Columbia County Arrest Records

People arrested in Columbia County, Wisconsin, often end up at the county jail on 403 Jackson Street. There, they undergo an intake and booking process that notes their personal details and initial charge(s). Information collected during the booking process is used to create the arrest report/record, which subsequently serves important purposes within the justice system.

An arrest record is useful to a prosecutorial authority for determining whether to charge or release a suspect. The record can also be read by members of the public curious about why a person was apprehended and their release conditions. Moreover, arrest records play a crucial role during the expungement/sealing process in determining a defendant's eligibility, and public defenders or attorneys often require the records to review the context of their client's arrest and prepare legal strategies for court.

Arrest records are distinct documents maintained by law enforcement agencies in Columbia. However, as an offender progresses through the justice system, these records are shared with other criminal justice agencies. Consequently, arrest information may be found in other public documents, like the Columbia County court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Columbia County?

Yes. Wisconsin's Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31 to 19.39) allows citizens and residents of Columbia County to access arrest records maintained by county or municipal law enforcement bodies. Under these statutes, anyone can examine, copy, or receive such records unless otherwise provided by law.

Although the Wisconsin Public Records Law does not exactly delve into details about what specific records are confidential in Columbia County, it lists the core exemptions, which include:

• The identity of a law enforcement informant
• Police investigative information
• Personally identifiable information, like driver's license and financial account numbers
• Records that, if disclosed, would endanger a person's safety or life
• Records that, if released, would endanger the security of any state prison, jail, or juvenile correctional facility, including the security of the population and staff

Additionally, the public cannot see records restricted automatically by statute or court order. Examples include juvenile and expunged arrest records. Further, any record or portion of a record excluded explicitly by other laws (state or federal) cannot be disclosed publicly.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The arrest information that can be disseminated to the public in Columbia County includes:

• The arrested person's full name, last known address, and date
• The statutes and descriptions of all charges resulting from the arrest
• The booking type, time/date, and number
• The arrest date and location
• The arresting agency
• Bail type and amount

Columbia County Arrest Statistics

Each year, the Bureau of Justice Information and Analysis (BJIA) collates offense and arrest figures from law enforcement in Columbia County (as well as those in other Wisconsin counties) and disseminates this data through the Wisconsin Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program.

Information obtained from the BJIA's UCR Arrest Data dashboard shows that Columbia County law enforcement agencies reported 3,175 arrests in 2023 (2,818 adults and 357 juveniles). The BJIA groups reported arrests into different categories: violent, property, society, drug, and other. Of the 3,175 arrests recorded in Columbia County, 40 were categorized as violent crimes, 211 as property crimes, 1,009 as society crimes, 937 as drug crimes, and 978 as other offenses.

In 2023, the most prevalent arrest within Columbia's violent crimes category was for aggravated assault (35 arrests), and the leading arrest in the property crimes category was for larceny-theft offenses (113 arrests). In the same manner, driving under the influence (521 arrests) topped the list as the primary cause of arrest among society crimes, and drug possession - marijuana (610 arrests) prompted more arrests within the drug crimes group.

Find Columbia County Arrest Records

Individuals seeking arrest records in Columbia County can reach out to local police agencies, such as the Portage Police Department, Columbia County Sheriff's Office, or the Wisconsin Dells Police Department. While these agencies maintain their unique request procedures, one may stop by during business hours or call an agency's designated line to retrieve arrest information. If a person were booked into the Columbia County Jail (operated by the local sheriff's office), the requester can access the office's Jail Bookings page to obtain some arrest and booking information.

It is essential to acknowledge that not everyone arrested in Columbia will be confined at the Columbia County Jail. For persons committed to a federal or state facility, the interested party will need to use the recommended state or federal resources to find out information about an offender's sentences, release dates, etc.

Individuals can access the Inmate and Offender Search tool offered by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) to find people currently housed in a state penitentiary. Meanwhile, those who wish to locate federal offenders can access the Federal Inmate Locator maintained by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Both tools can be searched with at least an inmate's name or a unique identification number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Columbia County

One way to look up arrest information for free in Columbia County is to access the county sheriff's Jail Bookings page (which offers limited arrest information) or submit a public records request to the arresting agency. If a request does not involve duplicating records, the requester may not be liable for service charges.

Members of the public can also seek a free arrest record search from private vendors that offer public records search tools on the internet. These third-party websites are typically accessible with a person's first and last name, and they may provide a range of public information besides arrest data. However, charges may apply where the user wishes to obtain extensive information.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Forever. As no Wisconsin law authorizes the automatic and uniform deletion of arrest records from criminal databases, these records can potentially remain a part of a person's criminal history for their lifetime. Fortunately, the law allows record holders to remove their arrest information from the Wisconsin Criminal History Repository, which is operated by the Crime Information Bureau (CIB), a division of the Wisconsin Department of Justice (WisDOJ). This form of relief limits who can see an arrest record preserved by the CIB, but it is not provided to everyone.

Expunge Columbia County Arrest Records

In Columbia County and Wisconsin as a whole, an expungement is a legal procedure reserved for individuals convicted of a criminal offense or adjudicated as juvenile delinquents by a court. Governed by Wis. Stat. § 973.015, this process seals a defendant's criminal case file (whether maintained in electronic or paper format) and limits access to only those with a court order. For more details about expungements, an individual can read the Expungement of a Criminal Conviction Record or Expunging Court Records brochures.

However, where a person was arrested but never formally charged or cleared of the offense through court proceedings, the court does not have the authority to expunge the record. This includes instances where an individual was found not guilty, had the charges dismissed by the prosecutor or court, or had no charges filed by the prosecutor. In such cases, the person may be able to remove their arrest fingerprint record from the Wisconsin Criminal History Repository per Wis. Stat. 165.84 (1).

It must be noted that this remedy will not remove or delete information from other agency records, including law enforcement, district attorney, and the Department of Transportation records. For that reason, anyone who requests the arrest record from these agencies (if it is available) may be able to retrieve it. Moreover, people with any conviction record related to an arrest are automatically disqualified from removing their arrest information from the Wisconsin Criminal History Repository, regardless of whether the court record was expunged.

Eligible parties can petition the CIB to remove their arrest records by completing and submitting Form DJ-LE-250B to the following mailing address:

Crime Information Bureau
Attn: Criminal History Unit
P.O. Box 2718
Madison, W1 53701-2718

The applicant's fingerprints must accompany the request, alongside any supporting documentation (showing dismissal, vacation, no prosecution, etc.) to fast-track the removal process. The CIB charges no fee to request arrest record removal.

Once the CIB deletes arrest information from a person's Wisconsin criminal history record, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will be notified to remove the record from their files if they received it in the first place.

Columbia County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants in Columbia County are legal documents issued by a judge permitting a peace officer to arrest a person. Such warrants are often issued to bring a suspected offender to the justice system, but they can also be released when someone misses their court date, fails to pay a court fine or cost, or violates some other court order.

Wis. Stat 968.04 directs the issuance of arrest warrants in Wisconsin's counties, including Columbia. Per the law, "probable cause" is the fundamental criterion for an arrest warrant's issue. The law enforcement officer requiring the warrant must submit a complaint or affidavit stating probable cause that an offense has been committed and a particular individual committed it. If the judge decides the arrest is necessary based on the facts or evidence submitted, the judge will approve the warrant.

Columbia County arrest warrants contain these details:

• The issuing judge's signature, name, and title of office
• The issuing date and county
• The name of the accused individual or, if unknown, any description by which the person can be reasonably identifiedColumbia County Arrest Records
• The name of the crime and statute alleged to have been violated
• An order for the accused to be apprehended and taken to the issuing judge or any judge having jurisdiction in the county of issue

Do Columbia County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Arrest warrants issued in Columbia County do not expire until executed (i.e., the subject appears in court) or the subject passes away. These warrants remain valid despite any statute of limitations that may apply to the underlying offense.

However, a court may recall/quash a warrant when new evidence or a procedural error is discovered. An arrest warrant (typically a bench warrant) can also be recalled when the subject satisfies the reason for the issue, such as paying an outstanding court fine.