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  1. Anne Arundel County Court
  2. Anne Arundel County Arrest Records

Anne Arundel County, Maryland Arrest Records

In Anne Arundel County, arrest records comprise official files and system entries generated when someone is taken into custody and processed (booked) by a law enforcement agency. These records typically include booking or custody information, the charge(s) associated with the arrest, and related administrative documentation created during the arrest-to-booking process.

At the county level, the Anne Arundel County Police Department (AACoPD) responds to public requests for police records, including arrest information, through its Central Records/Police Records process. The AACoPD offers the public the options of an online Public Information Request form and a mailing address for record requests.

Maryland’s primary public-records statute is the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), codified in the General Provisions Article, Title 4 (Md. Code, GP § 4-101 et seq.).

Under the MPIA, government records held by state and local agencies are generally accessible to the public unless restricted by another law or exemption.

In the context of arrest records, access to arrest- and booking-related information serves the public-interest purpose of supporting transparency and accountability in law enforcement and detention functions. It also helps the public understand how law enforcement agencies exercise arrest authority and place people in custody while still allowing lawful redactions and withholdings where statutes mandate them.

In Maryland, the law that regulates the release of criminal offender record information is not the same as the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA). The MPIA provides general public access to government records. In comparison, the Criminal Procedure Article, Title 10, Subtitle 2 (Criminal Justice Information System), governs criminal history record information (CHRI) and the Central Repository.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Anne Arundel County, Maryland?

Yes. In Maryland, arrest records are generally considered public. However, access to these records depends on Maryland’s Public Information Act (MPIA). Under the general access rule (MPIA), anyone may request records about government matters and official acts. The law also states that a record custodian must allow inspection of any public record at a reasonable time unless a law states otherwise. Record custodians may deny access to government records, including arrest information, only to the extent permitted by the MPIA.

Commonly Withheld or Redacted Records

  • Under GP § 4-351, a custodian may deny inspection of records of investigations conducted by a police department or sheriff, as well as of investigatory files compiled for law enforcement or prosecution purposes.
  • GP § 4-311 and other confidentiality laws require record keepers to deny inspection of personnel records.
  • Court files or records related to an arrest warrant and its charging document generally are not open pursuant to GP § 4-316 until the warrant is served and a return is filed or 90 days have passed.
  • Court-sealed or expunged arrest records are removed from public view and become inaccessible via police record requests or court searches (CP § 10-101; CP § 10-108).

Anne Arundel County Arrest Search

The following section discusses the state law enforcement and federal resources for locating arrest information:

Maryland state-level pathways

Maryland Judiciary Case Search : This portal provides public access to case information for Maryland courts, subject to the Maryland Rules on Access to Court Records. Since most arrests lead to charges filed in court, Case Search offers users the fastest path to confirming whether charges were filed, the case number, charge titles filed by the State, and key docket events and dispositions (where public).

Note: The Maryland Case Search only displays cases that the law actually filed and made public. Cases must be filed and public to appear on the portal.

Maryland DPSCS/CJIS Central Repository: Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) provides a background check channel through the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Central Repository.

This statewide criminal history pathway is useful for confirming if an individual has a history of arrests or prosecutions recorded in the state database (especially when one needs an official repository-style). Requesters should note that seeking information from this repository is not the same as requesting a local "arrest report narrative." This background check service has its own rules and scope.

Federal pathways

PACER and PACER Case Locator: These are the official access points for federal court docket and case information. Users may search by the specific federal court where a case was filed or through the PACER Case Locator, a nationwide index updated daily. If an arrest or prosecution was federal, it will appear in PACER and not in Maryland Case Search.

Federal custody status: The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator provides information about federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present. This tool is helpful in instances when a case results in federal incarceration, not county jail detention.

Anne Arundel County Inmate Locator

The Anne Arundel County inmate locator is the most direct way to obtain arrest record information in the county. The inmate locator allows visitors to look up the housing location, future court dates, and bail information of inmates incarcerated or currently housed at the county’s detention facilities.

To use this tool, visit the county’s Inmate Locator page and search by name (first and last name) or Jail Identification Number (JID). Requesters may use the result generated to locate key booking or custody identifiers for follow-up. This tool may prove useful for confirming whether someone is currently in county custody and obtaining court date and bail details to link the custody entry to the court case.

Active Warrant Search in Anne Arundel County

An arrest warrant is a court order signed by a judge that authorizes police officers to arrest a person for a crime and bring them before a judicial officer. In Maryland, arrest warrants may be issued by District Court commissioners or judges (including the District Court or Circuit Court judges), depending on how the case was initiated and the court handling the matter.

Typically, an Anne Arundel County arrest warrant identifies the individual under arrest and the authority behind the warrant. The document also specifies the location for the person’s arrest and their post-arrest appearance.

The Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office manages warrant information through its dedicated Warrants and Civil Process page. On this page, requesters may search for "Active Warrants," which are provided for informational purposes and are updated weekly. However, they should note that the warrant database contains only unserved warrants that have been active for six (6) months or longer within Anne Arundel County; it does not include all unserved warrants.

For individuals who suspect they have an outstanding warrant, the Sheriff’s Office advises them to check the warrant database and contact the Sheriff’s Office for assistance with serving the warrant using the Safe Surrender instructions. This option involves calling a direct phone number to speak with a deputy. The Sheriff’s Office also provides the public with an online form, "Submit a Warrant Tip," to submit information about individuals with outstanding warrants.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Anne Arundel

Interested parties seeking free Anne Arundel County arrest records may explore the following channels:

Maryland Judiciary Case Search: This is a public index of Maryland District and Circuit Court case records. The portal provides the public with a (free) summary of the official case file, including the case number, dates, charges, trial date, and disposition (where public). Please note that this is not the complete case file. To access such documentation, visit the clerk’s office.

Anne Arundel County Inmate Locator: Requesters can use a name (first and last) or jail identification number to look up the housing location, future court dates, and bail information of inmates currently housed at the county’s detention facilities. This tool is useful for confirming a current booking or custody status and linking to a court case. Nonetheless, it does not include a complete list of older arrests or people already released.

Anne Arundel Arrest Report

Arrest record

An arrest record is the summary entry created when a person is taken into custody and booked or when the event is recorded in criminal justice and court tracking systems. This is the sort of information typically found in county custody or booking systems (e.g., who is in custody, where they are housed, bail status, upcoming court dates).

Arrest report

An arrest report is the narrative report prepared by the arresting officer (often part of an incident report or investigative file). This report usually describes the circumstances leading to the arrest, the officer’s observations, statements taken, and other investigative details (sometimes with attachments). In Maryland, this kind of narrative document typically falls under the police "investigations" and "investigatory files" categories. Maryland’s Public Information Act allows an agency to withhold this category of records under GP § 4-351 (subject to the statute’s conditions).

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Anne Arundel

In Anne Arundel County, petitioners are expected to file in the clerk’s office of the court where their case was heard. For the Anne Arundel Circuit Court, expungement petitions and any necessary general waivers are filed and processed in the Criminal Department. The following section explains the options for getting an arrest record expunged in Anne Arundel County.

Option 1: Expungement for non-convictions and certain outcomes (CP § 10-105): Under Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105, arrests or charges that ended without a conviction (or in certain listed outcomes) are eligible for expungement. Most acquittal, dismissal, and nolle prosequi outcomes typically have a waiting period of 3 years after disposition before petitioners can file under this expungement option, unless a permitted waiver is filed.

Option 2: Expungement of specified convictions (CP § 10-110): Convicted individuals may be eligible for expungement under specific offenses listed by statute under Criminal Procedure § 10-110, with waiting periods and eligibility rules in that section. Anne Arundel’s Circuit Court Clerk notes a possible $30 fee for expunging "eligible guilty dispositions" under this option.

Note: Applicants are typically expected to file their petition in the relevant clerk’s office (District or Circuit where the case was heard). They should keep copies of all records, as they may not be obtainable after expungement.

How Do You Remove Anne Arundel County Arrest Records From the Internet?

In Maryland, removing arrest records from the internet is often a two-track process:

  1. Remove or correct the content at the source website, then
  2. Clean up search results and cached snippets (Google, etc.) that keep pointing to it.

After the publisher removes the page or deletes sensitive or outdated information, affected parties may also request that Google update its index using the Remove Outdated Content/Refresh Outdated Content tool. Once it ceases to exist, Google can remove it from results. For pages that display certain personal identifying information (such as your address, phone number, email address, or government ID numbers), Google provides an independent request path to remove those results.

What Do Anne Arundel County Public Arrest Records Contain?

In Maryland, the public-facing elements of an arrest record often appear in official Maryland systems as follows:

Court case identifiers and status (when charges are filed): defendant name, case number, charge(s), trial/hearing date(s), and case disposition/outcome as shown on Maryland Judiciary Case Search (a public summary of case records).

Warrant or charging document visibility: court files for an arrest warrant and the charging document are generally not open for inspection until the warrant is served and returned, or 90 days have elapsed, unless the court orders otherwise.

State criminal history record information (CHRI) summaries: Maryland law defines CHRI as information gathered by a criminal justice unit about a person related to a significant event, and DPSCS explains that these significant events are collected in the CJIS Central Repository, which is often referred to as a "RAP sheet."