Coos County Arrest Records

Coos County Arrest Records document the arrest of persons in the county, and the Coos County Sheriff's Office maintains these records. The Sheriff's office serves as the primary law enforcement authority in the county. Arrests are made in Coos County, New Hampshire, when local, state, or national law enforcement officers are convinced there is probable cause to detain a person in connection with a crime. A judge must sign off on an arrest warrant before it takes effect. The Coos County Department of Corrections holds persons arrested in the county.

Arrest records may become part of court records, and this is no different in Coos County, where an individual's arrest records can later be included in Coos County Court Records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Coos County?

Yes, arrest records are public in Coos County. New Hampshire's Right to Know Law (RSA 91-A) ensures that arrest records are public in Coos County. Officials may redact some arrest records or information within the records to protect sensitive information, privacy, or ongoing investigations, as they are exempt from public access. These include:

• Juvenile information, such as names and details of persons who are below 18, connected to an arrest
• Juvenile arrest or court records
• Social Security Numbers
• Mentions of medical or mental health conditions, evaluations, or treatments
• Victim and witness identity, especially in cases of child abuse, domestic violence, or sexual assault
• Sensitive law enforcement practices, such as tactical information, can compromise future investigations.

The Coos County Sheriff's Office maintains the county's arrest records:

Coos County Sheriff's Office
55 School Street Suite 101
Lancaster, NH 03584
Tel: (603) 788-5598
Fax: (603) 788-2437
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Coos County Arrest Statistics

Compiled records of arrests for Coos County in 2023 show that law enforcement made 123 arrests during the period. Of these numbers, 13 were property crimes, including nine burglaries, one larceny, and one motor vehicle theft. Twelve were violent crimes, including eight simple assaults, one aggravated assault, and one homicide arrest. There were 25 arrests of persons Driving Under the Influence (DUI), seven non-violent family offenses, and 66 arrests listed as all other offenses related. There were no arrests for drug, narcotics, robbery, or sex offenses during the period.

Find Coos County Arrest Records

The New Hampshire Department of Corrections (NHDOC) offers an Inmate Locator that helps users locate individuals detained in Coos County. Users can search by first name, last name, or partial name if they are unsure of the spelling. The locator provides sentencing information and release dates.

Residents of Coos County can also use the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator to search for inmates in the Federal Correctional Institution, Berlin (FCI Berlin), located in the county. Users can search using a number (BOP Register Number, DCDC Number, FBI Number, or INS Number) or by name, race, age, or sex.

Coos County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Coos County arrest and criminal records are related legal documents for different purposes. Arrest records show when law enforcement takes persons in the county into custody, including the arrest date, booking information, and charges. However, arrest records do not show that the person taken into custody is guilty of any crime. In fact, law enforcement can arrest an individual without charges.

On the other hand, criminal records provide a history of a person's criminal convictions, including misdemeanors and felonies. These convictions result from a court process that finds the party guilty or from the party pleading guilty. Criminal records detail an individual's complete history of interaction with the criminal justice system over time, including arrest records, court proceedings records, and records of incarceration and parole.

Note that while not all arrest records result in criminal records, all criminal records typically begin with arrest records.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrest records of persons in Coos County, New Hampshire, will remain part of the person's records unless they take legal action to annul or expunge these records. Persons with records who seek to annul them can petition the sentencing court, and the court will respond by annulling the record if, in the court's opinion, the annulment is in the public's interest and assists in the person's rehabilitation. However, the courts do not grant annulments for violent crimes, felony obstruction of justice, or crimes for which the sentence was for an extended imprisonment period. Violent crime, as defined, includes felony assault, kidnapping, specified homicide, felony arson, felony child sexual abuse, and incest.

Before being granted annulment, petitioners must observe the waiting period. This ranges thus:

• A violation - one year
• Class B misdemeanors - 2 years
• Class A misdemeanors - 3 years
• Most felony convictions - 5 years
• Class A felony, sexual assault, indecent exposure - 10 years
• Domestic battery and lewdness - 10 years

Individuals with multiple convictions must observe all waiting periods for each sentence.

As of January 1, 2020, persons arrested on marijuana-related offenses before September 16, 2017, where possession was ¾ of an ounce or less, can petition for annulment of the arrest and court record.

For persons arrested with dismissed, unprosecuted cases, or found not guilty, if all charges occurred on or after January 1, 2019, their arrest and court records are to be automatically annulled once they file a petition within thirty days from the end of the case. This also applies to individuals who were found guilty but had their convictions overturned by the court.

Persons with cases before January 1, 2019, who were found not guilty, had their case dismissed, or were not presented, can also petition for annulment.

Persons filing for the annulment of arrest records in Coos County start by filing a petition with the court that has jurisdiction over the case and paying a court filing fee of $100, an administrative state police fee of $100, and a Department of Corrections Parole and Probation fee of $100.

Persons with questions on the New Hampshire annulment process can call the Court Call center at (855) 212-1234 or the New Hampshire State Police (NHSP) Criminal Records Annulments at (603) 223-3867 (use prompt number 3) for inquiries.

Coos County Arrest Warrants

Coos County arrest warrants are legal documents issued by an authorized official, such as a justice of the peace or a circuit court judge, that empower law enforcement officers to arrest the person identified on the warrant. The warrant is issued based on a complaint or affidavit that shows probable cause of the person's connection to a crime. Arrest warrants typically contain:

• A description of the offense
• Full name and description of the arrestee
• The date of the issue
• Instructions to the law enforcement personnel executing the warrant and carrying out the arrest

Note that once issued, an arrest warrant can be executed in any county in New Hampshire and at any time.

Do Coos County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Arrest warrants issued in Coos County do not expire. They remain valid until executed, or a court quashes or recalls the warrant. Thus, if the warrant has been valid for many years, the individual named on it can be arrested any time. The warrant authorizes law enforcement officers to take the person into custody whenever and wherever they are found in the state. Because Coos County arrest warrants are indefinite, individuals who suspect they have a warrant should seek legal advice on resolving it as soon as possible.