Honolulu County Arrest Records

Honolulu arrest records officially record a person being taken into custody due to their breaking state or local laws. They give information on the reason for the arrest, and the circumstances leading to it are not a testament to guilt because they do not contain conviction information. Hawaii's Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA), codified in Haw. Rev. Stat. Chapter 92F classifies arrest records that concluded in a conviction as public records. They serve the public by overseeing judicial activity and documenting law enforcement's decisions in their bid to uphold public safety.

In addition to the statutory Public Records Law, Haw. Rev. Stat. § 846 governs access to criminal history data by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC). This makes some arrest records open to the public, and some are restricted based on the parties involved in the case and the outcome of the case. Examples of records restricted from public access include non-conviction cases, records of minors, and expunged records.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Hawaii?

Yes. Under the Hawaii Public Records Law, which is the Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA), records created or maintained by the government are considered public unless otherwise exempted by law. This means that law enforcement agencies would be violating this law if they do not give access to these records unless it interferes with their duties or violates individuals' privacy. Not all arrest records are publicly available. Haw. Rev. Stat. § 92F-13 specifies records that are considered confidential or restricted and are generally withheld. Examples include the following:

• Juvenile records
• Records of ongoing investigation
• Records of arrests that did not lead to a conviction
• Mental health and other medical records
• Information on victims under witness protection
• Records withheld by court order (sealed or expunged records)

Honolulu County Arrest Search

Individuals looking to conduct a Honolulu County arrest search on a state or federal level can use the following resources:

• Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC): The HCJDC manages Hawaii's Adult Criminal Information (eCrim) site and provides statewide access to adult criminal conviction information. This tool only allows for arrests that led to convictions. Users must create an account before conducting a name search. Obtaining a printout of an arrest record on eCrim costs $12.
• Hawaii State Judiciary eCourt Kokua: Arrests that led to a conviction become part of criminal records. The eCourt Kokua gives access to statewide arrest records contained in these criminal records.
• FBI Honolulu Field Office Most Wanted List: This list provides information on individuals wanted federally for crimes, including their charges and a summary of their case.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons: This is the FBI's national tool for finding information on federal inmates, including those from Honolulu. A search can be conducted by name or by number.

Honolulu County Inmate Locator

The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) is the custodian of local arrest records. They publish a Daily Arrest Logwhere individuals can find arrest information, including arrestee name, physical identifiers, arrest date and time, offense, booking and release codes to help track if the arrestee is still in custody, and the location of the arrest. The logs are chronologically arranged and downloadable as a PDF. Note that these logs exclude federal and military arrests. The HPD also publishes a Wanted Persons List on its website, giving information on individuals to be arrested and their charges.

Active Warrant Search in Honolulu County

An arrest warrant is a document signed by a judicial official that authorizes the search, seizure, or arrest of the individual named in it by law enforcement officers. They can be issued in both electronic and printed formats and are confirmed through the Communications Division of the Honolulu Police Department (HPD), which primarily executes the arrest warrants. Warrants are issued by the court when a law enforcement officer swears an affidavit and includes evidence establishing that the named individual committed a crime and should be arrested. Warrants typically contain the following information:

• Name or an identifiable description of the individual to be arrested
• Offense justifying the arrest
• Name and signature of the issuing judge
• Name of the issuing court
• Date the warrant was issued
• Method of execution of the warrant

Several resources are available for the public to conduct warrant searches in Honolulu. The eCourt Kokua, the Hawaii Judiciary's online database for public court documents, allows individuals to search for active warrants on its database. The Hawaii Criminal Justice Center's (HCJDC) eCrim will also enable users to find arrest warrants that are part of its criminal history records. Individuals can also visit the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center's Criminal History Record Check Unit or the Warrants Unit of the Honolulu Police Department in Person to inquire about arrest records.

Persons with reason to believe they have an active warrant should reconsider an in-person inquiry at a law enforcement agency. If a warrant is found against them, they may immediately be arrested. Instead, consider hiring a criminal defense attorney to find and resolve the warrant.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Honolulu

The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) does not have a searchable database for finding arrest records, but publishes arrest logsdaily for individuals to find inmate information for free. The logs are updated daily and give arrest information on inmates currently arrested, transferred, and released. To find an inmate, a person can download the logs and search for the inmate they are looking for. As the logs are arranged chronologically, knowing the date of the arrest can help shorten search time, as one would go directly to download the logs from that day for their search.

Though the arrest records are free, they are limited by not being searchable, only giving access to recent arrest records, and not containing detailed descriptions of the arrest or its supporting documents. Though they give instant access to arrest information, the information recovered is not certified and cannot be used officially. To obtain a certified arrest record, the individual has to contact the law enforcement agency serving as its custodian, and the wait time can range from days to weeks.

Honolulu Arrest Report

Arrest records and arrest reports are law enforcement documents about arrests that serve different documentation purposes. An arrest record is an entry of a person being arrested by law enforcement officers that is made into the case management system (booking system) of the law enforcement agency that made the arrest. They typically include information on the arrested individual, such as name, arrest details, charges, mugshot, booking information, and court information if applicable. They are used to document a person's history of being taken into custody. They are public records and are usually what is recovered during background checks.

Arrest reports, on the other hand, are exhaustive reports describing the arresting officer's narrative of an arrest. They are internal documents recorded for prosecution purposes or to further investigations. They typically contain what led to the arrest, witness statements, evidence or contraband collected, probable cause for the arrest, and the arresting officer's name, badge number, and agency. They are not available to the public unless a formal request is made.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Honolulu

The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC) handles expunction in Honolulu, governed by Haw. Rev. Stat. § 831-3.2. Expunctions can only be applied to non-conviction arrest records. Examples of eligible cases include cases where the individual was not convicted, though they were arrested and charged, and cases where the individual was acquitted. The individual cannot apply for bail if they forfeited bail, absconded before prosecution, or their case was discharged due to mental issues. The process for getting an arrest record expunged in Honolulu is as follows:

• Fill out an expunction application form from the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC)
• Submit the completed form by mail to the HCJDC, including a money order of $35, a copy of an ID, and supporting court documents proving that the case did not result in a conviction.
• Wait 120 days for the request to be processed.
• Receive notice by mail if the expunction is granted.
• The expunged records become confidential and are taken off public criminal databases. Third-party sites may still have these records unless contacted separately, as they are not under expunction obligations.

How Do You Remove Arrest Records From the Internet?

To remove an arrest record from the internet, a person must apply to expunge it if it is on a government site. First, they fulfill eligibility requirements and then apply for expunction. If the expunction is granted, the court will issue an expunction order mandating that the HCJDC and other law enforcement agencies remove the arrest record from their criminal history databases. To remove a record from online private sources, an individual has to contact the website administrators with their expunction certificate, requesting that the record be taken down. They can pursue legal action against the site if the request is not processed.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

A public arrest record in Hawaii can contain the following information.

• First and last name of the arrestee
• Demographic information of the arrestee (age, sex, gender)
• Arrest information (date, time, arresting agency, etc.)
• Description of charges with statutory references
• Booking ID
• Bail or bond information