Wyoming Arrest Records and Warrant Search

What is an arrest record?

Wyoming Criminal Code Title 7, Section 19-103 lays down the definition of arrests records and crime history data; it states that this is information about criminal justice transactions that are linked to offenses where the verdict has been a conviction or cases where the defendant has pleaded guilty or no contest. Crime history information comprises of records and data collected by criminal justice and judicial agencies on people which can be used for identifying criminal offenders.

Typically, criminal data from WY will include details on active warrants, arrest records, identifiable description of the accused/convict, indictment summary, data on pretrial proceedings including the hearing held for the issue of arrest warrants, the nature of case disposition, sentencing, incarceration, correctional details, conditional or sentence completion release. In other words, while crime history data consists of all aspects of criminal details, it is limited to information that is recorded as a result of the initiation of criminal proceedings.

Arrest records from WY do not include investigative reports, statistics figures, prosecution analysis, intelligence data for people whose identities cannot be ascertained. You can also not find information on documents that involve presidential or governor granted pardon, commutation of the sentence, restoration of civil rights , reprieve granted, remission or forfeiture of fine, restoration of the right to vote given by the governor or the parole board. Additionally, Wyoming crime history is only kept for criminal matters that have occurred within the state limits; meaning that you would not find details on crimes that have transpired in other states.

Section 19-107 further states that the Divisions of Criminal Investigation which is a subset of the Office of the Attorney General is designated as the maintainers of the central crime history repository. Information for this database is collected from all city, county and state level law enforcement and judicial entities including District Courts, tribunals of limited jurisdiction, the office of the district attorneys, state juvenile correctional agencies, Department of Corrections of Wyoming and local parole or probation boards.

All criminal justice agencies which make arrests are responsible for furnishing the aforementioned information at the earliest possible opportunity after the occurrence of the reportable crime. The law enforcement agency in charge will also notify the division of the basis on which a decision is taken to not pursue a criminal charge further after an arrest has been made. The Divisions of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is authorized to exchange this information with partner agencies from within the state and outside.

Apart from this, they have also been entrusted the task of disseminating crime history data among public applicants. At the time of writing this article, under the state laws, only personal warrant searches were being allowed in WY. In other words, people were not being given the facility to conduct third party inquiries on arrest records and WY outstanding warrants. It should also be noted here that crime history data in the state also contains details on cases that are not of a criminal nature but if an arrest has been made in connection to them.

What is an arrest warrant?

Rule 4 and 9 of Wyoming Court Procedures state that arrest warrants can be issued upon information and upon indictment. The issue of active warrants is to be based on verified information or on an affidavit filed with the bench that puts forth the details about the crime in front of the judiciary.

The writ is to be sworn and signed and it should offer a description of the occurrence that is being deemed as a crime, the probable cause that led officers to believe that the act committed is a crime under state laws and reasonable cause that led to the assumption that the suspect in question commissioned the said act. The magistrate may issue an arrest warrant or a citation for appearance or both on the same affidavit.

If a summons has been released, any disobedience on the part of the defendant in appearing in court will result in the eventual issue of an arrest warrant. The magistrate will issue an active warrant in lieu of a summons if such a request is filed by the state prosecution. Furthermore, such a decision can also be made if the offender poses a risk to society or if there is a likelihood of him fleeing the county in response to the summons or if he has a history of dishonoring court diktats.

It is possible to seek the issue of more than one warrant or summons on a single petition. The probable cause affidavit is submitted in court by the department of the sheriff or any other law enforcement agency that has investigated the criminal occurrence. An arrest warrant that has been put into effect will bear the signature of the judge who sanctioned it and the date and the place of issue.

The form of arrest warrants has been given in Rule 4-b which mentions that all arrest warrants are to clearly denote the person who is to be taken into custody under the warrant and offer information about him such as his name, contact data, physical attributes and the like which can help in positively identifying him. An active warrant is also supposed to provide pertinent description of the crime with which the accused is being charged.

Outstanding warrants from Wyoming remain valid throughout the state and they can be served in any part of the county or even places outside the state and the issuing legal jurisdiction as ordered by the magistrate. Additional liberties or conditions for arrests can be applied to these orders by the issuing authority. For instance, the judge may allow the service of a misdemeanor warrant at night. In any case, an arrest warrant is considered executed when the person in whose name it has been issued is taken to police custody and held there till such time that he can be taken before the court.

How to search for an inmate in the Wyoming Prison System?

Looking for information on inmates being held in the correctional system of the state will entail getting in touch with the Department of Corrections. This is the state agency that has been put in charge of executing the sentences delivered by the judiciary in criminal matters. All defendants who are sentenced to prison time are handed over to the DOC which analyzes their aptitude before assigning them to a state penitentiary.

The DOC not only operates state prisons but also rehabilitation and work release programs for inmates. Victims of crime are allowed access to the inmate information held by the agency. Victims will have to register with the program to receive written notification of the movement of a certain prisoner through the correctional system. Apart from this, the DOC has also set up an automated Victim Notification Link which can be used to monitor the status of the prisoner 24/7 through electronic means or by phone.

For further information on how the system can be used to locate inmates in the prison system of the state go to vinelink.com. Frequently asked questions have also been handled on the website of the DOC at http://corrections.wy.gov/victims/FAQ.html. It is also possible to get in touch with the agency in person to seek jail records. To write to them or visit them, go to:

The Department of Corrections,1934 Wyott Drive, Suite 100,Cheyenne, WY 82002.

Who can search for arrest records and warrants in WY?

The Sunshine Laws of Wyoming allow members of the public to scrutinize the workings of state departments as well as access records kept by these agencies. However, the state follows the closed information policy when it comes to crime history data. Pursuant to this, individuals can only request criminal information on themselves and not on third parties. However, it is possible to seek limited information on convicts from the state judiciary and the Department of Corrections.

How to Request Records Under the Wyoming Public Records Act?

To conduct a warrant search through the Division of Criminal Investigation, you will have to connect with the agency in person or write to them. Once information on arrest records and active warrants has been procured, this can be forwarded to a designated entity such as an employer, immigration or adoption agency or any other person/ establishment that is interested in such data.

The inquiries are fingerprint based hence apart from the cost of $15 which will have to be incurred for the inquiry; you may also have to pay an additional $5 for fingerprinting services. For this, you can connect with the local law enforcement agency. It takes at least 10 business days for the DCI to handle the request for crime history data.

In response to the inquiry, the applicant will be given details on all criminal arrests that have occurred in Wyoming, the issue of active warrants, conviction records and more. The offenses covered will include felonies, Class A and B misdemeanors and other misdemeanors. Although sometimes the background report may include information held in the federal files, this is not always the case. However, applicants can choose to go for a cumulative Wyoming and federal crime background check.

To use the services of the agency, write to them or visit them at Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, 316 West 22nd Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002. Further information concerning the process of warrant searches can also be sought through the website of the agency at http://wyomingdci.wyo.gov/dci-criminal-justice-information-systems-section.

How Long Does An Arrest Record or Warrant Stay On File In Wyoming?

Arrest warrants from WY are free of time and geographic restrictions. This means that orders for detention can be served in any part of the country and at any time, including years after the decree has actually been put into effect. In fact, it is not uncommon to find active warrants that go as far back as the 1960’s in the state crime databases. Even 5 decades down the line, little impact has come about to the powers of these directives.So, they can be used to seek the detention of an accused or a fugitive just like a freshly issued arrest warrant.