Waterbury Arrest Data
Waterbury booking reports show arrest info from the Waterbury Police Department and state custody records from the Connecticut DOC. Waterbury has about 114,000 residents and is in New Haven County. The police post news on arrests through press releases and maintain a records division for report requests. Connecticut merged all county jails under state control in 1968, so anyone in state custody shows up in the DOC inmate search. Local police keep their own arrest logs for cases they handle in Waterbury. The city had 6,954 arrests in 2021, the second highest in New Haven County after New Haven city itself.
Waterbury Quick Facts
Waterbury Police Records Division
The Waterbury Police Department Records Division keeps all arrest records and incident reports for the city. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, closed on holidays. You can request records in person, by mail, or through their online records request portal. The online system lets you submit a request from home and track its status.
To request a record, you need to know basic info like the date of the incident, names involved, or the case number. The records staff will search for the report and let you know if it is available. Some reports are not available until after court proceedings finish. If your request involves an arrest where charges are still pending, the full report may be withheld. Basic arrest info like name, date, and charge is usually available right away under Connecticut FOIA law.
Fees apply for copies. The cost varies based on the type of report and how many pages it has. Call the records division to ask about current fees before you submit a request. Most police reports are ready within a few business days. Accident reports may take longer depending on how complex the case is. You can also check online for some accident reports through third-party vendors if you need them fast.
| Office | Waterbury Police Records Division |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM (closed holidays) |
| Request Portal | waterburyct.govqa.us |
| Police Website | wtbypd.org |
Arrest News and Press Releases
The Waterbury Police post news and press releases on their website about major arrests and police activity. These releases give details on arrests for serious crimes like DUI, robbery, assault, or drug offenses. Each release has the date, name of the person arrested, charges, and a summary of what happened. Press releases are public and anyone can read them on the police site.
Press releases do not show every arrest. They focus on cases the department wants to highlight. For a complete list of arrests, you need to request arrest logs from the records division. Some cities publish daily or weekly arrest logs online, but Waterbury handles this through records requests. You can also search court records to see what happened with a specific arrest after charges are filed.
Connecticut DOC Inmate Search
If someone from Waterbury is in state custody, their booking info is at the Connecticut Department of Correction. The DOC runs all state jails and prisons. You can search for current inmates on the DOC inmate search portal by name, DOC number, or date of birth. Results show current location, offense, admission date, release dates if known, photo, and discipline history.
The DOC updates this data daily. It includes sentenced inmates and those on accused status waiting for trial. Being in custody does not mean a conviction. Some people are held while their case is pending. The database does not include youthful offenders or ICE detainees. For confirmation of a conviction, contact the State Police Bureau of Identification, which keeps official criminal history records in Connecticut.
Note: Less search criteria often leads to better results on the DOC inmate search. Enter just the last name or first few letters for broader results.
Court Case Lookup for Waterbury
Waterbury court cases are part of the Waterbury judicial district in New Haven County. You can search for cases using the Judicial Branch criminal lookup site. This state system has several search tools. You can search convictions by defendant name, look up pending cases, view daily dockets by court, or check arrest warrants. The site covers all judicial districts in Connecticut, including Waterbury.
Conviction info stays on the site for up to ten years after sentencing unless court rules say it should come down sooner. The site removes conviction data one month before the end of that period. Juvenile cases, youthful offender cases, and infractions do not appear. The court notes that data may change due to erasures, pardons, or corrections. For court phone numbers and locations, check the site lists by judicial district.
Available court searches include:
- Convictions by defendant name
- Convictions by docket number
- Pending cases by defendant name
- Pending cases by docket number
- Daily dockets by court
- Arrest warrants
Waterbury Crime Statistics
Waterbury had a violent crime rate of 24.1 per 10,000 residents in 2021. The property crime rate was 251.4 per 10,000. These rates are higher than some other parts of New Haven County but lower than New Haven city. The Waterbury judicial district had 6,954 arrests in 2021, the second highest in the county. Crime rates help show trends over time but do not show individual arrest outcomes.
If you want to know what happened with a specific arrest, search court records using the Judicial Branch site. That will show the outcome of the case, not just the arrest. Court records show whether charges were dropped, dismissed, reduced, or resulted in a conviction. Crime statistics only show the number of arrests and reported crimes in a given area.
Public Records Law in Connecticut
Arrest records in Waterbury are public under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act. Connecticut General Statutes § 1-215 says arrest records are public. Police must provide the name, address, date, time, place, and offense for each arrest. They can give you the arrest report, incident report, or a news release about the arrest. Some records are not public. These include records of ongoing investigations, juvenile arrests, sealed or expunged records, and personal info of sexual assault victims.
If you request a record and get denied, you can file a complaint with the Freedom of Information Commission. The commission is in Hartford at 165 Capitol Ave., Suite 1100. Call (860) 566-5682 or toll-free at (866) 374-3617. Complaints must be filed within 30 days of the denial. The commission website is at portal.ct.gov/foi. You can file by mail or email to foi@ct.gov.
How Long Arrests Stay on Record
Arrest records in Waterbury stay on file unless they are erased. Connecticut has automatic erasure rules under General Statutes § 54-142a. If your case resulted in a not guilty verdict, the records erase right away. If your case was dismissed or nolled, the records erase 13 months later. Misdemeanor convictions can erase after seven years. Some felonies and DUI convictions erase after ten years.
The Clean Slate program helps with erasure for eligible offenses listed in state law. Even if an offense is on the list, it may not qualify if it was a family violence crime. Check Connecticut General Statutes § 54-142a for the full rules. Once erased, the record should not show up in public searches. It may take time for all systems to update. For help with erasure, contact the court or a lawyer.
Note: Erased records are removed from public view but may still exist for law enforcement purposes.
Other New Haven County Cities
Other large cities in New Haven County also have arrest records. New Haven, Hamden, Meriden, and West Haven all have populations over 25,000. Each city police department has its own records division. Check their websites for arrest logs and contact info. Some cities post daily arrest logs online, while others only provide records on request.
Nearby cities with populations over 25,000:
New Haven County Booking Reports
Waterbury is in New Haven County, which had over 22,000 arrests in 2021 across three judicial districts. For more on county-wide crime statistics, local police departments, and state inmate data, visit the New Haven County page.