Geneva County Arrest Records

Under Title 15 of the Code of Alabama—specifically §§ 15-10-1 through 15-10-3—a Geneva County law-enforcement officer may arrest a person:

• Pursuant to a warrant issued on a showing of probable cause
• When the individual is caught in the act of committing an offense
• When the officer has statutory authority to make a warrantless arrest based on reasonable cause to believe the person has just committed, is committing, or is attempting to commit a crime.

Immediately after taking a suspect into custody, the officer transports the individual to the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office or a municipal police station for booking. During booking, the officer documents:

• The date, time, and location of the arrest
• The criminal charge(s) and statutory citations
• A narrative of the arrest circumstances
• The arrestee’s personal identifiers (name, age, address, fingerprints, photographs, and, where allowed, biometrics).

These entries form the first layer of the arrest record. An arrest record indicates that a person was taken into custody on suspicion of a crime; it does not establish guilt or result in a conviction. Once the charging documents are forwarded to either the Geneva County District Court or the Circuit Court, the arrest record becomes an integral part of the defendant’s broader Geneva County court record, where subsequent filings—arraignments, motions, orders, and final judgments—are added.

Although arrest records are a component of a person’s overall criminal record, they remain distinct: a criminal record typically reflects only adjudicated outcomes (convictions, acquittals, dismissals), whereas an arrest record captures the fact of the arrest itself, irrespective of the case’s ultimate disposition.

Are Arrest Records Public in Geneva County?

Yes— with important exceptions. Under the Alabama Public Records Law (Ala. Code § 36-12-40) the public may inspect or obtain copies of most arrest records held by the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office or a municipal police department. These records also appear in routine background checks. Although the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) does not bind state agencies, Alabama’s open-records statute sets similarly broad disclosure standards.
Courts and law-enforcement agencies must withhold—or redact—arrest information if releasing it would violate a specific confidentiality rule or endanger public interests, including:

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Public arrest records produced by any law enforcement office in Geneva County usually contain the following information:

• The name of the subject/suspect
• A physical description of the arrested person(height, weight, hair and eye color, race, visible tattoos)
• Suspects mugshot
• The cause of the arrest
• The date and time of arrest
• The suspect's last known address
• Information on any gang affiliations
• Booking information
• Name of arresting agency
• Name of arresting officer
• Charges against the arrested individual
• Bail and bond information
• Date of next court appearance

It is worth noting that every Alabama Uniform Arrest Report is presumptively disclosable. When an exemption applies, the Geneva County Sheriff or police department must redact only the protected portion (e.g., juvenile identifiers or investigative notes) and release the rest of the record upon request.

Geneva County Arrest Statistics

The FBI's uniform crime data explorer shows that the Geneva County Sheriff's Office made 2309 arrests in 2023. The highest number of arrests was for traffic offenses (1224), which made up 52% of the total arrests made by the sheriff's office. Theft and larceny (352) and drug offenses (388) contributed 15% and 17% to the total arrests, respectively. Fraud (86) and simple assault (194) were 4% and 16% of the recorded arrests, respectively.

Find Geneva County Arrest Records

Residents and other interested parties can request arrest records directly from the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office or the municipal police department that made the arrest. Each agency maintains its own records division and also has access to the statewide repository managed by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Records are stored both electronically and in paper files.

The request options for persons seeking Geneva county arrest records are as follows:

• In person – Visit the agency’s records counter during normal business hours.
• By mail – Send a written request to the records division (include a self-addressed stamped envelope).
• By phone or email – Some departments accept preliminary requests by telephone or email and will advise on any forms or fees required.

Inquirers are typically required to provide the following information to have their search requests processed:

• Full name of the arrestee
• Date and approximate time of the arrest
• Arresting agency (if known)
• Booking or case number (if known)

A government-issued photo ID is usually also required before a notarized copy is released, and copying, research or administrative fees may apply.

Individuals arrested in Geneva County are typically booked into the county jail. To confirm whether someone is currently in custody, inquirers may:

• Call the jail at (334) 684-5670; or
• Search the online inmate roster on the Sheriff’s Office website, which lists booking date, charges, bond status, and housing location.

Free Arrest Record Search in Geneva County

The following are low-cost or no-cost arrest search options in Geneva County:

• Fee waivers for certain requesters – First-time offenders who were arrested but not convicted may request a waiver of copy fees. Approval is at the discretion of the records custodian.
• Third-party databases – Numerous private websites aggregate public-record data and often allow basic arrest searches at no charge. These sites can be useful for quick look-ups; however, always verify any results against the official record obtained from the Sheriff’s Office or ALEA to ensure accuracy before relying on them.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Forever, Arrest records in Geneva County typically remain on a person's record indefinitely. The State Records Commission policies state that criminal records should remain public and should come up during any background check. Unlike other states in the US, there is no automatic expungement statute in Alabama. Hence, a person may only remove arrests from their record following an approved expungement application.

Expunge Geneva County Arrest Records

Expungement removes qualified criminal records from databases accessible to the public. Following an expungement order, the arrest is treated as though it never happened.

The first step a person can take when applying to expunge Geneva County arrest records is to determine if they are eligible. It is crucial to note that if someone was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor or felony or found guilty, they are unlikely to qualify for an expungement in Alabama if the initial charge was deemed a "violent" offense.

Alabama has more lenient expungement laws than many other states. Individuals who meet the following requirements may be eligible for expungement:

• They have paid all fines and restitutions and completed all probationary or parole requirements.
• They have not been convicted of any other crimes within a specific time after their initial offense.
• Arrestees who have had their charges dismissed.
• Persons who were wrongfully arrested and not charged with any crime.
• They must not have been convicted of any violent crimes, sexual offenses, driving under the influence, or specific drug-related offenses.

Eligible persons can obtain and complete the Expungement Petition form - CR-65. The form should be submitted with a certified record of arrest, disposition, or the case action summary from the appropriate agency. As a prerequisite to any circuit court decision regarding expungement, applicants must also pay an administrative filing fee of $500.00 per filing when the petition is filed. It is not possible to waive this filing fee.

Geneva County Arrest Warrants

According to Al. Code, Section 15-7-4, an arrest warrant is a document that a court judge issues directing law enforcement officials in a jurisdiction to locate and arrest the person named on the warrant.

The county court judge issues Geneva County arrest warrants when a law enforcement officer makes a complaint to the court. An arrest warrant is usually issued when sufficient evidence supports its issuance. The complaint should provide probable cause that a crime has occurred or will occur. Per Rule 3 of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure, a Geneva County arrest warrant should contain the following information to be considered valid:

• The defendant's name.
• A description that allows for a reasonable identification of the defendant
• The defendant's last known address
• The offense for which the defendant is charged.
• An order for the defendant to be taken into custody and brought before the issuing judge.
• bail information

Individuals may find Geneva County arrest warrants by contacting the county court clerk to make inquiries. Individuals can also visit the Geneva County Sheriff's Office Warrants Unit to search for warrants through the department's in-house database. To search for warrants at any of these offices, individuals will need to provide the name of a person.

Do Geneva County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, Warrants issued in Geneva County remain active until the subject of the warrant is apprehended or dies. A warrant may also be withdrawn if the case in which the warrant was issued is resolved.