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  1. Tuscaloosa County Court
  2. Tuscaloosa County Arrest Records

Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Arrest Records

Tuscaloosa County arrest records are information regarding the detention of individuals who are being held in police custody based on the suspicion of committing a crime. These details may include the name of the arrestee, the charge, the circumstances of arrest and booking information.

Because arrest is the primary responsibility of law enforcement agencies, many of the county’s arrest records are typically created and maintained by the various law enforcement agencies operating within the county. These include the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Tuscaloosa Police departments, and other municipal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

In line with the Alabama Open Records Law, arrest records are primarily controlled and released by county law enforcement. However, specific criminal offender record information, including investigative reports, is regulated under Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) Act and restricted by the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?

Tuscaloosa County arrest records are generally public under the Alabama Open Records Law. By the provision of the Act, every citizen has a right to inspect or copy the records of a government entity, which are required to be provided promptly upon request. 

However, there are certain limitations that restrict access to confidential or sensitive information. If the disclosure of a record is likely to cause physical or reputational injury or impair the effectiveness of an ongoing investigation, custodians are allowed to withhold these records or redact the sensitive portions in it

What Do Public County Arrest Records Contain?

The content of an arrest record varies by the type of details permitted by state law to be revealed. In Tuscaloosa County, however, most arrest records contains the following details:

  • The inmate’s last name
  • The date booked
  • The arresting agency
  • The inmate’s photograph (mugshot)
  • Charge
  • Bond amount
  • Bond type

Because of their sensitive nature, certain portions of an arrest record are typically redacted or withheld from public disclosure:

  • The arrested individual’s given statement after arrest
  • Expunged records - records of arrest that have been expressly prohibited from disclosure by the order of a competent court 
  • The arrest record of a minor
  • The medical or mental health record of the arrestee
  • Records that are material to an ongoing investigation
  • The identifying information of a witness or an informant

Those who require redacted or confidential arrest records, they may need to obtain an order from a court of competent jurisdiction mandating disclosure.

Tuscaloosa County,  Alabama Arrest Search

Those who wish to obtain copies of public records, including arrest records, may complete the fillable PDF request form and email the completed form to  public.records@revenue.alabama.gov, or mail the form to:

Public Record Requests

Alabama Department of Revenue

375 South Ripley Street

Montgomery, AL 36104

For federal arrest records, these records can be obtained via the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) System. This search tool provides access to case files, including arrests and final dispositions. Registered users may utilize this online resource to search for criminal case files tied to an arrest by name or case number for a fee. 

The Bureau of Prison also offers the BOP Inmate Locator Tool for conducting online searches for incarcerated individuals by name or file case number.

Tuscaloosa County Inmate Locator

The Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Office runs a public-facing search tool that allows users to see inmates currently in jail. Users wishing to confirm if a loved one is in the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office custody can do this by conducting a name or arrest date search through the search tool available via the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office website. To do this:

  • Visit the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office official website
  • Scroll down the page and click on “SEARCH DATABASE”
  • Enter the arrested individual’s last name and arrest date in the appropriate search field
  • Click on “Search” to run a database query
  • If the name is unknown, the researcher may facilitate a query using the arrest date only, or scroll through the profiles listed below the search field to locate and identify the arrestee. 

Individuals may also be able to get more information relating to specific arrests by getting in touch with the Tuscaloosa Sheriff Office at:

714 1/2 Greensboro Avenue

Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Phone: (205)752-0616

Active Warrant Search in Tuscaloosa County

An arrest warrant is a legal document issued by a judge authorizing law enforcement to arrest and take an individual into custody. This document is usually issued when evidence from subsequent investigation has been presented before a judge to show that an individual is responsible for the occurrence of a prior criminal incident. An arrest warrant usually contains:

  • The name of the suspect
  • The allegations
  • The arresting agency to whom it is addressed
  • An order commanding law enforcement to arrest the suspect
  • The name of the court; and
  • The signature of the judge

As the primary law enforcement agency in Tuscaloosa County, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office processes most of the county’s active arrest warrants and offers a list of the most wanted individuals in Tuscaloosa County.

Almost anyone can access this list by following the steps:

  • Visit the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office official website
  • Scroll down to “Clean Up Our Streets” and click on “MOST WANTED.”
  • Scroll through the listed profiles to review the county’s most wanted
  • Individuals may also click the “MORE INFO” option to see additional information about the individual, including the individual’s
    • Full name
    • Race
    • Age; and
    • Charges

Note: an individual may be wanted for a variety of reasons; being on the most wanted list is not an outstanding warrant.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Tuscaloosa County

Tuscaloosa County is the local resource for free arrest records in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Arrest records are typically available through the Sheriff’s Office website which allows users to search for records by name and the arrest date without a charge.

While law enforcement agencies are generally encouraged to provide arrest records and should typically provide them upon request, certain portions are typically redacted to protect private interest and other confidential government activities. As a result, obtaining these records may require additional paperwork such as the order of a court authorizing release and administrative or private consent.

Tuscaloosa County Arrest Report

An arrest report is the written notations of an arresting officer’s observation that is prepared and maintained in the aftermath of an arrest. It is typically maintained as evidence of what transpired during an arrest, forming part of the primary investigatory and prosecutorial materials for determining the guilt or the innocence of the arrested individual. An arrest report typically contains:

  • The date, time, and nature of the incident or the crime
  • Names of victims
  • The general scope of the agency's initial action taken in response to the incident
  • The general nature of any injuries or estimate of damages sustained in the incident
  • The name, address, and other identifying information about any person arrested or charged in connection with the incident; or
  • The identity of the public safety personnel

By contrast, arrest records are summary entries in custodial or judicial case systems regarding the arrest and detention of an individual in law enforcement custody or the jail system. In Tuscaloosa, arrest records typically include:

  • The inmate’s last name
  • The date booked
  • The arresting agency
  • The inmate’s photograph (mugshot)
  • Charge
  • Bond amount
  • Bond type

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Tuscaloosa County

The code of Alabama 1975, Section 15-27, allows former arrestees to petition the court for the expungement of their criminal records, including the associated arrest, subject to meeting the statutory eligibility requirements. However, there are preceding procedures to observe before filing for expungement. These include obtaining one's criminal history record from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), which can be done by completing this fillable PDF form and mailing it along with:

  • A completed application signed by the applicant and two witnesses or notarized.
  •  a government-issued photo-ID
  • A classifiable copy of the applicant's fingerprints taken by an authorized law enforcement agency as required; and 
  • A $25 money order or cashier’s check (made payable to Criminal Records & Identification Unit) to:

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Criminal Records and Identification Unit ATTN: Background Checks P.O. Box 1511 Montgomery, Alabama 36102-1511 

Individuals may need to allow up to 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the ALEA for the ALEA to process the application. For additional inquiries call 334-676-7700.

Once done, individuals may proceed by filing for expungement through the Petition for Expungement Records form provided by the Alabama Office of Administrative Courts.

The form allows the applicant to specify their name, case number to be expunged, and the charge or conviction to be expunged. 

To expunge arrests resulting in a felony conviction, individuals must indicate they have met the following eligible requirements:

  • The charge ended in a nolle prosequi; it has been more than 90 days and the charges have not been refiled
  • The charge was quashed and the statute of limitation for refiling the charge has expired, the prosecuting agency has confirmed that the charge will not be refiled
  • The charge was dismissed after successful completion of a drug court program, mental health court program, diversion program, veteran’s court, or any court-approved deferred prosecution program, and more than two expungements have not been granted for these programs, and the petition for expungement had not been filed before one year from the date of the successful completion of these programs.
  • The charge was dismissed without prejudice more than five years ago, had not been refiled, and the individual has not been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor crime, any violation, or traffic violations during the previous five years, with the exception of minor traffic violations. 
  • The charge was dismissed one year ago and has not been refiled and the petitioner has not been convicted of any crime, including traffic violations, with the exception of minor traffic violations during the previous two years.

The eligibility conditions for expunging arrests resulting in a misdemeanor charge and a pardon are also specified in the expungement form. 

There's an associated $500 filing fee for the expungement of each conviction. All convicted charges resulting from a single arrest are treated as a single conviction for the purpose of expungement. 

The individual must indicate (in the form) and serve the agency where the individual was booked, detained, or incarcerated. The court cannot order the expungement of the record of an agency that was not served. 

The petitioner must sign the form, including their address for service, and submit the completed form to the clerk of sentencing court.

How Do You Remove Tuscaloosa County Arrest Records From the Internet?

Once a criminal justice agency has been served with a completed expungement form,  and no objection has been raised by that agency to the petition or the expungement order has been given notwithstanding agencies objection to the petition, the agency is ordinarily obligated to remove notice of the record from all personal files, arrest logs, online databases where the record may have been published. 

Nonetheless, a sentencing court can only order the expungement of records held by criminal justice agencies; its expungement powers do not extend to third-party websites publishing arrest records for a fee,  even when the records have been expunged. Instead, these websites have their own unique procedure for removing arrest records declared by the court as no longer tenable at law. Individuals are encouraged to identify and follow this procedure on their website or contact the website management to notify them of the expungement order, and follow the applicable process for removal of the record from the list of published records.