Bristol Arrest Records

Bristol booking reports show arrests made by the Bristol Police Department. The city has a population of about 61,000 and is in Hartford County. Bristol Police post an arrest blotter online with names, charges, and arrest details. The blotter is updated regularly and is public under Connecticut law. You can also get paper copies of arrest reports from the Bristol Police Records Division. All inmates from Bristol are held in state facilities run by the Connecticut Department of Correction since county jails were eliminated in 1968.

Bristol Police Arrest Blotter

The Bristol Police Department publishes an arrest blotter online. This is a list of recent arrests in the city. Each entry shows the person's name, address, arrest date, charges, and bond amount. The blotter is at bristolct.gov/560/Arrest-Blotter. It is updated regularly and covers recent arrests in Bristol.

The arrest blotter gives basic info on who was arrested and what they were charged with. You can see the charge descriptions and the Connecticut statute numbers for each offense. The blotter is free to view. You do not need to create an account or pay a fee to see the arrest list in Bristol.

The blotter shows arrest date, name, address, age, race, sex, charge descriptions, bond amounts, and case numbers. Some fields may be blank depending on the arrest. Court dates are also listed if known at the time the blotter is generated in Bristol.

Note: The Bristol arrest blotter only shows arrests by Bristol Police; it does not include state police or other agencies.

Bristol Police Records Division

The Bristol Police Records Division keeps all arrest records and incident reports. They manage department files, parking tickets, alarm registrations, and motor vehicle and criminal statistics. You can request copies of police reports from this division at the police station in Bristol.

To get a copy of a police report in Bristol, call the Records Division. Ask if your report is ready before you go to pick it up. Police reports are typically available in three working days. Some may take longer. Report information is not given over the phone due to the large number of calls received in Bristol.

Copy fees are $0.50 per side of paper. An accident report involving two cars is usually eight pages, which costs $4.00. Accident reports are also available online through a third-party service. You can order them at buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com for an additional fee.

Getting Arrest Reports in Bristol

Arrests and incidents are often available five days after they happen. To be sure, wait seven to ten working days before you pick them up. Call the Records Division at (860) 584-3061 to find out if your report is ready in Bristol.

Reports with arrest information are not available until all charges are adjudicated in court. If someone is arrested and the case is still open, you cannot get a full copy of the arrest report from the police. For those who need an arrest report before their court date, a lawyer may contact the court clerk to get a copy in Bristol.

Some reports are not released by the Bristol Police Department. These include incidents pertaining to juveniles, medical reports, statements, sexual assaults, and uncorroborated allegations. If your request involves any of these, you may be denied or receive a redacted version.

Local criminal record checks are available in person at the Bristol Police Department. You need valid identification. The fee is $10.00. Any credit card transaction has a 2.95 percent additional fee added in Bristol.

Connecticut Inmate Records

Connecticut does not use county jails. All people arrested and held in custody go to state correctional facilities. The Connecticut Department of Correction manages all inmates in the state. This includes people arrested in Bristol who are held without bail or pending trial.

The DOC inmate search is at ctinmateinfo.state.ct.us/searchop.asp. You can search by name, date of birth, or DOC inmate number. The system shows current inmates and their custody status. It tells you where they are held and what charges they face. The database updates daily but may have short delays.

What the inmate search shows:

• Name and inmate number
• Date of birth
• Status (sentenced or accused)
• Primary offense
• Current location
• Admission date
• Sentencing date if applicable
• Minimum and maximum release dates if applicable
• Photo

The system does not include youthful offenders or federal immigration detainees. If someone was arrested in Bristol but released on bond, they will not appear in the inmate search. It only covers people physically in DOC custody at a state facility.

Note: The DOC maintains incarceration dates; incarceration does not necessarily mean conviction.

Court Records for Bristol Arrests

After an arrest in Bristol, the case goes to the Connecticut Judicial Branch courts. Court records are separate from booking reports. They show what happens after the arrest, including charges filed, hearings, pleas, and outcomes. You can search for court cases online through several databases in Connecticut.

The main page for criminal searches is at jud.ct.gov/crim.htm. From there you can access searches for convictions, pending cases, arrest warrants, and daily dockets. Each search covers a different part of the court process in Bristol and Hartford County.

Available searches include:

• Convictions by defendant name
• Convictions by docket number
• Pending cases by name or docket
• Daily dockets by court
• Active arrest warrants

Conviction information stays online for 10 years or less, based on the type of case. Youthful offender cases, juvenile cases, and infractions do not appear in public searches. The online databases are updated regularly but may not reflect same-day court activity in Bristol.

Are Arrest Records Public in Bristol

Yes. Arrest records are public in Bristol under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act. This state law requires police to disclose arrest records to anyone who asks. You do not need to give a reason for your request.

Connecticut General Statutes Section 1-215 covers arrest record disclosure. It says that records of any arrest are public records. Police must provide at least one of the following: arrest report, incident report, news release, or similar document. The law requires basic details like name, address, date, time, place, and offense to be disclosed in Bristol.

Some records are not public. These include juvenile arrests, ongoing investigation records, sealed or expunged cases, and files related to sexual assault victims. Medical details and witness names may be redacted from reports you receive in Bristol.

You may need to pay copy fees and wait several days for the police to process your request. Reports tied to active court cases may not be available until the case is finished. Call the Records Division at (860) 584-3061 to ask about specific records in Bristol.

Record Erasure in Bristol

Connecticut allows certain arrest records to be erased. Erasure removes the record from public view. It applies mainly to arrests that did not result in conviction. The rules are in Connecticut General Statutes Section 54-142a and apply statewide, including in Bristol.

Not guilty verdicts are erased immediately. Dismissed cases are erased 13 months after the dismissal. If the state drops charges with a nolle prosequi, the record is erased after 13 months. Some older misdemeanor and felony convictions may also qualify for erasure after 7 or 10 years.

The Clean Slate Program handles automatic erasures for eligible offenses. The list of qualifying offenses is at portal.ct.gov/cleanslate/. Some offenses cannot be erased even if listed. Family violence crimes and certain other exceptions apply under the statute.

Once your record is erased, it should not show up in most public searches or background checks in Bristol. The police and courts keep sealed copies but do not disclose them to the public. Erasure can take several months to fully process across all systems in Connecticut.

Note: Erasure does not happen instantly; update your own records and confirm erasure with the police and courts.

Hartford County Booking Reports

Bristol is in Hartford County. Arrests in the city are handled by Bristol Police, but county courts and state facilities manage cases after booking. For more on county resources, court locations, and statewide arrest data, visit the Hartford County booking reports page.

View Hartford County Booking Reports