Raleigh Police, Wake County Booking & Court Guide 2026
Search Raleigh Arrest, Police and Wake County Criminal Court Records
A Raleigh arrest can create four different records: the Raleigh Police incident report, a Wake County booking or custody entry, a District or Superior Court case, and sometimes a fingerprint-supported North Carolina SBI history. They answer different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Use this page to check recent custody, identify the arresting agency, request an RPD report, follow the charge into Wake County eCourts, obtain a certified criminal record check, review an expunction path, and avoid relying on outdated mugshot websites.
MATCH
PERSON + CASE
RPD
POLICE REPORT
WAKE
BOOKING / JAIL
COURT
CASE / OUTCOME
SBI
STATE HISTORY
Start with the record that answers your actual question
Raleigh Arrest Record Search: Which System Should You Open?
1
Raleigh Police
Use RPD Records for the police incident report created by Raleigh officers. This is the narrative/report side of the event.
2
Wake County Sheriff
Use Sheriff P2C for recent arrest, booking, inmate, bond and custody information when those fields are publicly displayed.
3
Wake County Courts
Use eCourts and the Clerk of Superior Court for filed charges, case events, disposition and official court copies.
4
North Carolina SBI
Use Right to Review when you need your own fingerprint-supported statewide North Carolina criminal-history record.
Arrest is not conviction: A Raleigh Police arrest or Wake County booking does not prove guilt. Check the Wake County court disposition before describing a person as convicted.
Choose the Result You Need
Is someone currently in Wake County custody?
Start with Wake Sheriff P2C. Confirm the name, booking information, charge, bond, court date and facility when shown.
Need an RPD incident report?
Email or call Raleigh Police Records with the report number, involved name and callback information.
Need the final criminal case outcome?
Search eCourts by case number or party name, then use the Wake County Clerk for official copies.
Need a certified Wake criminal record search?
Request a single-county certified name search from the Clerk of Superior Court using AOC-CR-314 and the $25 fee.
Need your statewide NC record?
Use the SBI fingerprint-based Right to Review process rather than a name-only Raleigh or Wake search.
Trying to clear an old record?
Identify the exact Wake case and final disposition, then use the current North Carolina expunction form that matches the statute.
Jump to Your Raleigh Arrest-Records Task
Important August 2026 change
Do Not Rely on the Old Wake County Mugshot Website
Current access change: Wake County ended its older public mugshot/daily-arrest website on August 17, 2026. The change was tied in part to concerns that online arrest images could remain visible after cases were dismissed, people were found not guilty or records were expunged.
BEFORE AUG. 17
Legacy arrest-photo portal
The older CCBI-style mugshot and daily-arrest interface was commonly used for quick Wake arrest browsing.
NOW
Use Wake Sheriff P2C
Begin with Sheriff Police-to-Citizen tools for currently exposed arrest and inmate information.
FOR REPORTS
Contact the arresting agency
A Raleigh arrest report remains an RPD record even if the person was booked into Wake County detention.
FOR OUTCOME
Use Wake court records
Court disposition is the critical check when an arrest is old, dismissed, reduced, expunged or otherwise changed.
Better 2026 workflow: Wake P2C for recent custody → RPD for the police report → eCourts for the case → Clerk or SBI when an official record is required.
How to Search a Recent Raleigh Arrest
Choose the arrest or inmate search route.
Use Recent Arrests when available for arrest-side information and Inmate Inquiry when the main question is current custody.
Start with the legal last name.
Add first name, middle name, age or arrest date only as needed to separate similar results.
Verify the arresting agency.
Confirm that Raleigh Police Department is listed when you specifically need an RPD-created report.
Save the arrest date and case or docket number.
Those identifiers make the later eCourts search much more reliable than a broad name-only lookup.
Review charge and bond fields carefully.
Intake charge wording and bond information can change as a case proceeds.
Check the court date.
Use the listed court date or docket number to move into Wake County court records.
Do not stop at the booking page.
Continue to eCourts to find filed charges, later events and the final disposition.
Call detention for urgent live-status questions.
Online rosters can change after release, transfer, bond posting or classification updates.
Raleigh-specific custodian rule: Wake County can have the booking record while Raleigh Police retains the incident report that describes the arrest investigation.
Six Details to Match Before You Attribute an Arrest to Someone
Full name
Check spelling and suffix.
Age / DOB
Separate same-name people.
Arrest date
Match the incident window.
Agency
Confirm RPD or another agency.
Docket / case
Connect booking to court.
Disposition
Determine the final result.
Name-only matching is weak evidence. Raleigh and Wake County records can contain people with identical or similar names. Use multiple identifiers before connecting a criminal record to an individual.
How to Get a Raleigh Police Incident or Arrest Report
Raleigh Police Records handles public requests for RPD incident reports. The City’s current instructions provide both an email and telephone route.
Find the RPD report number if possible.
Check paperwork from the incident, an insurance record, citation, victim communication or related court materials.
Include the report number and callback phone.
Raleigh specifically asks requesters to include the report number when available and a phone number in case staff encounters an issue.
Call when the report number is unknown.
Contact Police Records at
919-996-3325 and provide the incident date, location and involved names.
Use the Records counter when needed.
Raleigh lists the Police Records Division at 6716 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27615.
Plan around public counter hours.
Current Raleigh instructions list Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
Headquarters moved in July 2026: Raleigh Police command headquarters moved to 111 W. Hargett Street downtown, but the current Police Records request page still directs Records customers to 6716 Six Forks Road.
“I am requesting a Raleigh Police incident report. The report number is __________ if available. The incident occurred around __________ at __________ and involved __________. Please let me know what public copy can be released and how it will be delivered.”
When to Use Raleigh’s General Public Records Portal
Not every police-related record is obtained through the ordinary RPD incident-report email. The City of Raleigh maintains a broader public-records request process for city records that are not already available through self-service tools.
Use RPD Records first
Straightforward Raleigh incident-report requests belong with the Police Records Division.
Use the City records portal
Submit a City public-record request when the requested material is not available through the ordinary self-service or Police Records path.
Do not use City Hall for court files
Wake criminal-court records are maintained by the North Carolina Judicial Branch and Clerk of Superior Court.
Open Raleigh’s official Records Request page.
Search Wake County Criminal Cases in eCourts
North Carolina completed statewide eCourts implementation in all 100 counties on October 13, 2025. Wake criminal cases are now searched through the statewide Portal system.
Select Smart Search.
Public users can search public court information without registering.
Use the exact case number first.
Copy the docket number from the Wake arrest or inmate result when available.
Otherwise search by party name.
Use the defendant’s legal name and compare the returned Wake County cases carefully.
Filter the location to Wake County.
This helps prevent Raleigh-area searches from mixing in cases from other North Carolina counties.
Use Criminal Actions filtering.
Narrow a long result list so you are not mixing civil, family, estate or other case types with the criminal matter.
Open the Case Summary.
Review case information, party information, events, hearings and disposition fields when available.
Search hearings separately when necessary.
Portal can search hearing information by party, case number, courtroom and other criteria.
Use the Clerk for an official record.
eCourts Portal is an online public-access system; it is not itself a clerk-certified criminal record search.
Portal is not a formal background-check product. North Carolina Courts specifically directs people conducting criminal background checks to the Clerk of Superior Court process rather than treating Portal results as a certified background report.
Wake District Court vs Superior Court Criminal Records
DISTRICT COURT
Misdemeanors and Infractions
North Carolina District Court handles criminal cases involving misdemeanors and infractions without a jury.
Wake traffic tickets and misdemeanor questions are routed through the criminal District Court contact at 919-792-4300.
Magistrates also perform important early criminal functions such as issuing warrants, setting bail and handling certain minor pleas.
SUPERIOR COURT
Felony Cases
North Carolina Superior Court hears felony criminal cases and misdemeanor or infraction appeals from District Court.
Wake County’s official contact directory also routes felony questions to 919-792-4300.
A felony arrest can therefore begin with early lower-court processing before the felony case proceeds through Superior Court.
Wake County Justice Center: Official Criminal Court Records
All Wake County criminal matters are conducted at the Wake County Justice Center rather than the separate Wake County Courthouse used for most civil matters.
Address
300 S. Salisbury St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Search Portal before visiting.
Write down the exact case number, defendant and disposition you want documented.
Visit the criminal courthouse.
Go to the Wake County Justice Center at 300 S. Salisbury Street—not the civil courthouse at 316 Fayetteville Street Mall.
Use a public access terminal when useful.
North Carolina courts provide public self-service terminals at clerk offices for searching criminal court records.
Request the actual court document.
Ask for the judgment, dismissal, plea, order, warrant return or other specific public document rather than simply asking for “everything.”
Ask for certification when required.
Employers, licensing agencies, courts or other users may require a certified rather than ordinary copy.
Three different checks — three different scopes
Which Raleigh / Wake Criminal Background Check Should You Use?
$15*
Wake County Arrest Record Search
Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services maintains local arrest-identification functions and is the criminal-history route referenced by Raleigh Police.
This is different from the Wake Clerk’s court-record search and from the SBI fingerprint repository.
*Confirm the current Wake Bureau of Forensic Services fee and request method before mailing or visiting because Wake’s arrest-record access changed in August 2026.
$25
Certified Wake County Court Search
Submit North Carolina form AOC-CR-314 to the Clerk of Superior Court for a certified criminal record search by name.
The search covers the court records of the single county named on the request. It is not statewide.
$14
NC SBI Right to Review
A fingerprint-based search of your own North Carolina criminal-history record maintained by the State Bureau of Investigation.
This is the strongest route on this page when the purpose is to review your own fingerprint-supported statewide NC record for completeness and accuracy.
Free option: North Carolina Courts also allows people to use courthouse public-access computers to search non-certified criminal records for themselves or others without a search fee, although printing charges can apply.
How to Request a Certified Wake County Criminal Record Search
Enter Wake County.
The Clerk searches official court records for the county named on the form.
List all names to be searched accurately.
Include the full legal name and any relevant variation permitted by the request.
Choose criminal and/or infraction records.
Follow the form instructions for the type of search needed.
Include the $25 fee.
North Carolina Courts lists a $25 fee for the certified single-county criminal record search.
Use an accepted payment method.
Mailed requests accept money order or certified check. In-person requests can be paid by credit card, cash, money order or certified check under the statewide instructions.
Scope limitation: No North Carolina county clerk can turn this single-county certification into a certified statewide record search.
How to Review Your Own North Carolina SBI Criminal History
Search type
Fingerprint-based North Carolina statewide criminal-history review.
Current fee
$14 per Right to Review request.
Download the Right to Review instructions and form.
Do not use a generic third-party background-check form.
Obtain a complete set of fingerprints.
SBI requires a legible ten-print fingerprint card for the biometric search.
Include the $14 fee.
SBI accepts money order or certified check for the Right to Review request; cash, personal checks and credit cards are not accepted under the published instructions.
Mail the request.
SBI’s Right to Review instructions require submission by U.S. Mail rather than direct in-person delivery.
Review the returned SBI response.
If a North Carolina criminal-history record matches the fingerprints, SBI includes the record with its response letter.
Challenge an error through SBI.
Use the Right to Review written-exception process if the returned North Carolina criminal history appears inaccurate or incomplete.
What SBI stores: SBI explains that its computerized criminal-history system is based on arrest information supported by fingerprints sent to the state repository.
Follow the Record Past the Arrest
1
Incident
Raleigh Police creates the report.
2
Arrest
Law enforcement takes arrest action.
3
Booking
Wake custody processing creates jail data.
4
Filed case
Criminal charges enter District or Superior Court.
5
Disposition
Dismissal, plea, conviction, acquittal or another result.
6
Record relief
Some cases may later qualify for expunction.
| Record Status |
What It Shows |
What It Does Not Prove |
| Arrest |
Law enforcement took arrest action. |
Conviction or guilt. |
| Booked |
Wake detention processed the person. |
That every intake charge remained filed. |
| Pending |
The court case is not finally resolved. |
The eventual outcome. |
| Dismissed |
The affected charge or case was dismissed. |
That every unrelated record has been erased. |
| Conviction |
The court has entered a conviction or guilty disposition. |
That every arrest allegation resulted in conviction. |
| Expunged |
An eligible record has gone through a statutory expunction process. |
Eligibility for some other case. |
No Raleigh Arrest Record Found? Work Through These Checks
| Problem |
Try This |
Why It Helps |
| Recent arrest missing from eCourts |
Check Wake P2C first and retry court search using the docket number. |
Booking and court indexing do not necessarily become visible at the same moment. |
| No Wake inmate result |
Search the court case and determine whether the person was released or transferred. |
A live roster is not a permanent arrest-history database. |
| Raleigh Police report not found |
Use report number, exact incident date, address and involved names. |
A precise event search is stronger than a broad name-only request. |
| P2C shows another police agency |
Request the report from that agency rather than RPD. |
The arresting agency remains custodian of its own incident report. |
| Too many eCourts matches |
Filter Wake County, Criminal Actions, date range and case number. |
Common names can produce cases from multiple counties and case types. |
| Portal information looks incomplete |
Use the public courthouse terminal or ask the Wake Clerk for the actual case file. |
Portal is public docket access, not a substitute for every official court document. |
| Need an old or disposed case |
Call Wake Record Checks / Expungements at 919-792-4325. |
The Clerk can route disposed-case and record-check questions. |
| Need statewide personal history |
Use SBI Right to Review with fingerprints. |
Wake court records and Raleigh police reports are not statewide fingerprint repositories. |
| Old mugshot link no longer works |
Use Wake P2C, the arresting agency and court records instead. |
Wake retired its older daily mugshot/arrest portal in August 2026. |
| Record may have been expunged |
Contact the appropriate court or obtain legal guidance rather than trying to bypass restricted access. |
Expunged and confidential records are treated differently from ordinary public cases. |
North Carolina Expunction: Raleigh / Wake County Starting Point
North Carolina has multiple expunction statutes and forms. The correct form depends on what happened in the case, the offense, age, prior history and other statutory conditions.
Dismissed charges
North Carolina publishes specific expunction forms for eligible dismissals under G.S. 15A-146.
Not guilty
A separate form is published for qualifying cases ending not guilty or not responsible.
Other convictions
Different statutes and forms apply to various misdemeanors, felonies, identity-theft cases and other categories.
Find the exact Wake court case.
Save the case number, charge, disposition date and final judgment.
Confirm the disposition.
A dismissed case, not-guilty verdict and conviction can require different legal routes.
File in the county where the charge or conviction occurred.
North Carolina Courts directs petitioners to the Clerk in the county of the case.
Ask Wake about local procedure.
Call Record Checks / Expungements at
919-792-4325.
Keep the final order.
Preserve a certified copy before records become inaccessible through ordinary public systems.
Do not choose an expunction form by title alone. Eligibility is statute-specific and can be affected by the complete criminal history.
Need Raleigh Police Body-Camera or Mobile Video?
Police recordings follow a different North Carolina access process from ordinary incident reports. Raleigh provides a disclosure-request form under N.C.G.S. §132-1.4A.
Complete both pages of the disclosure form.
Use the current English or Spanish form supplied by Raleigh.
Submit through an approved route.
Raleigh allows delivery to a police district station, email to Internal Affairs or U.S. Mail.
Allow for review.
Raleigh states that the completed request is reviewed and the requester is contacted after the form is received.
Office
Office of Professional Standards
Real Raleigh Arrest-Record Scenarios
Family member arrested tonight
Check Wake P2C for custody and court date, then confirm urgent bond or detention questions directly with Wake County.
Need police narrative after an RPD arrest
Ask RPD Records for the incident report using the report number, date and location.
Employer asks for “certified records”
Determine whether a certified Wake County Clerk search, SBI check or another legally authorized process is actually required.
Arrest appears but charge was dismissed
Obtain the court disposition before repeating the old arrest allegation without context.
Old mugshot website is gone
Use the official current chain: Sheriff P2C, arresting agency, eCourts and Clerk.
Felony Raleigh arrest
Follow the case into Wake Superior Court records rather than treating the booking charge as the final case.
Misdemeanor Raleigh arrest
Search Wake District Court records and verify the final disposition.
Your SBI record looks wrong
Complete the SBI Right to Review exception process after obtaining the fingerprint-based record.
Case may qualify for expunction
Identify the exact statute and form based on the Wake case outcome before filing.
Use Raleigh Arrest Records Responsibly
- Verify identity beyond a shared name
- Distinguish arrest from conviction
- Check the final court disposition
- Do not rely on stale mugshot reposts
- Respect expunged and confidential records
- Use the arresting agency for its own report
- Use the Clerk for official court copies
- Use SBI for your own fingerprint-supported state record
- Recheck live custody before stating someone is jailed
- Use compliant screening procedures for employment or housing decisions
FCRA / screening caution: A public Raleigh arrest-record search is not automatically a legally compliant employment, housing, credit or consumer background report.
Official Raleigh and North Carolina Record Resources
Raleigh NC Arrest Records FAQs
1. How do I search recent Raleigh NC arrest records?
Start with Wake County Sheriff Police-to-Citizen for recent arrest or inmate information. Confirm the arresting agency, arrest date, charge, bond, court date and case number when shown, then search the case in North Carolina eCourts.
2. Where can I get a Raleigh Police arrest or incident report?
Contact Raleigh Police Records at 919-996-3325 or email police.records@raleighnc.gov. Include the report number when available and a callback phone number. The current Records location is 6716 Six Forks Road, Raleigh.
3. Where do I search Wake County criminal court cases?
Use North Carolina eCourts Portal and filter the search to Wake County and criminal actions. Search the exact case number when available; otherwise use the defendant’s legal name and compare identifiers carefully.
4. Is a Raleigh arrest record proof of a conviction?
No. An arrest or booking records law-enforcement action and custody processing. It does not establish guilt. Check the Wake County court disposition to determine whether a charge was dismissed, resolved by plea, resulted in conviction, ended in acquittal or had another outcome.
5. How much is a certified Wake County criminal background check?
North Carolina Courts lists a $25 fee for a certified single-county criminal record search through the Clerk of Superior Court using form AOC-CR-314. The search covers Wake County court records only and is not statewide.
6. How do I get my statewide North Carolina criminal history?
Use the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Right to Review process. It is a fingerprint-based review of your own North Carolina criminal-history record and currently costs $14.
7. Which Wake County court handles misdemeanor and felony arrests?
District Court handles misdemeanors and infractions. Superior Court handles felony criminal cases and appeals of misdemeanor or infraction cases from District Court. Wake County criminal matters are conducted at the Wake County Justice Center in Raleigh.
8. What happened to the old Wake County mugshot website?
Wake County ended the older public mugshot and daily-arrest website on August 17, 2026. For current research, use Wake Sheriff P2C, the arresting agency’s report system, eCourts and the Clerk of Superior Court.
9. Why can I not find a Raleigh arrest in eCourts?
The arrest may be very recent, the name may be indexed differently, the case may be restricted or expunged, or the booking may not yet match an easily searchable court entry. Use the docket number from Wake booking information and contact the Clerk when the online result remains unclear.
10. Can a Raleigh or Wake County criminal record be expunged?
Some North Carolina criminal records can qualify for expunction, but the applicable law and form depend on the charge, disposition, prior record, age and other statutory conditions. File through the clerk in the county where the charge or conviction occurred and use the current North Carolina Judicial Branch forms.
Independent Records Guide and Verification Notice
This is an independent informational guide and is not affiliated with the Raleigh Police Department, City of Raleigh, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services, North Carolina Judicial Branch, Wake County Clerk of Superior Court or North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Arrest, booking, bond, custody, charge, court-date and disposition information can change. Some records may be confidential, expunged, sealed, corrected, restricted or temporarily unavailable. Verify consequential information with the responsible official agency.
An arrest does not establish guilt, and this page does not provide legal advice or a consumer report for employment, tenant, credit or other regulated screening decisions.
Editorial verification date: August 28, 2026.
Slug: raleigh-nc-arrest-records
