Need to find mugshots of someone in your life to see if the person has a criminal or arrest record? Searching for your own mugshots? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll show you some practical methods to search mugshots as well as arrest records for detailed information on an individual or a specific case.

Method 1: Do a Google search

It’s not uncommon for someone’s mugshot to pop up in a Google search. This is because mugshots are considered public records, meaning they are accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Consequently, publishing mugshots online is not illegal in most states.

To find mugshots of a certain person, just type the person’s name and “mugshot” or “arrest record” in the search box. If you are lucky, this can bring up some results. However, search engines can’t always narrow down your results if you’re trying to search a common name.

Method 2: Check the state or county websites

Some states and counties’ websites provide search features that allow people to search for a person’s arrest records within that state or county. So if you know in which county or state the arrest took place, you can search the official websites by typing the location + criminal records or arrest records (e.g., “California arrest records”) into the search bar. To perform a search on these official websites, the person’s full name and date of birth are usually needed.

Just keep in mind that in the US, there’s no centralized database of criminal or arrest records. That means you may have to search through a large number of databases at federal, state, county and city levels to gather the information you need. Plus, when you request access to criminal records through a court or government agency, you often have to pay a service fee (which covers that single lookup only).

So if you want to save your time and money by searching hundreds of official public databases in one single lookup, you should probably try professional public records search tools.

Method 3: Use a criminal & arrest records search tool

BeenVerified is a professional people search tool that you can trust. With a large database containing millions of public records, you can search for available arrest records or criminal records on BeenVerified by the person’s name and the state (if you know). You might also uncover biographical information about the person: age, address, court records and many other important details.

To run a search, follow the steps below:

1. Go to BeenVerified Arrest Records Search page and enter the information you have. Then click the Search button.
   
2. BeenVerified will then search its large database for criminal records and other public records.
3. Unlock the report and select the Criminal or Traffic tag on the left to check detailed information.
   

Method 4: Go to the county courthouse or the local police station

Unfortunately, some small counties may not have an online database that you can search directly on the Internet. In this case, you may need to do some legwork.

The local police station usually has arrest records for the city. So go there during business hours to make a request. You may need to fill out a form and pay a fee for this service. Similarly, you canvisit the courthouse of the county where the person was arrested. If the court is far away, you can find their official contacts and ask how to request an arrest records lookup.

However, whether you can successfully get the records will depend on your location, as in some places only lawyers have the access.

Are mugshots considered public records in the US?

In the United States, the status of mugshots as public records varies from state to state. In some states, mugshots are considered public records and can be freely accessed by anyone. In other states, there are restrictions on who can view mugshots and how they can be used.

There are growing concerns about the potential for misuse of mugshot databases, and some states have passed laws to address these concerns.

For example, in 2021, California enacted the “Mugshot Law,” which restricts the publication of mugshots for individuals arrested for nonviolent crimes. Law enforcement agencies are prohibited from posting mugshots on social media, and they must remove existing mugshots upon request. Additionally, individuals can request that their mugshots be removed from any publicly accessible website, regardless of who published them.

This law is a significant step towards protecting the privacy of individuals who have been arrested. It ensures that mugshots are not used indiscriminately and that individuals have some control over how their information is shared online.

Is it possible to remove one’s own mugshots from the Internet?

In the U.S., removing mugshots from the internet depends on state laws. Some states allow removal after a set period, while others require formal requests to website owners. The most effective approach is to directly contact the website owner and politely request its removal. To locate the website owner’s contact information, you can either check the website itself or utilize Whois.com to search for domain ownership details. There are also a number of private companies that offer mugshot removal services for a fee, but their success rates vary.

So that’s pretty much all the methods we want to tell you to find mugshots as well as detailed arrest/criminal records of someone. Hopefully this post can help you find the information you need. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.