Free Rhode Island Warrant Search: Find Details on Who’s Wanted

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Free Rhode Island Warrant Search

Find out if you or someone else has a warrant out for their arrest in Rhode Island, free of charge.

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Run a free Rhode Island warrant search on anyone in the state and learn if you or anyone you know has a warrant out for their arrest. In addition to arrests, warrants also pertain to legal searches for specific evidence linked to potential criminal investigations.

All arrest and search warrants are created by courts or law enforcement agencies, but it’s key to know who hosts this information and how to access it. By following the steps laid out in this streamlined resource, you can learn how to look up free warrant information on any Rhode Island resident.

Can the Public See Warrant Information in Rhode Island?

Under the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act, records created by public bodies, or government agencies, are public records and available to members of the public.¹ The nature of warrants is that they are created by courts of law or law enforcement agencies to facilitate arrests and searches for evidence.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2(4)(D), there are exceptions to the public record law as it pertains to warrants.

The law prohibits disclosure of public records maintained by law enforcement agencies to the extent that the disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with criminal investigations, endanger the life of an individual, or violate a person’s constitutional protections like the right to privacy or a fair trial.

Warrants are created and maintained by law enforcement agencies for the purpose of criminal investigations and enforcement, therefore, this exception applies to them. More importantly, Under subsection (F), all reports that reflect information concerning the initial arrest of an adult person and the charges brought against them must be public.

Moreover, an arrest warrant is almost always made public after it is served on an individual and they are arrested. The warrant begins the criminal case that will be filed in a trial court. These criminal cases become public and citizens will have access to the case information.

Search warrants are part of the process that leads to an arrest warrant. Typically, only the person who owns or has access to the place or thing to be searched will be informed about the contents of the search warrant. They are generally not public records as a disclosure would most likely interfere with an investigation.

It should be noted that citizens can request to view or obtain warrants, and law enforcement can redact any information in the warrants that would violate the public records exception laws.

Important Insights When Conducting a Rhode Island Warrant Search

Interested parties conducting warrant searches in Rhode Island should know basic information about the person named on it. A researcher should at least know the name of the individual on the warrant and the county or city where it was issued.

This will help researchers know what type of records to request or search for to find warrant information. In Rhode Island, a felony warrant can be found by contacting the issuing law enforcement agency, state court, or jail. Misdemeanor warrant information can generally be found through the issuing police department.

Information from a warrant issued in Rhode Island can also be found through the federal court and federal agencies. Learn how to search these agencies in the sections below.

How To Track Down Details of Active Arrest Warrants in RI for Free

There are several ways to perform a Rhode Island warrant check on the state level. A free warrant search can be performed through the Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal. This case management and search tool allows anyone to conduct a criminal case search for free.

The Public Portal allows interested parties to search by an individual’s name. By navigating to the ‘Advanced Filtering Options’, researchers can narrow the scope of their search by court, date, and case type.

The search also allows users to select if results will include cases and/or warrants. It’s prudent to check both cases and warrants, as this will provide the best results.

Warrants are formal charging or offense documents. When results are generated, researchers can select the case number of the individual case they are researching. This will reveal the offense in the criminal case.

Under the ‘Case Information’ heading, the ‘Offense’ can be found, in addition to the arresting law enforcement agency and court with jurisdiction over the case. Researchers will also learn when the offense occurred and when it was filed.

The search displays criminal cases filed in both Rhode Island Superior Courts and District Courts.³ Superior Courts maintain felony case records, and the District Courts maintain misdemeanor case records.

Information from a warrant in Rhode Island can also be found through the State Department of Corrections.⁴ The State of Rhode Island Department of Corrections is an integrated prison and jail system. It houses those convicted of crimes and serving prison sentences and those detained prior to the resolution of their criminal case.

The Rhode Island Department of Corrections inmate search tool allows members of the public to discover the offense an individual was charged with or convicted of. The search function only requires a last name to yield results.

When results are generated, you can determine if an individual is in jail or prison based on the security facility. Jails are indicated by ‘Intake Service Center’ and prisons are indicated by ‘Minimum Security’. The initial results also provide details that include first and last names, race and age, and the city of the last known residence.

Researchers can find further information about a particular inmate by selecting ‘Inmate Details’. This is where the offense that led to an arrest can be found. It can be found under the ‘Description’ heading.

For more information concerning inmate records, call 401.462.3900.

Rhode Island Department of Corrections
40 Howard Ave
Cranston, Rhode Island 02920

Rhode Island has two state-wide law enforcement agencies that make arrests, generate reports, and serve bench warrants issued by the courts. The Rhode Island State Police complies with the Public Records Act and allows members of the public to submit a public records request form. This form will give citizens access to police records that reflect information concerning the initial arrest of an individual.

Requesters do not have to provide identification or a reason for requesting police records. However, the request must provide accurate details of the incident related to the police report in question.

Requests may be submitted in person to one of the Rhode Island State Police barracks.⁷ They may also be faxed, emailed, or mailed to the Rhode Island State Police Headquarters.

Rhode Island State Police
311 Danielson Pike
North Scituate, Rhode Island 02857

Fax: 401.444.1105
Email: records@risp.gov

The Rhode Island Sheriff’s Office issues its own arrest and search warrants and executes bench warrants on behalf of the Rhode Island Judiciary.⁸ Interested parties may request police reports from this agency by completing a Sheriff’s public records request form. Completed forms may be submitted by fax, email, mail, or in person.

For more information concerning police report requests, call 401.444.1083.

Rhode Island Department of Public Safety Legal Office
311 Danielson Pike
N. Scituate, Rhode Island 02857

Check Out Warrants via Municipal Agencies in Rhode Island

A warrant search may also be conducted on the local municipal level. Most arrests are executed by local police departments, so researchers should certainly request police records from these departments.

The Providence Police Department services its residents with law enforcement duties.¹⁰ It offers members of the public the opportunity to request police reports that detail arrests by its open records portal.

Requesters must provide sufficient detail of the incident or arrest so the police department can locate the report. Ensure that the request is from the ‘Police Department’ under the ‘Department’ heading.

Providence Police Department
325 Washington St.
Providence, Rhode Island 02903

Phone: 401.272.3121

The Warwick Police Department offers an online records request for interested persons looking for warrant information.¹¹ Requesters must provide the name of the individual involved in the arrest and the date of the incident.

Under ‘Report Type’ select ‘Arrest Report’. Provide as much detail as possible, as research fees cost $15 per hour after the first hour.

Warwick Police Department
99 Veterans Memorial Drive
Warwick, RI 02886

Phone: 401.468.4200

The Cranston Police Department maintains a repository for police reports that include arrest and warrant information.¹² Interested persons may complete a public records request form and check ‘Arrest’ to gain access to arrest reports. Requests may be faxed, emailed, mailed, or hand-delivered in person.

Contact the department at 401.942.2211 if you have questions concerning police record requests.

Cranston Police Department
5 Garfield Ave
Cranston, RI 02920

Fax: 401.477.5112
Email: recordsrequest@cranstonpoliceri.com

The Pawtucket Police Department is an agency within the city government that issues and serves arrest warrants.¹³ The city law department provides a public records request form for citizens to obtain records from city departments, including the police department. Requests may be emailed, mailed, or hand-delivered to the Law Department.

For more information, call the law Pawtucket Law Department at 401.728.0500.

Pawtucket City Hall
137 Roosevelt Ave, Rm 209
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860

Pawtucket Police Department
121 Roosevelt Ave
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860

Phone: 401.727.9100
Email: fmilos@pawtucketri.com

The East Providence Police Department is part of the city government and requests for police records should be directed to the city Legal Department.¹⁴

Interested persons can request police records through the Access to Public Records Act Request Form. This online form allows members of the public to complete a records request online and decide the preferred method of receipt – email, fax, or mail.

For more information, contact the city Legal Department at 401.435.7523.

East Providence Police Department
750 Waterman Avenue
East Providence, Rhode Island 02914

Retrieve Federal Warrant Information for Rhode Island & All Other States

Aside from state-level warrant lookups, interested parties can conduct a warrant search through federal agencies. Searchers can check for federal warrant information the through several agencies listed below.

DEA Fugitives List: Provides the name, photo, physical characteristics, federal drug offenses alleged to have been committed, and reward amount for information that leads to the capture of fugitives on the list.

FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives: A list of the 10 most wanted individuals alleged to have committed violent federal offenses. It provides their name, photo, physical characteristics, detailed description of the offenses committed, and a reward amount for information that leads to their capture.

U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted Fugitives: A list of the 15 most wanted people who have committed violent offenses and either escaped incarceration or police custody, or skipped a court appearance. The list allows members of the public to view their name, photo, physical characteristics, and detailed description of the reason they are on the list.

A criminal defense attorney may be the best way to obtain federal warrant information, as they can help you with Freedom of Information Act requests through the U.S. Marshall Service.

Federal criminal cases are heard by the United States District Court District of Rhode Island. Researchers can search criminal cases using the Public Access To Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. To use this system you can search by a person’s name, by entering ‘Case Number’, and selecting the ‘Docket Sheet’ or ‘History/Documents’ query. There is a $0.10 per page fee and a cap of $3.

You can also contact the Clerk’s Office to inquire about how to view case files at 401.752.7200.

United States District Court District of Rhode Island
One Exchange Terrace
Federal Building & Courthouse
Providence, Rhode Island 02903

Main Warrant Types in RI & Why They’re Issued

There are several different reasons that warrants may be issued and they may have different names. However, most are variants of arrest warrants. The other is search warrants. If a warrant is referred to as ‘active’ it means that it has yet to be served on a person. Learn what the different warrants are below.

Arrest Warrants — authorize a law enforcement agency to detain a person and place them in custody for allegedly violating a criminal statute or court order.

Bench Warrants — are issued by a court when a person does not show up for the court appearance.

Probation & Parole Violation Warrants — are also arrest warrants, and are served on those released from prison and have not complied with the terms of their release.

Traffic Warrants — are citations issued to drivers when a law enforcement officer has a reasonable suspicion that they committed a violation while driving.

Child Support Warrants — family court judges can place a parent under arrest for failing to pay child support.

Capias & Capias Pro Fine Warrants — generally an outdated warrant issued to people who refuse or fail to make payment for a court ordered fine.

Fugitive Warrants — when a person escapes prison and is on the run, law enforcement agencies issue these arrest warrants.

Search Warrants — criminal investigations typically involve these warrants that give law enforcement the right to look for and seize evidence.

The Process for Resolving Warrants & Reporting Persons of Interest in Rhode Island

Active arrest warrants in Rhode Island mean that an individual has an outstanding warrant and the law enforcement agency or court that issued it has not been successful in serving it on that individual. This can lead to the individual being placed on a wanted list and being labeled as a fugitive.

If someone you know has a warrant out for their arrest, you should be prudent in letting them know. Some people may have a bench warrant out for their arrest for missing a court date that they were unaware of. However, some individuals may be seeking to avoid detection.

If you have an outstanding warrant out for your arrest, you may want to turn yourself in and contact a criminal defense lawyer. They can provide you with legal counsel during your booking stage and arraignment.

Interested persons can find out if they have a warrant by using this resource and the search tools detailed above; the guidance offered throughout this brief article empowers citizens to conduct a Rhode Island warrant search today.

To dig deeper for more details on residents throughout the state, consider looking up RI arrest and criminal history details or accessing all free public information in Rhode Island (such as court proceedings, vital records, background checks, and more).