Dane County Court
Dane County Arrest Records

Dane County, Wisconsin Arrest Records

A Dane County arrest record is the official documentation generated when an individual is taken into custody (arrested) and processed (booked) by a local law enforcement agency. This record is an administrative and legal record that reflects that a detention occurred and details the alleged violation that caused it.

Arrest records usually contain public information about the arrest, including the suspect's legal name, the arresting agency, charges filed, the date and location of the arrest, booking information, and the suspect's custody status. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement are responsible for generating and maintaining county arrest records.

Arrest records in Wisconsin are presumed open to the public under the Wisconsin Public Records Act, codified at Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39. Under this framework, arrest records serve several public-interest purposes, including promoting government transparency and accountability, particularly in law enforcement, and exposing the public to the workings of custodial activity and the legal system in general.

While the state public record law governs general access to arrest records, a separate statute controls the collection and dissemination of statewide criminal history data. Under Wis. Stat. § 165.83 – 165.87, the Wisconsin Department of Justice is authorized to maintain a central criminal history database, regulate fingerprint records, control access to these records, and differentiate between public and law enforcement access.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Dane, Wisconsin?

In Dane County, arrest records are considered public information under the Wisconsin Public Records Act. The act presumes that records in the custody of government agencies, including arrest records, are open to public access. Members of the public may submit a record request to inspect and copy these records unless the record is exempted by law.

Although arrest records are presumptively open, some records may be restricted or have sensitive parts removed or redacted under the law. Some information that may be withheld from release by law enforcement includes the following.

Personal identifiers protected by privacy laws, such as driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers.
Information that would identify/endanger victims and witnesses of a crime.
Records involving juveniles and minors.
Records from ongoing investigations, including investigative strategies, surveillance methods, and evidence inventories.
Medical and mental health records
Records that have been sealed or expunged by a court order
Law enforcement agencies may also withhold sensitive security information, such as jail security layouts, emergency response protocols, and tactical response plans.

Dane County Arrest Search

State-level searches for Dane County arrest information may involve consulting the state law enforcement repositories and federal databases.

Arrest records for Dane County can be found as part of criminal history information maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Public access to criminal history information, including arrest records, is available through the Wisconsin Online Record Check System (WORCS). Record seekers will be able to request name-based and fingerprint-based searches for criminal history records.

Arrest records searches through federal systems are possible only if the arrest resulted in a federal prosecution. In that situation, case files including arrest information would appear in the federal court system. Searches for records in federal cases are conducted through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. The PACER database provides search tools that visitors use to look up federal case files, including arrest records. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) also provides basic arrest information through its online inmate locator.

Dane County Inmate Locator

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for creating and maintaining arrest records for the county and remains the most direct and complete source of arrest and inmate information. Members of the public may contact the sheriff’s office directly by calling (608) 284-6800 or the county jail at (608) 284-6100 to request inmate information. Inmate information is also available online on the Current Residents list, which provides a list of all inmates currently housed within the county jail, including arrest information.

Active Warrant Search in Dane County

Arrest warrants are court orders issued by a local court authorizing law enforcement agents to take a named person into custody and bring them before a court. They are issued when a judicial officer in a local Wisconsin court, such as a judge or court commissioner, determines that probable cause exists that the person named on the warrant committed a crime or violated a court order.

For a warrant to be issued in Dane County, a criminal complaint must be filed by the county prosecutor/law enforcement officer at the local circuit court. Warrants may also be issued by the judge or commissioner of the circuit court for failure to appear in court or for a probation or bail violation.

A valid arrest warrant typically includes the following information.

The full legal name of the subject of the warrant
Their date of birth and a reasonable physical description
A description of the alleged offense and its statutory citation
The statement of probable cause
Case number if assigned
Bond details, such as the type of bond and the amount
Date and location of issuance
Signature of the issuing judge/commissioner

As the primary agency for handling arrest warrants, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office is also the prime source for warrant information. Individuals searching for a warrant can call the sheriff’s office warrants division at (608) 284-6110 or search by name on the sheriff’s office website's Active Warrants page.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Dane County

Record seekers may be able to obtain free arrest records for Dane County through the following resources.

The online Jail Roster on the sheriff’s office website provides free arrest information and inmate records.
Arrest records that are part of criminal court cases may be viewed in person for free at the Dane County Clerk of Circuit Court office.

Although viewing records online and in person at these agencies may be free, copies of arrest records will cost a per-page copy fee. Some records may also be restricted from release; restricted records and supporting documents may not be released as part of free records.

Dane County Arrest Report

When discussing law enforcement records, arrest records, and arrest reports are often used interchangeably in casual conversation. However, they actually refer to two distinct documents with different functions, contents, and public accessibility.

An arrest record is a structured summary-level entry generated when an offender is taken into custody. It is in nature administrative and is maintained in law enforcement, court, and jail databases by agencies such as the local sheriff’s office, court databases, and the state department of justice. Arrest records include basic details such as full name, identifying data, date and time of arrest, arresting agency, booking number, and charges at the time of arrest.

An arrest report is a written narrative of the arrest, usually prepared by the arresting officers. It is generally part of a broader incident or police report that covers the whole investigation. This document would be maintained by the arresting agency, such as the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. It is in a narrative format, covering a detailed description of the incident, the officer's observations, suspect and witness statements, evidence collected, probable cause/justification for arrest, a timeline of events, and any use-of-force documentation.

Arrest records are generally public information found in jail rosters and court management systems when charges are filed. Arrest reports are more restricted, must be requested via public record requests to the agency, and may be restricted or redacted because they may contain sensitive information that endangers persons or compromises law enforcement investigations.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Dane County

Wisconsin offers two types of processes to remove criminal records from an individual’s personal records and law enforcement databases.

Removing arrest records from cases of arrests with no charges from the state database governed under Wis. Stat. § 165.84(1).
Sealing records from convictions where expungement is ordered at sentencing is governed under Wis. Stat. § 973.015.

If a person was arrested but never charged, the charges were dismissed, or the person was acquitted after a trial, they may request the removal of all arrest records, including biometric data such as fingerprints, from all Wisconsin Department of Justice databases. If an applicant qualifies under Wis. Stat. § 165.84(1), they can apply to have their arrest records and fingerprints removed from the crime database by submitting the Fingerprint Record Return Request form DJ-LE-250B, along with their identity and arrest record details (arrest report, case number, proof of dismissal, or no charges). Applicants must include the Dane County law enforcement agency and court locations where the arrest was handled in the form. If approved, the Criminal Information Bureau removes the arrest record from the state criminal history database and returns or destroys the biometrics, such as mugshots and fingerprints.

Cases that result in conviction or adjudication are subject to limited expungement under Wis. Stat. § 973.015. To be eligible, they must meet the following requirements.

The offense must be a misdemeanor or a particular low-level felony.
The offender must have been under 25 years old at the time they committed the offense.
The judge must have specifically ordered that the record be expunged during sentencing. If the judge did not do so at sentencing, offenders are generally not allowed to petition for expungement later.
The offender must have completed all conditions of the sentence, including prison time, probation, and any fines or restitution.
Even when the offender is eligible, the court must find that expunging the record will be in society's interest.

The steps to expunge a Dane County conviction include the following.

Review the sentencing order to ensure that the judge granted the expungement at sentencing.
Ensure all legal obligations and conditions from the sentence were completed and provide documentation to prove it.
File the petition and all required documentation and forms with the Dane County Court Clerk. Contact the clerk in advance for information on the filing process, including the required documents.
The court will review the application and may set a hearing date to confirm eligibility and grant the sealing order.
If the application is granted, the judge issues the expungement order directing the clerk of court to seal the record and remove it from public access.

It should be noted that expungement has very limited powers in Wisconsin. Even after a successful petition, only the court records are completely sealed. Law enforcement agencies and the Department of Justice database may still have access to these records. These criminal records may also be accessed from these agencies for certain purposes, such as employment background checks.

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

Removing Dane County arrest records will require a two-stage approach. The first stage is to legally remove the records from official sources such as the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and the second is to request removal from third-party mugshot/criminal record aggregator websites.

The following are some simple steps to remove Dane County arrest records from the internet.

If the applicant was arrested and not charged, or acquitted at trial, they may request removal from the Wisconsin Criminal Record repository by submitting the removal form to the Crime Information Bureau.
If there is an arrest record or mugshot on a local Dane County law enforcement agency site, contact them directly with expungement or record removal documents/proof to request removal.
Many third-party record sites republish official arrest records, and confirm that the record is on these sites. Then visit the site and use their provided removal or opt-out options to request record removal.
If it's a news article from an online news outlet, contact the organization, provide the official removal or expungement documentation, and request the removal of the record. Some news outlets may not remove but will redact, update, or add a follow-up note explaining the expungement of the record.
For many third-party sites, you may need to provide the expungement/removal order or proof that the case was dismissed to request removal.
For search engines like Google, if the record is still appearing in search results after it has been sealed at the source. Submit a request or search for the site's personal information removal form on the search engine to de-index the record and remove outdated information.

When requesting the removal of records online, it should be considered that third-party sites may take weeks to remove records and charge administrative fees.

What Do Public Dane County Arrest Records Contain?

In Dane County, the dissemination of arrest record information and other public government records is governed primarily by Wisconsin’s public records law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39) and court access rules. Public-facing records are generally limited to identification and procedural case date and exclude sensitive personal information and investigative material.

Typical public arrest record information in Dane County arrest records includes the following.

Basic identifying information, such as the arrestee’s full legal name, date of birth, race, and gender.
Arrest details, such as the arresting agency and the date, time, and location of the arrest
Booking information, including the booking date, time, and booking number issued
The charges filed at the time of the arrest, their description, classification, and statutory citation
Custody and jail information, including custody status (in custody, released, or transferred), housing unit assigned, bond amount, or bail conditions
Court case information if formal charges are filed, including case number, filing dates, scheduled hearing dates, court branch, presiding judge, and case status (in progress, dismissed, acquitted, convicted)