southdakotaCourtRecords.us is a privately owned website that is not owned or operated by any state government agency.
Notice

CourtRecords.us is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and does not assemble or evaluate information for the purpose of supplying consumer reports.

You understand that by clicking “I Agree” you consent to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy agree not to use information provided by CourtRecords.us for any purpose under the FCRA, including to make determinations regarding an individual’s eligibility for personal credit, insurance, employment, or for tenant screening.

This website contains information collected from public and private resources. CourtRecords.us cannot confirm that information provided below is accurate or complete. Please use information provided by CourtRecords.us responsibly.

You understand that by clicking “I Agree”, CourtRecords.us will conduct only a preliminary people search of the information you provide and that a search of any records will only be conducted and made available after you register for an account or purchase a report.

South Dakota Court Records

SouthDakotaCourtRecords.us is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the FCRA and does not provide consumer reports. All searches conducted on SouthDakotaCourtRecords.us are subject to the Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.

disclaimer

Brookings County Arrest Records

In Brookings County, arrests are legal devices used by law enforcement to uphold law and order, preserve public peace, protect lives and property, and prevent crime (SDCL 23A-3-1).

When a person is arrested in Brookings, they are immediately transported to the police station or jail and booked for the alleged offense. Booking involves documenting the offender's personal information, photograph, DNA, fingerprints, and arrest details. Concurrently, the suspect's arrest record will be generated by the arresting police department and shared with other criminal justice agencies, like the prosecutorial offices, to begin criminal proceedings.

Granted, not all arrests end in criminal prosecution. To determine if such proceedings ensued, one can search the Brookings County court records maintained by the local Clerk of Court's office.

Are Arrest Records Public in Brookings County?

Yes. South Dakota's Public Records Law, also referred to as the South Dakota Sunshine Law (SDCL, Chapter 1-27), permits public access to arrest records maintained by state and local criminal justice agencies. This means anyone can request arrest information maintained by law enforcement in Brookings.

Nevertheless, certain records cannot be seen or examined publicly, only by parties authorized by law. These include juvenile arrest records, medical records, sensitive personal information like financial account numbers, and records whose release could endanger the life or safety of a person.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Arrest records that the public can view or copy in Brookings County typically include the following details:

  • The full legal name of the person who was apprehended (i.e., the suspect or arrestee)
  • The arrestee's age and sex
  • The charges, including statutory code, description, and counts
  • Bail information, including amount and type

Brookings County Arrest Statistics

According to statistics extracted from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Crime Data Explorer, Brookings County's three reporting agencies (the local sheriff's officeBrookings PD, and South Dakota State University PD) documented 1,041 arrests in 2023.

The county sheriff's office reported 40 arrests, with Driving Under the Influence (14) and Drug/Narcotic Offenses (9) being the most recurrent arrests. On the other hand, the Brookings City Police Department made 661 arrests, with the highest numbers for Driving Under the Influence (180) and Simple Assault (109). Finally, the South Dakota State University Police Department noted 340 arrests, with Liquor Law Violations (221) and Drug/Narcotic Offenses (41) having higher arrest occurrences.

Find Brookings County Arrest Records

The first point of call for a Brookings County arrest record is typically the police agency that executed the arrest. Members of the public can contact the arresting police department's records unit during working hours to request information about a departmental arrest. The involved person's name and date of birth are often required for these searches, and a fee may apply to pick up or receive physical copies.

Members of the public can also request information about people apprehended in Brookings but held in custody from the Brookings County Sheriff's Office. This office operates the Brookings County Detention Center, which houses pre-trial, pre-sentenced, and sentenced adult male and female offenders. Besides contacting the Detention Center directly at (605) 696-8308, parties can also access the online Current Inmates List for jail information.

If the arrestee has already been transferred to a state prison, the inquirer may visit the Offender Locator page on the South Dakota Department of Corrections website for details. However, if the suspect were moved to federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons' Federal Inmate Locator is the appropriate resource for finding their whereabouts.

Note: While a local police agency in Brookings may disclose limited information about an arrest incident under the South Dakota Sunshine Law, only the subject of a record may see criminal history records ("rap sheets") maintained by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation Identification Section (DCI ID). These records feature statewide arrest, conviction, disposition, and correction information and are available to subjects upon submitting their fingerprints and the required fee to the DCI.

Free Arrest Record Search in Brookings County

Individuals who approach a police department in Brookings County for arrest records may be able to access limited information for free under South Dakota's Sunshine Law. However, many requests require the reproduction of official documents, and the requester must bear the associated charges.

Alternatively, a free arrest record search may be conducted on a private aggregator website. These websites are well known for assembling public records from various repositories and furnishing user-friendly systems for online record searches. However, although some information may be accessible without charge on a third-party website, payment may be necessary for comprehensive access.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Generally, arrests persist on a person's record throughout their lifetime and can only be obscured from public review by an expungement order.

However, SDCL 23A-3-34 permits the automatic removal of non-felony charges or convictions from a defendant's public record after five years, provided all court-ordered conditions have been satisfied, and the defendant has stayed conviction-free. A defendant's record—the entire criminal record related to an arrest—can also be automatically expunged after they successfully complete a diversion program (SDCL 23A-3-35 through 23A-3-37).

Expunge Brookings County Arrest Records

Contrary to the dictionary definition of the term "expungement," meaning to "obliterate or remove completely," an expungement in Brookings County does not physically destroy records. Per SDCL 23A-3-26, an expungement is a legal process that seals all records maintained by criminal justice agencies regarding a person's detection, arrest, detention, trial, or disposition of a criminal offense. Nevertheless, anyone who receives an expungement order in Brookings can state, without risk of perjury, that they have never been arrested, indicted, tried, or sentenced for the related offense.

Unless a person qualifies for automatic expungement (as explained above), the expungement process in South Dakota is initiated by filing a Motion For Expungement with the clerk of the court that had or would have had, jurisdiction over the criminal matter. In Brookings County, this presiding court will either be the circuit or magistrate court, but the Brookings County Clerk of Court's office receives all petitions. Each petition costs $70 to file, except if the petitioner qualifies for a fee waiver.

The South Dakota Judicial Branch provides guidelines and forms for beginning the expungement process and filing the motion for expungement in Brookings County. Parties can also read South Dakota's expungement statutes outlined in SDCL 23A-3-26 through 23A-3-33.

Brookings County Arrest Warrants

Brookings County magistrates issue arrest warrants under SDCL 23A-2-2. These warrants are formal orders addressed to peace officers, commanding the apprehension of a specific person believed to have committed a criminal offense. However, before any arrest warrant can be issued in Brookings, "probable cause" (i.e., reasonable grounds to suspect a person of a crime) must be established by the requesting prosecuting attorney or law enforcement officer via an affidavit or complaint.

Arrest warrants in Brookings identify/describe the suspected offender, state their alleged crime, indicate the issuing date and jurisdiction, carry the committing magistrate's signature, and include any applicable bond information.

Do Brookings County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. In Brookings County, arrest warrants remain effective until law enforcement officers serve or execute them. One way to find an outstanding arrest warrant in Brookings is to access the local sheriff's Active Warrant Lists or review case records maintained by the clerk of court.

disclaimer
  • Criminal Records
  • Arrests Records
  • Warrants
  • Driving Violations
  • Inmate Records
  • Felonies
  • Misdemeanors
  • Bankruptcies
  • Tax & Property Liens
  • Civil Judgements
  • Federal Dockets
  • Probate Records
  • Marriage Records
  • Divorce Records
  • Death Records
  • Property Records
  • Asset Records
  • Business Ownership
  • Professional Licenses
  • And More!