Douglas County Arrest Records

In Douglas County, an arrest is necessary when a law enforcement officer has a warrant commanding a person’s arrest, believes on reasonable grounds that there is an outstanding warrant for a person’s arrest, or suspects that a person is committing or has committed a crime. In addition, law enforcement may make an arrest if they have information from a reliable informer that a crime is about to be committed, especially when the defendant attempts to escape when ordered to stop.

Serious offenses such as rape, burglary, or murder pose significant threats to public safety.

Consequently, the Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies may detain suspects for extended periods, typically in the Douglas County Detention Center, until arraignment.

The Sheriff’s Office and local police departments create and maintain documentation on nearly all these arrests. However, information on arrests that went to trial is typically accessible through the Douglas County court records, criminal history files managed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), and District and City Attorney's Office Records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Douglas County?

Per Wisconsin open records law, arrest reports are available for public inspection. Custodians organize these records so that a record can be retrieved using an individual’s name, address, or other identifier and provided to individuals upon request. Requesters must provide these unique identifiers to help custodians locate the relevant records.

While initial arrest reports are accessible to the public, other related records may be exempt from disclosure or certain portions redacted. These exemptions include:

• Portions of record whose disclosure would endanger an individual’s life or safety, identify a confidential informant, or compromise the habilitation of a person in the custody of law enforcement.
• Records specifically exempted from disclosure by state or federal law.
• Records relating to law enforcement investigations exempted from public access by federal law or regulation.
• Information relating to the current investigation of a possible criminal offense.

Exempted records may still be accessible if a requester identifies themselves and states that their reason for requesting the record is to inspect or copy information containing personally identifiable details. In addition, requesters denied access are entitled to judicial review of the custodian’s decision.

Douglas County Arrest Statistics

According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data, the following number of violent offenses were reported by the Sheriff’s Office or County police department in 2018: 7 cases of rape, one robbery case, 12 aggravated assault cases, and 204 property crimes, including 79 burglaries, larceny was recorded at 105, 20 motor vehicle theft, two arson, and 20 violent crimes. No case of murder was recorded.

Find Douglas County Arrest Records

Individuals in Douglas can search for incarcerated loved ones using the following resources:

1. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Roster:

• To access arrest reports and mugshots through this resource, visit the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office website.
• Click on “Inmate Roster”.
• On the inmate roster page, there are two options: “current inmates” and “48-hour release”; select “current inmates”.
• Scroll through the list to locate the relevant inmate by inspecting the mugshots or associated names and details.
• To view more inmates, click on any of the page numbers at the bottom of the roster.

If an inmate’s information is not accessible on the roster, they may have just been released. View all persons recently released from the Douglas County Detention Center by clicking on the 48-hour release.

If the precise correctional facility where the individual is held is unknown, search for inmates using state and federal resources.

2. The Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator:

For federal inmates, the Bureau of Prisons Inmates Locator allows members of the public to find records of inmates incarcerated in the federal prison system from 1982 to the present. Individuals can access inmates' records through this medium by providing information that sufficiently identifies the specific case, including the first and last names of the inmates and other relevant information required. Records before 1982 are searchable on the National Archive and Records Administration (NARA) website.

3. Wisconsin Department of Corrections

The information provided on the Department of Corrections website may be useful for conducting a statewide search for inmates in Douglas County.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests usually remain on record for life unless expunged. Expungement means striking or obliterating from the record all references to the defendant's name and identity concerning an offense. Consequently, information about their contact with the justice system will no longer be visible to individuals conducting a background check on them. In addition, they are allowed to say that they have never been convicted.

Under state law, the court will order that an offense be expunged at the time of sentencing if:

• The person was less than 25 years old when they committed the offense.
• They were convicted
• The maximum period of imprisonment is not more than 6 years, and the person has completed the sentence.

In addition, if a person was found guilty of invading another person’s privacy but was under 18 at the time of the offense, their record may also be eligible for expungement.

The court may also order that an offense be expunged after conviction if:

• The person violated state law relating to sexual immorality and prostitution due to being a victim of trafficking for a commercial sex act.

For felony expungement, these requirements must be met:

• The defendant must have completed their sentence — no subsequent conviction.
• Their probation must not have been revoked.
• The defendant must have satisfied all the conditions of probation.

Once a defendant or probationer satisfies these three criteria, they are automatically entitled to have their record expunged.

Note: In Douglas County, expunged records are not destroyed but merely sealed. Courts may still be able to consider the facts underlying an expunged conviction when sentencing in another case.

Douglas County Arrest Warrants

In Douglas County, some offenses may occur outside the surveillance of law enforcement. In such cases, law enforcement agencies manage these incidents by conducting an investigation to identify the offender.

Evidence gathered during the investigation may suggest that a specific individual committed the crime. If this occurs, law enforcement can approach the court to request an arrest warrant. A warrant requires that an officer have more than a mere suspicion and provide evidence sufficient to support a charge. If the judge is convinced that the chances of guilt are significantly high, an arrest warrant will be issued:

An arrest warrant usually contains:

• The name of the individual to be arrested
• A description of the alleged crime
• The date and time of issuance
• The judge's signature
• Specific instructions for law enforcement regarding how to execute the arrest

Once issued, law enforcement may arrest the named individual wherever they find them within state borders. Consequently, an arrest warrant is a legal document ordering the apprehension of the individual named in the warrant for suspicion of criminal behavior.

Do Douglas County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Once issued, arrest warrants do not expire and typically remain active until the individual named in the record has been apprehended. However, a judge may refuse to issue an arrest warrant in the first place if the person sought to be arrested was not notified of the hearing associated with the warrant.