Arrest Records in Richland County
An arrest record is the law-enforcement record of a person taken into custody. In Richland County, the Sheriff's Department under Sheriff Leon Lott and municipal police make arrests, and the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center serves as the intake jail. The booking record holds the basics: name, charges at arrest, booking date, and custody status. Because arrestees are brought to one jail, the detention center detainee lookup is the quickest way to see who is in custody right now.
An arrest record is only the first step. When the State files charges, a criminal court file opens in General Sessions or a summary court, and that file tracks the case to its end. An arrest does not prove guilt. For the full case history, charges, plea, and sentence, see the Richland County court records page; this page leads with arrest and booking records.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department website is the hub for arrest, report, and division information. It is shown below.
The Sheriff's Department site links its records, investigations, and contact pages for arrest-related requests.
How to Search Richland County Arrest Records
There is no single public arrest blotter for the whole county, so a search usually uses two or three tools. The jail detainee lookup shows people in custody now. The Sheriff's Department report request page covers incident and arrest reports. For a full statewide criminal history, use SLED, the State Law Enforcement Division.
- Open the jail detainee lookup, enter a last and first name, complete the CAPTCHA, and search.
- If the person is no longer in custody, request the arrest or incident report from the Sheriff's Department.
- For a court case tied to the arrest, search the Public Index for the matching General Sessions or summary-court file.
- For a certified criminal history, use SLED CATCH or call SLED directly.
The Sheriff's Department report request page explains how to make or request a report. It is shown below.
Use the report request process when you need the written arrest or incident report rather than just the booking entry.
What a Richland County Booking Record Shows
A booking record is built at intake. The jail detainee lookup requires a CAPTCHA, so a sample profile cannot be scraped, but the public search is name-based and returns people in current custody. The fields below are the kind of data a county booking record holds; confirm exact fields by running the official lookup.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Full Name | The detainee's name, searched by last and first name. |
| Detainee Number | The booking number assigned at intake. |
| Booking Date | When the person was taken into custody. |
| Charges | The arrest charges listed at booking. |
| Bond | The bond amount or conditions set by Bond Court. |
| Custody Status | Whether the person is still held or has been released. |
Booking charges are the charges at arrest. They can change once the case reaches court, so they are not the final word on a case outcome.
Arrest Records vs. Criminal Court Records
An arrest record and a criminal court record are different files held by different offices. The arrest record is made at booking by the jail and the arresting agency. The court record starts when the State files charges with the Clerk. One shows custody; the other shows the case.
| Arrest Record | Criminal Court Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Sheriff or police, and the jail | Clerk of Court |
| Created When | At booking | When charges are filed |
| Contents | Booking info, arrest charges, custody status | Indictment, pleadings, motions, disposition |
| Where to Find | Jail detainee lookup, sheriff reports | Public Index, General Sessions |
The Clerk does not run a full background check, because Clerk records leave out Magistrate and Summary Court cases. For a complete history, SLED is the official source.
Charges vs. Convictions
A charge is an accusation. A conviction is a finding of guilt by plea or verdict. The two carry very different weight, and many charges never become convictions. Charges can be dropped, reduced, dismissed, or sent to a diversion program. Read a criminal record carefully before you treat a charge as a conviction.
| Charge | Conviction | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Accusation at or after arrest | Guilty plea or verdict |
| Burden of Proof | Probable cause | Beyond a reasonable doubt |
| Outcome Possible | Dismissal, reduction, diversion | Sentence, fine, probation |
| Public Record | Yes, unless restricted | Yes, unless expunged |
Sealed vs. Expunged Records
South Carolina mostly uses expungement rather than broad sealing. Expungement removes or destroys eligible records from public access. Many adult expungements run through the circuit solicitor's office under S.C. Code § 17-22-910. The statute lists eligible categories rather than a single universal path, so eligibility turns on the offense and the outcome.
| Sealed | Expunged | |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Hidden from public view | Removed or destroyed from public access |
| Law Enforcement | Limited access may remain | SLED may keep nonpublic records by statute |
| Eligibility | Set by court order in limited cases | Per S.C. Code § 17-22-910 categories, through the Fifth Circuit Solicitor |
Eligible categories include successful pretrial intervention, conditional discharge, certain first-offense summary-court convictions, some youthful-offender matters, and non-conviction dispositions under S.C. Code § 17-1-40. Expungement-order payments to the Clerk must be a postal money order or cashier's check.
Mugshots and Booking Photos
A booking photo, or mugshot, is taken at intake. In Richland County, a current detainee's photo may appear in the jail detainee lookup when the person is still in custody. The county does not run a public mugshot gallery, and a CAPTCHA on the lookup blocks bulk scraping. Once a person is released, the booking photo may no longer show in the public search.
Be cautious with third-party mugshot sites; they often charge to remove an image and are not official sources. Always confirm an arrest through the jail lookup or a sheriff report rather than a commercial site. A booking photo is also not proof of guilt; it only shows that a person was processed at intake on a given date, and the charges listed there are the charges at arrest, which the court can later change or drop.
Finding Recent Richland County Arrests
People often want the most recent arrests, not an old case. For that, the jail detainee lookup is the best tool, because everyone arrested in the county is booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Jail data can post faster than the court index, since a court file may not open until charges are filed days later. If a name appears in the lookup, the person is in custody now.
South Carolina FOIA also helps here. The law makes documents that identify people confined in a jail or detention center for the preceding three months available for public inspection, unless an exemption applies. That means recent booking information is generally open. If someone no longer shows in the lookup, they may have bonded out, been released, or moved to another agency; a call to the detention center can confirm. For the full roster, visitation, and money rules, see the Richland County inmate records page.
Statewide Criminal Records Search
For a full South Carolina criminal history, use SLED. The SLED CATCH portal is the official name-based criminal-history search for the state, and it is a paid service. The General Sessions page directs people who need a full background check to SLED at 803-737-9000 or to SLED CATCH. This is the correct path when you need more than a single county arrest or court file.
The SLED CATCH criminal-history portal is shown below.
Use SLED CATCH for a statewide check; the county jail lookup and court index only show local records.
Background Check Considerations
There is a difference between a casual records lookup and a regulated background check. Employment, tenant, and credit screening must follow the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and use a licensed consumer reporting agency. A SLED criminal-history check is the official South Carolina source for a name-based history. A public records search here is for general information only.
Important: This site is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA, and its information may not be used for employment, tenant, credit, or insurance decisions.
Restricted Criminal Records in Richland County
Some criminal records stay closed. Juvenile records are confidential under the Juvenile Justice Code, with access limited to authorized people or a court order. Sealed and expunged records drop out of public view. Open investigations can be withheld under FOIA when disclosure would interfere with a case, reveal a source, or endanger safety. Protected personal identifiers, such as Social Security numbers, are redacted.
If you believe a record is wrong, contact the agency that holds it. An open investigation can stay closed until the case is resolved. Arrest record errors go to the arresting agency or the jail; court record errors go to the Clerk. For warrant questions tied to an arrest, see the Richland County warrant records page.