NYPD records and court criminal records are not the same thing
If you are trying to find a New York City criminal record, the correct government office depends on what you actually need. NYPD maintains police-created records such as qualifying complaint and arrest records and provides Certificates of Conduct. Criminal court cases, dispositions and convictions are maintained by the New York State Unified Court System. New York State criminal-history rap sheets are maintained separately by the Division of Criminal Justice Services, while New York City jail custody information comes from the Department of Correction.
Choose the record source before searching a person’s name
“Criminal record” can refer to several completely different records in New York City. No single NYPD page contains every police arrest, court case, conviction, jail stay and statewide criminal-history record.
Police-created record
Complaint reports, qualifying arrest-related material, aided reports, FOIL records and Certificates of Conduct.
Pending misdemeanor / arraignment case
Court dates and qualifying pending criminal case information may appear through WebCriminal.
Indicted felony case
Felony prosecutions after indictment are generally handled in Supreme Court, Criminal Term for the appropriate borough/county.
Statewide public court history
Name-and-date-of-birth search of public pending and conviction records reported by qualifying New York courts.
Your official New York rap sheet
Fingerprint-based Record of Arrest and Prosecution maintained by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Jail custody
Current New York City Department of Correction custody, charges, court location, bail and related detention information.
What records can you request directly from NYPD?
NYPD’s Record Requests page separates several services because different units maintain different records.
Complaint report verification
Provides verification of complaint reports and aided reports under the department’s published request procedures.
FOIL requests
Use Freedom of Information Law procedures for NYPD records that are not available through a simpler dedicated record-request process.
Certificate of Conduct
Fingerprint-based NYPD criminal-history/background check covering the five boroughs of New York City.
Request an NYPD Verification of a Complaint Report
NYPD’s Criminal Records Unit maintains crime and lost-property reports and provides qualifying information from those files.
Requests can currently be submitted online or by mail. Reports are returned by mail or email and are not picked up at Police Headquarters. The Criminal Records Unit itself is not open to the public.
Mailing address
New York City Police DepartmentAttn: Criminal Records Unit (Verification Unit)
One Police Plaza
New York, NY 10038
Phone: 718-610-8457
Additional paperwork
NYPD states that complainants or victims who designate an authorized representative must complete the required authorization and have it notarized when applicable.
Aided reports
NYPD also states that Aided Reports are provided free of charge. Those requests are submitted by mail under the department’s published process.
How to request NYPD arrest records through FOIL
When the record you need is not provided through one of NYPD’s simpler record-request services, New York’s Freedom of Information Law may be the appropriate path.
NYPD requires FOIL requests to be in writing and sufficiently detailed to allow staff to locate the requested record.
Identify the record type
State whether you are asking for an arrest record, complaint report, incident record, photograph, video, report attachment or another identifiable NYPD record.
Provide the report identifiers you know
Include report number, report date, precinct, location of occurrence and other specific identifying information when available.
For an arrest record, add arrest-specific information
NYPD asks requesters to include the complete arrest number when known or the arrested person’s name, date of birth, NYSID, arrest date and arrest precinct.
Submit through NYPD’s FOIL process
Use NYPD’s Legal Bureau FOIL page and follow its current electronic, mail or appointment instructions.
NYPD Certificate of Conduct: the NYC five-borough background check
A Certificate of Conduct—formerly called a Good Conduct Certificate—is an NYPD criminal-history/background search covering the five boroughs of New York City.
This is different from:
- a statewide New York OCA CHRS report
- a DCJS personal rap sheet
- an FBI Identity History Summary
- a Certificate of Disposition from a court
- a WebCriminal pending-case lookup
- an NYPD complaint report
| Requirement | Current NYPD procedure |
|---|---|
| Fee | $50 |
| Appointment | Required. Walk-ins are not accepted. |
| Location | One Police Plaza, Room 152-A, New York, NY 10038 |
| Fingerprint/photo | Applicant is fingerprinted and photographed. |
| Identification | Valid original identity documentation is required under NYPD’s published list. |
| Processing | NYPD states processing and mailing normally occurs within approximately 10 business days. |
| Delivery | Certificates are mailed after processing. |
Appointments are scheduled through NYPD Online by selecting Services and the appointment option.
One Police Plaza
NYPD Certificate of Conduct & Non-Criminal Fingerprint UnitOne Police Plaza, Room 152-A
Rear of 1 Centre Street
New York, NY 10038-1497
Phone: 646-610-5541
Fingerprint / office hours
Fingerprinting services: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
An appointment is still required for fingerprinting services.
Search qualifying pending New York City criminal cases with WebCriminal
New York State Unified Court System’s WebCriminal service provides public information about criminal cases with future appearance dates in selected New York courts, including New York City criminal courts.
Search options currently include:
- case number
- summons number
- defendant first and last name
- corporation name
- court calendar
- court part or judge where supported
How to find a finished New York City criminal case
A completed criminal case may disappear from WebCriminal because that system focuses on cases with future appearance dates.
For a finished case, use one of these paths:
Specific case file
Contact the Criminal Court or Supreme Court, Criminal Term that handled the prosecution.
Official case outcome
Request the certified court document showing the charge, conviction where applicable, disposition and sentence.
Statewide name search
Use OCA’s paid statewide public criminal-history search when you need a broader court-system search rather than one known case.
Get a Certificate of Disposition for an official NYC case result
A Certificate of Disposition is an official court document bearing the court seal that states what happened in a criminal case.
Depending on the case, it can identify:
- the criminal charge
- the disposition
- the conviction, if any
- the conviction date
- the sentence
- other identifying case information
To request one, contact the court that handled the case. Be ready with the docket, indictment or case number when possible, plus the defendant’s name and date of birth.
OCA statewide Criminal History Record Search covers more than NYPD
The New York State Office of Court Administration provides a statewide public Criminal History Record Search (CHRS).
| CHRS feature | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Fee | $95 per statewide search |
| Search fields | Exact match of name and date of birth |
| Coverage | Public pending and conviction records from qualifying County/Supreme, City, Town and Village Courts statewide |
| Sealed cases | Not disclosed |
| Federal cases | Not included |
| Certified? | No. CHRS should not be confused with a court-issued Certificate of Disposition. |
| Online availability | Direct Access is available online; qualifying “No Results Found” responses can be returned in real time. |
OCA Criminal History Record Search CHRS Direct Access
Older Town and Village Court data
OCA warns that Town and Village Court disposition data has historical limitations: disposition information is unavailable for part of the 1991-2002 period, data from 2002-2007 is limited, and all Town and Village Courts have reported to OCA since May 2007.
Use DCJS to obtain your own official New York State rap sheet
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services maintains the state’s official fingerprint-based criminal-history record, commonly called a rap sheet or Record of Arrest and Prosecution.
A Personal Record Review can be requested in two versions:
More complete personal review
Includes information that may otherwise be suppressed or sealed from ordinary public reporting, subject to DCJS rules.
Excludes qualifying sealed information
Omits information that New York law treats as sealed or suppressed under the applicable statutes.
DCJS states that Personal Record Review requests require fingerprints. A fingerprint-processing/vendor charge can apply, and a fee-waiver process is available for qualifying individuals who cannot afford the processing cost.
Record Review contact:
518-457-9847 or
518-485-7675
RecordReview@dcjs.ny.gov
How to find someone arrested by NYPD in the last 24–48 hours
A person who was arrested very recently may still be in NYPD custody and may not yet appear in the NYC Department of Correction inmate system.
Call 311 within New York City or 212-639-9675 from outside NYC.
After arraignment, use NYC Department of Correction for jail custody
If a person has been in custody for more than approximately 24–48 hours or has already appeared before a judge, NYC311 directs users to the Department of Correction’s Incarcerated Person Lookup Service.
The lookup can provide information such as:
- current charges
- court date
- court location
- book and case number
- NYSID
- holding location
- release date
- bail or bond amount
WebCriminal does not show warrants
New York Courts specifically states that WebCriminal does not display warrants. This is an important limitation because a failed WebCriminal name search should not be interpreted as proof that no warrant exists.
Warrant questions may involve:
- NYC Criminal Court
- Supreme Court, Criminal Term
- NYPD
- another New York county
- state parole/probation authorities
- federal authorities
New York City Criminal Court locations by borough
NYC Criminal Court operates in all five boroughs. The borough name used by the court system may differ from the familiar city name: New York County means Manhattan, Kings County means Brooklyn, and Richmond County means Staten Island.
| Borough | County name | Main Criminal Court location | Useful note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | New York County | 100 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013 | Misdemeanor cases, arraignments and felony preliminary proceedings. |
| Bronx | Bronx County | 215 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451 | Criminal Court branch; additional criminal court operations also use 265 East 161st Street. |
| Brooklyn | Kings County | 120 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11210 | Use Kings County when searching court or conviction records for Brooklyn cases. |
| Queens | Queens County | 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415 | Criminal Court and qualifying Supreme Court criminal matters are handled in Queens. |
| Staten Island | Richmond County | 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301/10304 area | Use Richmond County when searching Staten Island criminal court records. |
NYC Criminal Court Information Line: 646-386-4900
Why an NYPD felony arrest may move to New York Supreme Court
NYC Criminal Court handles misdemeanors and lesser offenses and conducts arraignments and preliminary proceedings in felony matters.
If a felony case proceeds by indictment, the prosecution generally moves to the Supreme Court, Criminal Term in the appropriate borough. In New York, “Supreme Court” is a trial-level court despite the name.
Why a New York criminal record may disappear from public searches
New York uses sealing extensively. A sealed record still exists but is hidden from ordinary public access under the applicable law.
New York Courts states that qualifying favorable dispositions are generally automatically sealed. Examples can include:
- acquittal
- dismissal
- certain grand-jury dismissals
- successful qualifying ACD dismissal
- declined prosecution
- certain vacated judgments
- youthful-offender matters
- other qualifying favorable dispositions
New York Clean Slate sealing is still being implemented
New York’s Clean Slate Act took effect on November 16, 2024. The law provides for automatic sealing of many eligible misdemeanor and felony convictions after specified waiting periods.
Three-year waiting period
Eligible misdemeanor convictions generally become eligible three years after sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later, subject to other statutory conditions.
Eight-year waiting period
Eligible felony convictions generally use an eight-year waiting period, again subject to statutory exclusions and other conditions.
Certain convictions—including many non-drug Class A felonies and sex offenses—are not eligible for Clean Slate sealing.
What to do when your New York record contains a mistake
One common problem is a case that should be sealed but still appears on a person’s DCJS criminal-history record.
Federal criminal records are outside NYPD and New York State courts
NYPD records, WebCriminal, OCA CHRS and DCJS do not substitute for federal criminal records.
PACER
Use PACER for public federal criminal dockets and court documents.
FBI Identity History Summary
Use the FBI’s fingerprint-based Identity History Summary process for your own federal/nationwide record.
NYPD Certificate of Conduct location at One Police Plaza
Certificate of Conduct and non-criminal fingerprint appointments are handled at NYPD headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Walk-ins are not accepted for fingerprint services.
Certificate of Conduct Unit
One Police PlazaRoom 152-A
Rear of 1 Centre Street
New York, NY 10038-1497
Phone: 646-610-5541
Schedule first
Use NYPD Online to schedule the appointment and review the current identity-document requirements before traveling to Police Headquarters.
Certificate processing normally takes approximately 10 working days after the appointment.
Map is lazy-loaded so it does not block the initial page render.
Local NYC criminal-record search tips that prevent wasted searches
NYPD is not the court
Request police-created records from NYPD, but obtain case outcomes from the Unified Court System.
WebCriminal is mainly for pending cases
A finished case can disappear from WebCriminal even though the court record still exists.
WebCriminal does not show warrants
Do not interpret a failed name search as confirmation that there is no active warrant.
Think in borough/county names
Brooklyn is Kings County, Manhattan is New York County and Staten Island is Richmond County.
A felony case can move courts
An NYPD felony arrest may begin in Criminal Court and later continue in Supreme Court, Criminal Term.
Use the disposition, not the arrest charge
Charges can change. A Certificate of Disposition is much better evidence of the final court result.
CHRS requires exact name + DOB
A spelling variation or alternate date of birth can prevent OCA from reporting a match.
Very recent arrest? Call 311
Someone arrested within the past 24–48 hours may still be in NYPD custody and not yet appear in DOC lookup.
Get your own rap sheet before disputing
A fingerprint-based DCJS Record Review shows what New York actually maintains about you.
Employment, housing and regulated background-check use
An NYPD police record, WebCriminal result, jail lookup or informal public-record search is not automatically the same thing as a legally compliant consumer report.
Frequently asked questions about NYPD and NYC criminal records
1. Can I search a person’s complete criminal record directly through NYPD?
No. NYPD maintains police-created records and provides services such as Certificates of Conduct, but criminal court records are maintained by the New York State Unified Court System. Statewide official rap sheets are maintained by DCJS.
2. Is WebCriminal free?
Yes. WebCriminal provides free public information about qualifying criminal cases with future appearance dates in selected New York courts, including New York City.
3. Does WebCriminal show finished criminal cases?
Generally no. New York Courts describes WebCriminal as a service for cases with future appearance dates. Finished cases, sealed cases and warrants are not shown through the ordinary WebCriminal search.
4. How much does an NYPD Certificate of Conduct cost?
NYPD currently charges $50. An appointment is required at One Police Plaza, where the applicant is fingerprinted and photographed.
5. How much does a New York statewide OCA criminal-history search cost?
The New York State Office of Court Administration currently charges $95 for a statewide Criminal History Record Search based on an exact match of name and date of birth.
6. How do I find someone arrested by NYPD today?
For someone arrested within approximately the last 24–48 hours who has not yet appeared before a judge, call NYC311. From outside New York City call 212-639-9675.
7. Where do I find someone who has already been arraigned and sent to a NYC jail?
Use the New York City Department of Correction incarcerated-person lookup. It can provide custody location, charges, court information, NYSID, bail and related details.
8. Can I request my own New York rap sheet?
Yes. Use the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Personal Record Review process. The process is fingerprint-based and may provide a suppressed or unsuppressed version of your record.
9. Why did a criminal case disappear from a public search?
The case may be finished, sealed, subject to youthful-offender confidentiality, outside the search system’s coverage or affected by Clean Slate or another sealing law.
10. Is a Certificate of Conduct the same as a Certificate of Disposition?
No. A Certificate of Conduct is an NYPD background-check service covering the five boroughs. A Certificate of Disposition is issued by the court and certifies the outcome of a specific criminal case.
Official government sources for verification
Fees, court technology and access rules can change. Confirm important information with the agency or court that maintains the original record.
- NYPD Record Requests
- NYPD Freedom of Information Law Requests
- NYPD Online appointment services
- New York Courts e-Courts
- New York WebCriminal
- OCA Criminal History Record Search
- Certificate of Disposition
- New York Criminal Records Basics
- New York Sealed Criminal Records
- New York Clean Slate Act
- New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Record Review
- NYC311 — Find an Arrested Person
- NYC311 — Incarcerated Person Location and Information