Lake County Arrest Records
Lake County arrest records cover the most populated county in northwest Indiana, home to roughly 500,000 people. The county seat is Crown Point, and major cities include Hammond and Gary. With a large population and urban areas along the Illinois border, Lake County sees a high volume of arrests and criminal cases. The Lake County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail, and multiple police departments across the county generate arrest records daily. Both county and state tools can help you search for booking data, court cases, and offender information.
Lake County Quick Facts
Lake County Sheriff Booking Records
The Lake County Sheriff's Office manages the county jail in Crown Point and handles booking records for all people brought into county custody. This includes arrests by sheriff's deputies, Hammond police, Gary police, East Chicago police, and other departments across the county. Lake County is one of the busiest sheriff's offices in Indiana when it comes to jail operations.
The Lake County Sheriff's website provides access to department information and jail resources.
From the homepage you can find links to jail information, contact numbers, and other law enforcement resources in the county.
Each booking record contains the person's name, charges, bond amount, arrest date, and arresting agency. Indiana Code 5-14-3 makes these records public. You can request booking data by contacting the sheriff's office in Crown Point. Given the volume of arrests in Lake County, the jail roster changes constantly throughout the day.
Lake County also provides offender information through its community corrections department. This covers people on probation, house arrest, or other supervised release programs.
The offender info page is a useful tool for checking whether someone is under supervision in Lake County.
Note: Lake County has multiple police departments that each keep their own arrest reports. The sheriff's booking records cover the jail, but you may need to contact the specific police department for the actual arrest report.
Lake County Court Records
Criminal cases in Lake County are filed in the Lake Superior Court or Lake Circuit Court, both based in Crown Point. Lake County has multiple court divisions that handle different types of cases, including criminal, civil, and juvenile matters. The volume of filings is high, matching the county's large population.
You can search Lake County court records for free on MyCase. Enter a name or case number to see charges, hearing dates, and case status. MyCase covers all Indiana courts, so Lake County cases are included along with every other county.
Court records show more detail than booking logs. They track the full case from the initial charge through sentencing or dismissal. You can see if charges were amended, if a plea deal was reached, and what sentence was imposed. For someone arrested in Lake County, the court record provides the most complete picture of what happened after the arrest.
- Lake Superior Court handles most criminal cases
- Lake Circuit Court covers some criminal matters
- MyCase is free and does not require an account
- New filings appear within one to two days of filing
- Both felony and misdemeanor cases are searchable
Statewide Arrest Records Search
For a search that goes beyond Lake County, the Indiana State Police criminal history service runs statewide background checks. A name search costs $15, or $15.70 by credit card. The results include felony and Class A misdemeanor arrest records from across Indiana, so you will pick up Lake County data along with records from any other county where the person was arrested.
The ISP criminal history search page is shown here.
Create an account, pay the fee, and run a search by name and date of birth.
The Indiana DOC offender locator tracks people sentenced to state prison from Lake County or anywhere else in Indiana. It shows the facility, sentence length, and projected release date. The INjail portal covers county jail inmates statewide and may include Lake County data.
Note: Given Lake County's size and arrest volume, it generally has good reporting to the state criminal history repository. But no system is perfect, and some older records may have gaps.
Expungement in Lake County
Under Indiana Code 35-38-9, people with certain arrest or conviction records in Lake County can petition to have them sealed. The petition is filed in the Lake County court that handled the original case. Arrests without charges and dismissed cases are typically eligible. Some misdemeanor and felony convictions can be expunged after waiting periods that range from five to ten years depending on the offense type.
Lake County sees a high number of expungement petitions given its population. The court reviews each petition individually. The judge looks at the type of offense, how long ago it occurred, and whether the person has any new criminal history. If granted, the record is sealed from public databases like MyCase and the ISP criminal history system.
Because Lake County has many attorneys who practice criminal law, finding legal help for an expungement petition is generally straightforward. The Lake County Bar Association or Indiana Legal Services can point you toward an attorney who handles these cases. Some legal aid organizations offer expungement clinics at reduced cost for people who qualify.
Cities in Lake County
Lake County includes several cities with their own police departments that generate arrest records. Hammond and Gary are the two largest and each have dedicated pages on this site. Arrests in these cities are handled by local police, but inmates are often booked into the Lake County jail in Crown Point.