Vermont Arrest Records Online

Are Arrest Records Public in Vermont?

Yes, members of the public can access arrest records in the state of Vermont. The state's public records law guarantees that citizens at all levels can request access to public records in Vermont, one of these records is the arrest record.

However, it also outlines instances where records can be restricted from public access. These instances include:

Records which when released to the public are capable of interfering with enforcement proceedings;
Will deprive the accused of a right to a fair trial;
Constitute an unnecessary invasion of personal privacy;
Disclose the identity of a confidential source
Endanger the life or physical safety of any individual associated with the case

Arrest records are featured alongside Vermont criminal records, and are usually accessible to the public, safe for records exempted under the Vermont laws. Entities such as local police departments, sheriff's offices, or county criminal courts store these records and provide access upon request.

What is Considered an Arrest Record in Vermont?

An arrest record in Vermont is an official document from a law enforcement agency that provides details about an individual held by the law enforcement for allegedly being involved in criminal activity. When an individual is apprehended and brought into custody, the police or law enforcement officer files a record of the incident. This document is known as an arrest record. In Vermont, arrest records are very crucial as they form the basis of prosecuting the arrestee.

Based on the type of charges available, a variety of arrest records exist in Vermont. These include felony arrest, misdemeanor arrest, and infraction records. The police officer creates a felony arrest record when the arrestee has been accused of allegedly perpetuating brutal offenses that involve inflicting harm or body trauma on a person.

Apart from crimes of physical harm, illegal professional activity such as embezzlement and fraud may be recorded as a felony. Misdemeanor records, on the other hand, are crimes that involve a one-year or two-year maximum sentence. Examples include offenses of disorderly conduct, assault, theft, and so forth. Usually, the distinction between a misdemeanor and felony arrest is the type of punishment the court orders. In cases where a person commits a minor violation such as traffic rules, the officer may file an infraction record. In this situation, the offender may pay a fine. The offender may also have to carry out community service to wrongfully committed.

What Shows Up on an Arrest Record in Vermont?

An arrest record reflects the following information:

Date and location where the arrest took place
A description of the arrestee: This includes: height, weight, gender and race (white, black or African, Hispanic), and any other features that distinguish the arrestee like scratches, discolorations, and tattoos.
Basic information about the arrestee: The name, age, contact details, address, birth date, and other relevant details of the arrested individual
Mugshots
Fingerprints
Description of the incident: A brief account of the crime allegedly perpetrated by the arrestee
Charges filed by the officer
Type of offense: Felony, infraction, or misdemeanor.
Eye witness accounts
Details of the interrogations conducted by the law enforcement
Address of the correctional facility housing the arrestee before the court appearance
Date of court hearing

Who Can Access Arrest Records in Vermont?

Vermont laws guarantee access to public records. Any interested person - arrestee or victim, eyewitnesses, solicitor, employer, landlord, government agency, and other persons can access arrest records. What is required is a request from the local police department, law enforcement agency, or seek online alternatives.

Nonetheless, documents classified as confidential are not accessible to the public. For example, juvenile arrest records indicating alleged involvement of children or adolescents in criminal activity may be restricted from public access. Based on the Vermont Statutes 33 V.S.A. § 5119, these records are confidential and are sealed off from the public. Only a few people may have access to them. These persons are prosecutors, court clerks, parents, school officials, and law enforcement officials. In cases where the law enforcement agent apprehends a juvenile for committing a violent crime, Vermont may allow media access to the arrest records.

Vermont Arrest Statistics

The State of Vermont collates, analyses, and publishes statistical data on arrests and crime through the Vermont Criminal Information Centre (VCIC).

VCIC is a unit under the state department for public safety, responsible for collating and reviewing arrest and crime data reported by Vermont law enforcement bodies. The report comprises crime rates, trends, and highlights of noteworthy changes in illegal activities in the state observed and recorded during the period under review.

The unit also manages the state section of the national criminal justice data collection program, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The Federal Bureau of Information (FBI) manages all arrest and crime records in the country through the UCR program.

According to the report, the state of Vermont recorded 11,620 arrests in 2020. About 72.38% of the total arrests accounted for males (8410) while 27.32% were females (3210).
The report further categories the number of arrests into groups, age, gender, and races.
For felonies (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, fraud, sex crimes, drug possession, vandalism, etc.) Vermont law enforcement agencies arrest 2450 adults and juveniles.
For misdemeanors (disorderly conduct, assault, driving under influence, prostitution, larceny-theft, etc.), the number of adults and juveniles arrested was 7975.
The leading cause of arrest is driving under the influence, with 1957 persons arrested for the crime, followed by simple assault in 1483.
Male and females within ages 30- 34 accounted for the group with the most arrests recorded - a total of 2102.
Of the 498 juveniles recorded, there were more males (376) than females (122). The report also captured Juveniles under ten years.

The 2020 report is a product of data entered by 82 law enforcement agencies out of 88 total law enforcement agencies in Vermont.

Vermont Public Arrest Records Search

An arrest search may be conducted by members of the public to review the arrest history of an individual. Arrest searches may be performed as part of a background check or pre-employment screening process, and the information available through an arrest search will include details of previous arrests, charges, and dispositions.

How Do I Lookup Someone's Arrest Records in Vermont?

One may search for Vermont arrest records in three ways – Phone request, in-person request, and online search. In every county, the local police departments or office of the county Sheriff responsible for initiating an arrest is usually the primary custodian of the arrest record. To obtain an arrest record, the individual may call in or visit the police department responsible for the arrest to make a request. Usually, the local law enforcement entity will request some information relating to the subject of the record. Hence, the request must know basic details like the name, date of birth, police case number, date, and place of arrest.

Beyond these entities, the state Crime Information Center (VCIC) provides an opportunity to access more comprehensive arrest and criminal records of a person in the state. Through its online search platform, the Vermont Criminal Conviction Record Internet Service (VCCRIS), an individual can look up criminal records and receive results immediately. Unlike the local police departments that may only provide arrest and criminal records of their coverage area or jurisdictions, the VCIC search platform provides a state-wide result.

To access information on this platform, the requester needs to provide the name and birth date of the subject of the record or arrestee. Access to records is also made available at a fee of $30 per request.

How to Subpoena Arrest Records in Vermont

Though the state laws and the freedom of information act provide the public the right to access arrest records, sometimes, an individual may not access certain documents. The reason is that some of the records may be exempted or sealed from public viewership.

To gain official access, an individual may fill a subpoena. A subpoena is a court order applied for by an individual summoning a person to appear before the court or present specific documents to the requester.

The individual may obtain the subpoena from the Vermont Judiciary website and supply the relevant details before submitting it to the court clerk to approve. Once the clerk approves, the requester can submit it to the records keeper of the law enforcement agency responsible for sharing the information they seek. Only persons who are 18 years and above may serve a Subpoena in Vermont.

How to Search for an Inmate in the Vermont Prison System

To search for an inmate in Vermont, one may have to look through the state's inmate records. Inmate records documents on persons confined in correctional facilities within the state's jurisdiction. These records often comprise primary details of each person. These include name and codenames, date of birth, gender, charges, indictments and sentences.

All information regarding the state prison system is under the supervision and administration of the Department of Corrections, a division of the Vermont Agency of Human Services. The department of corrections manages the records of all inmates in the correctional centers run by the state.

An individual may access inmate information using the online search tool termed Offender Locator or inmate locator on the official website of the department. With this tool, any citizen may check records about prisoners such as identification numbers, and locations, inmate status, and times of release.

At the county level, interested persons can easily access records of inmates serving at the local county jail. Usually, these inmates serve short sentences of less than a year. To find out about these prisoners in the state of Vermont, one may search the county website, put a call through, or pay a physical visit to the police department or the office of the Sheriff.

How to Find Recent Arrests in Vermont

Interested members of the public may find recent arrests in Vermont through the agency responsible for the arrest in question. Local police departments, county sheriffs' offices and other agencies maintain websites that post recent arrest records. Inquirers may visit their website and look for an arrest log, arrest report, or booking blotter. In addition, county jails often maintain a public online inmate roster or booking log, which includes information about recent arrests.

How Do I Find Out if Someone Was in Jail in Vermont?

The online inmate search tool of the state department of corrections provides information about present inmates and released offenders. Using the offender locator tool, individuals searching for records of inmates who have completed their sentences may access the database.

Nonetheless, note that Vermont does not have a separate online database for past prisoners. Beyond looking up via the offender locator tool, individuals interested in finding out if persons imprisoned should visit the Sheriff or local police to obtain relevant information about the subject.

How Long Do Vermont Arrest Records Stay on File?

The length of time an arrest record stays on file before being deleted or expunged from the state record depends on the severity or type of charge leveled against an offender. Some arrest records stay between two and five years after an offender satisfies the sentence passed by the court before the authorities delete them, while others remain forever.

When the law enforcement officer inputs an arrest record in the Vermont Criminal Justice System, the information is entered into different databases from the state to the federal level. It becomes a complex process to delete such records. At the national level, the complete removal of a criminal record can take six months. But if the police do not charge the suspect to court, it is much easier to wipe the charges from their records. It is also easier if the court dismisses the charge.

Essentially, Vermont laws state that individuals who have completed their sentence for more than two years can petition to remove the arrest records from their file. Persons who have stayed clear of any form of criminal activities such as stalking, domestic assault, sexual assault, and lascivious conduct in the last ten years; may apply to have all arrest and criminal records expunged from their files at the court.

Offenders are required to pay certain fines, fees, and other charges before applying. Once the court issues an expungement order, the offender can go ahead and seek the complete removal of records.

Are Arrest Reports Public in Vermont?

Vermont arrest reports are narrative accounts created by law enforcement officers that document the events, evidence, and statements involved in an individual's arrest. These reports differ from arrest records, which are more streamlined documents that present a person's history of arrests, including essential details like dates and charges.

How to Obtain Arrest Records for Free in Vermont?

Accessing records via the state online request system requires commitments of a fee as payment. Hence, at the state level, obtaining an arrest record or report may not be free. However, at the county level, one may visit the Sheriff or local police department and obtain the records at no cost. The requester can stop by the office of the Sheriff or law enforcement agencies to request information. Some third-party sites also provide free record access.

How to Search for a Vermont Arrest Record Online Using a Third-Party Search Service

Accessing information from the official repository of records can sometimes be taxing and this makes one seek alternative sites for these records. There are third-party sites where one may access public records online. One of these platforms is the state records. The requester has to identify which of the different websites will be apt for the search. Since these arrest records and similar criminal records are in the public domain, the sites may provide access at little or no cost. The requester may need to register on some of the platforms.

When undergoing a record search, the requester may need to supply details to narrow down the options and provide an accurate report. Details such as the name of the offender or accused, case number, date of the incident, and so forth are must-haves for a requester. When the entry information is accurate, the online results will be more accurate. Remember, since lots of persons with the same name exist, the search engine may supply wrong information if the entry information is only the name. Details on the type of arrest can be of great help in fishing out the correct information.

How to Correct an Arrest Record in Vermont?

If a person observes an error in their arrest record, they can challenge the record. One may reach out to the Vermont Crime Information Center for instructions on correcting the error observed in the information. Better yet, they can access the VCIC Report a Record Error service. Note that only record owners can issue a request to correct an error.

How to Expunge Arrest Records in Vermont

To expunge an arrest record means to have all information related to a specific charge or crime removed for the repository of crime data. It involves completely removing all information regarding a criminal charge against a person, one of which the individual may have been tried and convicted. The expungement request is a court order approved by a judge.

It is the responsibility of the Vermont Crime Information Center to remove any charge on a personal criminal record when the court gives the order. The VCIC manages expungement at the state level while the FBI purges criminal history records at the national level. The VCIC has to inform the FBI of the need to expunge a record once the court issues the order.

Crimes that qualify for expungement include certain felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions, and dismissed charges. For felonies, the state of Vermont permits an ex-offender to request expungement for fourteen crimes. They include burglary, forgery, unlawful mischief, fraud, possession of certain drugs like heroin, marijuana, and cocaine, grand theft, and so other related charges. To petition for record(s) expungement, the requester must present justifiable reasons for the request.

The judicial system provides the following steps to delete a criminal record:

Individuals must obtain criminal records from the court or the VCIC and review them to ensure no pending charges or unsatisfied judgments exist in their file. When required, individuals must clear outstanding fines, sentences, and surcharges before filing for expungement.

Individuals must obtain a form and file a petition to expunge the criminal history. Though the physical form is available in the court offices, it can also be accessed through the Vermont Judiciary website.

To file the petition, individuals must pay a filing fee. However, the state allows persons who are unable to pay the fees to apply for a waiver.

Upon application, individuals through the court clerk must serve the respondents (usually the prosecutor or law enforcement) with a copy of the petition for review and response. Once the respondents agree, the court will grant the petition and issue a certificate of expungement. If the court denies the petition, the requester may have to wait two years before filing another petition unless otherwise stated by the court.

Sometimes, a court may issue a sealing order instead of an expungement order. When the court passes a sealing order, the order does not permit complete removal or destruction of a record, it grants restricted access to the information. Though the records are kept intact, they would only be accessible to the judicial officials and law enforcement agents when required. Sealed records are accessible during background checks at the national level.

Asides from court orders, when the government issues a pardon to an offender, the offender may petition for complete removal of the criminal charges from the criminal history record. However, governor pardons are rarely issued and the requester may need to defend which such pardon should be granted.