weight
• Inmates ID
• Booking number
• Date of booking
• Arrest date and time 
• Name of arresting agency
• First scheduled court date 
• Offences committed 
• Total no. of charges 
• Bail and bond amounts

Individuals can visit the Rankin County Sheriff's Office to inquire about arrests. The sheriff's office address is as follows:

Sheriff's Office & Detention Centre

221 N Timber St

Brandon, MS 39042

Phone: (601) 825-1480

Active Warrant Search in Rankin County

Rankin County arrest warrants are judicial orders issued by courts instructing law enforcement officials to capture and detain an individual named in the warrant. According to Rule 3.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure, an arrest warrant can only be issued by a Mississippi court if law enforcement provides an affidavit that includes proof of probable cause to suggest that a person has committed a criminal offence. The court then decides to  issue a warrant if :

• Despite being lawfully summoned, the defendant does not show up.
• There is a good reason to think that the defendant is unlikely to show up.

Warrants issued by Ranking county courts follow the standard format stipulated in Rule 3.2(a) of the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure. The rule insists that every valid arrest warrant must 

• Contain the defendant's full name, or if the name is unknown, any name or description that can be used to identify the defendant with reasonable certainty; 
• Include the defendant's location, if known; 
• Specify the offence for which the defendant is charged.   
• Order the defendant to be arrested and brought before the issuing judge, or, if the issuing judge is unavailable, before the closest or most accessible judge with jurisdiction.

Arrest warrants are public records in Rankin County, per the Mississippi Public Records Act. When courts in Rankin County issue warrants, they are sent to the Rankin County Sheriff's Office warrants/fugitive units for execution by law enforcement. These issued warrants are added to the Warrants unit's database and the issuing court's warrants database. Persons interested in obtaining information on active warrants can access them in Rankin County by searching the county warrants database online. Individuals can also make in-person inquiries by visiting the Rankin County Sheriff's Office to request the most current list of active warrants issued by Rankin County courts. To search for warrants online or in person, information seekers will need to provide certain information to search for the records they need. These include:

• The name of  the suspected subject of the warrant 
• The case number(for the courts database)
• The date when the warrant was issued (if known)

Agency / Resource	Purpose	Search Methods	Notes
Rankin County Sheriff’s Office	Maintains a database of active warrants and executes them	Phone or in person	Phone: (601) 825-1480
Rankin county circuit and justice court	Issues warrants and tracks the execution of warrants by law enforcement	Public access terminals at the county courthouse.	Phone :(601) 825-1466
Rankin County clerk's office	Communicates with the courts to inform them of warrant execution by law enforcement	In person or by telephone	Phone:601-825-1466

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Rankin County

 Anyone who wants to find Rankin County arrest records for free can do so online using the Rankin County inmate search tool or in person by visiting the sheriff's department to obtain a fee waiver for an arrest record request. The free Arrest information available online through the Rankin County inmate tool is limited in what it reveals. The online portal focuses on inmate information but also has a dedicated section that displays information about inmates' arrests, available at no cost.

People can also visit the sheriff's office in person to request a fee waiver for public records requests regarding arrest records. The administration will grant the request if they determine that the subject of the record was wrongfully arrested or was innocent of the charges for which they were arrested.

Rankin County Arrest Report

Rankin County arrest reports are official documents that give a narrative description of arrests made by law enforcement in Rankin County, Mississippi. Rankin County arrest records refer to a general class of documents connected to arrests. Examples of these arrest records include arrest reports, arrest information sheets, arresting officer blotter notes, arrest history documents and arrest summary reports. Arrest reports describe the arrest incident, the circumstances that led to it, and every detail of the arrest process, while arrest records focus on the key information about the arrest. Arrest records provide less information than arrest reports. The information presented in arrest records is usually in bullet points, while arrest reports are much more descriptive.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Rankin County

Expungement is a legal process that individuals can use to remove arrest records from their personal criminal history. Records that are successfully expunged are removed from a person's criminal history report and cannot be viewed by members of the public. These expunged records will also not be revealed during standard background checks.

Anyone who wants to expunge arrest records in Rankin County must first determine whether they are eligible for expungement under the Mississippi expungement law. First, in Mississippi, an arrest record may be cleared if the charges were dismissed, remanded, non-adjudicated, or settled through pretrial diversion. First-time violators with non-class A Misdemeanors and those who have only committed one felony are also eligible to apply for expungement, particularly if the offence was non-violent. Additionally, offenders must wait 5 to 20 years before applying for expungement in Rankin County.

Persons who are eligible for expungement of arrest records under Mississippi law can initiate the process by filing a petition for expungement at the Rankin County Circuit Court. The petition should be filed with the help of an attorney. It will require petitioners to provide court and law enforcement information related to the arrest records that are the subject of the petition. The court will either grant the petition if all requirements are met or set a hearing date, especially if any party involved opposes the expungement request.

How Do You Remove Rankin County Arrest Records From the Internet?

Individuals who want to remove their information and mugshots from police department websites and third-party platforms can easily do so by contacting the web administrators. Website owners are legally required to allow persons to dispute their published records. The web administrators can be reached via email or the contact form on their website. Persons requesting the removal of records will usually be required to provide an expungement order or a court order that shows that their case was dismissed or that they were wrongfully arrested. Any platforms that violate privacy laws while publishing records can also be sued for damages.