Lincoln County Arrest Records

Arrests occur daily in Lincoln County, Tennessee. When someone is arrested, law enforcement officers have reason to believe the individual has committed a crime—this could be based on an outstanding arrest warrant, a traffic stop, or the results of an investigation. After an arrest, the individual is typically taken to a nearby jail or detention facility for processing. During processing, also known as booking, the suspect is photographed (mugshot), fingerprinted, and asked to provide personal information to create an official arrest record. In addition, the suspect is searched, and any personal property is seized and documented. All documents generated during the booking process collectively make up an arrest record. Lincoln County arrest records are integral to the county's justice system and are used by various agencies, including courts and law enforcement departments.

For example, criminal history data maintained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), District or Municipal Attorney's Office records, and Lincoln County court records often include arrest information.

Are Arrest Records Public in Lincoln County?

Yes, arrest records are considered public records per the Tennessee public records law. Tennessee Code Title 10 Chapter 7 also classifies arrest records as a part of criminal records that can be made available to interested members of the public. Anyone who wants to view, inspect, and make copies of arrest records has a legal right to request them from any government that maintains them. However, there is an exception in the state laws that prevents certain types of Lincoln County arrest records from being made public. Some examples of Lincoln County arrest records that are not public records include:

• Juvenile arrest records
• Arrest records that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation
• Arrest reports for rape cases and child abuse cases
• Medical records
• Arrest reports that show personal identifying data of an active law enforcement officer
• Arrest Report of persons in a witness protection program

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

A Lincoln County arrest record usually provides the following information:

• The name of the arrested person
• A detailed physical description of the detained individual
• The date and time of the arrest
• The last known address of the arrested person
• The name of the agency that made the arrest
• The booking number
• The charges against the suspect
• The suspect's next scheduled court date
• Bail and bond information

Lincoln County Arrest Statistics

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) portal publishes monthly arrest statistics for Lincoln County. The most recent data shows that from January to December 2023, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department made 1,235 arrests. Of these:

• 534 (43%) involved traffic violations
• 195 (15%) involved simple assault
• 231 (19%) involved drug possession
• 134 (12%) involved larceny
• 95 (8%) involved shoplifting

Find Lincoln County Arrest Records

Individuals can find Lincoln County arrest records at any law enforcement office in the county. Every police department and the county sheriff's office in Lincoln County has a records unit in charge of accepting public requests for arrest records. The Central Records Division creates and keeps law enforcement records for the department's official business. The Records Unit enters criminal data into an automated database system to process reports. The duties of the records staff include entering data from reports and citations, creating crime analysis reports, and submitting information to the federal Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Record units allow individuals to make requests in person, online, or by mail. For example, individuals can request arrest records from the Fayetteville police department by contacting the police records clerk. All requests involve completing a records request form and submitting it to the records unit division of the law enforcement agency. Requestors will need to provide the following key information, which will be used to search the law enforcement local database, including:

• The name of the arrested person.
• The time and date of the arrest.
• The arrest booking number (if known).

The length of time it takes a department to look up the arrest record is mostly determined by how long ago the arrest was made. Interested individuals can also find information on persons recently arrested and taken to the Lincoln County Jail by contacting the Lincoln County Sheriff's Jail Division at (931) 433-9821.

Free Arrest Record Search in Lincoln County

Lincoln County law enforcement offices allow free arrest record searches in cases where an individual is arrested in a mistaken identity case. The department waives the arrest fees and enables expedited access to these records.

Another helpful option for performing a free arrest records search in Lincoln County is through third-party websites. Third-party sites are privately owned platforms that curate arrest and other criminal records and offer these records and services to the general public. There are two types of third-party sites: free-to-use and subscription-based services. It is good practice to compare arrest records from third-party sites with those from government websites to ensure the accuracy of the information retrieved.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Forever. A Lincoln County arrest record will remain on a person's criminal record indefinitely until steps are taken to have the records erased. Once an arrest record is created, it will come up during background checks until it is erased from public access. Lincoln County law enforcement agencies retain arrest records in their in-house database for as long as the individual on the record is alive. Generally, the only legal way to remove an arrest from one's record in Lincoln County is to obtain an expungement or by sealing the record.

Expunge Lincoln County Arrest Records

Expungement is a court-mandated procedure that removes the legal records of certain criminal cases and arrests from the general public's view. Per Tennessee's expungement laws, Lincoln County courts can expunge only specific arrest records.

The first step in applying for an expungement of Lincoln County arrest records is to check eligibility.

The following categories of people are given priority for record expungement:

• Those who had charges against them dropped;
• Those who were detained and released without being charged, and those who went to trial and were found not guilty;
• Those whose case resulted in a nolle prosequi (prosecution will not be pursued).

Lincoln County, Tennessee, does not allow for the expungement of all charges and convictions. Serious felonies, sexual offenses, and some forms of DUI are among the charges that cannot be dropped. Nonetheless, expungement may be possible for misdemeanors, non-violent felonies, and drug offenses. In Tennessee, eligibility for expungement is also based on the type of offense. The amount of time since the violation was committed and whether or not the petitioner has faced any further criminal charges since their first offense are additional considerations taken into account before an expungement petition is granted.

To apply for an expungement, individuals only need to obtain an expungement request form, complete it, and submit it to the Lincoln County Court, where the judicial proceeding related to the case was done. The court will determine if the petition meets all the criteria set by law to permit an expungement. If the expungement petition succeeds, the court will order every agency with the arrest record to erase the records from every public database.

Lincoln County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a court order in which a judge or magistrate in Lincoln, Tennessee, instructs police to detain a suspect. A warrant for an arrest is typically issued when a suspect has not shown up for court or complied with court instructions or when there is reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime. Law enforcement must submit a complaint affidavit to the county court to get a warrant. The judge will then determine if there is enough evidence to permit the issuance of an arrest warrant. Arrest warrants issued by Lincoln County Courts usually provide the following information:

• The name of the suspect.
• The charges against the suspect.
• The date and time of the warrant issuance.
• The name of the issuing court.
• The title of the issuing judge or magistrate.
• Bail information (if set)

Warrants issued by a court in Lincoln County are sent to the county's administrative units of law enforcement offices. The warrants division of the administrative offices puts them in local databases so they can be searched at any law enforcement office in the county. Individuals can visit the offices of any law enforcement department to request a warrant search using the name and date of birth of a person of interest. Individuals can also request a list of active arrest warrants in the county.

Do Lincoln County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No arrest warrants do not expire; they remain valid until the law enforcement office executes them.