Search Tippecanoe County Arrest Records
Tippecanoe County arrest records are managed by the Sheriff's Office and the courts in Lafayette. With about 195,000 residents and Purdue University nearby, this county handles a large volume of criminal cases and jail bookings each year.
Tippecanoe County Quick Facts
Tippecanoe County Sheriff Booking Records
The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail in Lafayette and processes booking records for all arrests in the jurisdiction. County deputies, Lafayette Police, West Lafayette Police, and Purdue University Police all bring arrested individuals to the county jail. Each booking includes the person's name, charges, arrest date, and bond information. These records are public under IC 5-14-3, Indiana's Access to Public Records Act.
Tippecanoe County is one of the more active counties in Indiana when it comes to jail bookings. The presence of Purdue University means the area has a higher population than you might expect for a county of this size, and that drives more police activity and arrests. The jail processes a steady flow of bookings from multiple agencies.
The Tippecanoe County court system maintains an online jail roster where you can see current inmates. Below is the jail roster page.
The roster shows who is currently held, their charges, and booking details.
You can also use the INjail portal to search for Tippecanoe County inmates. Select the county from the dropdown list and search by name. Both tools show current inmates, but the local roster may update faster since it pulls directly from the jail management system.
Note: Tippecanoe County's jail can get crowded during busy periods, especially around major Purdue events. Some inmates may be housed in neighboring county jails if capacity is reached.
Lafayette Police Department Records
The Lafayette Police Department handles arrest records for incidents that happen within the city of Lafayette. These are separate from the sheriff's office records, though all arrested individuals end up at the county jail for booking. If you need a police report from a Lafayette arrest, contact the Lafayette PD records division.
West Lafayette also has its own police department. Arrests in West Lafayette, including those near the Purdue campus, generate their own police reports. But again, the booking goes through the Tippecanoe County jail. So the jail has booking records from all agencies, while each police department keeps its own arrest reports.
Purdue University Police have jurisdiction on campus and handle arrests there. These cases go through the same Tippecanoe County court system. Court records from campus arrests show up in MyCase just like any other case in the county.
Tippecanoe County Court Case Search
Criminal cases from Tippecanoe County arrests go through the Tippecanoe Superior Court or Tippecanoe Circuit Court in Lafayette. The court clerk handles all filings and stores case records. You can search these records for free on MyCase, the state court portal. Enter a name or case number to find charges, hearing dates, case outcomes, and more.
MyCase is free to use and does not need an account.
Search results show the filing date, charges, current status, and hearing schedule for each case.
Court records are far more detailed than booking logs. They cover the full life of a case, including motions, plea agreements, trial outcomes, and sentencing. If someone was arrested in Tippecanoe County and the prosecutor filed charges, the case will appear in MyCase within a couple of days. The system covers both current and old cases.
- Free to use with no account
- Search by name or case number
- View charges, hearings, and dispositions
- Covers all Tippecanoe County courts
- Includes both active and closed cases
Statewide Arrest Records Search
The Indiana State Police criminal history service runs a statewide check that covers Tippecanoe County and all 92 Indiana counties. A search costs $15 per name, or $15.70 by credit card. Results include felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests from the state's central repository. Use this if you want to look beyond Tippecanoe County or need a formal report for employment, housing, or licensing.
The ISP service page is available online for paid searches.
Results pull from the state repository of criminal records. Create an account to get started.
Other statewide tools include the Indiana DOC offender locator for tracking state prison inmates and the Indiana Courts website for court contacts across the state. The DOC tool covers people who were sentenced to state prison after conviction, not those held in county jails.
Note: Tippecanoe County generally reports arrest data to the state system well, given the size of its law enforcement operations.
Expungement in Tippecanoe County
Under IC 35-38-9, certain arrest and conviction records can be sealed through expungement. In Tippecanoe County, you file the petition in the court where the case was handled. Arrests that never led to charges are eligible right away. Dismissed cases can be sealed one year after dismissal. Misdemeanor convictions need five years, and Level 6 felonies need eight years.
The judge weighs the offense type, elapsed time, and whether you have any new criminal charges. If the petition is granted, the records are sealed from public view. They will not show up in MyCase or ISP criminal history checks. Law enforcement keeps access, but employers and the general public cannot find them.
Tippecanoe County has several legal aid resources that may help with expungement petitions. Contact the court clerk in Lafayette for the required forms, or talk to a local attorney about your options. Indiana law allows only one expungement filing, so include all eligible cases in your petition.
Cities in Tippecanoe County
Tippecanoe County includes Lafayette, which is the county seat and has its own police department. Arrest records from Lafayette police incidents are separate from sheriff's records, but all bookings go through the county jail.