When hiring an employee for your home or office, conducting a background check on the individual, including a warrant search is imperative. However, before you access the arrest records for Schenectady County, New York, it is best to know what an arrest warrant is and how it is issued.
An active arrest warrant is a document issued by the local criminal court in the county; it is an order to the police department to bring the person whose name is listed on the warrant in front of the court to stand trial for crimes committed. While an arrest warrant is needed to take an individual in custody in case of probable cause, a police officer can arrest without a warrant if he/she has reason to believe that a person has committed a felony or is about to do so, or has illegal weapons or illicit substances.
Before an arrest warrant is issued, the court is offered a written affidavit, which provides information on the crime, the name and other specifications of the person against whom the warrant is needed, and the evidence, witnesses, etc., available. An active warrant arrest warrant is never issued unless a sitting judge carefully considers all factors.
Only after the facts have been ascertained and found to be enough for filing an accusatory instrument in the future will a judge from Schenectady County sign the warrant. Once issued, an arrest warrant does not expire unless the person against whom it has been sought is arrested. However, if not served, it does become an outstanding warrant.
Regardless of how old a warrant is and whether it is active or outstanding, a law enforcement officer can arrest the person against whom it has been issued. To find out if a person you know has an active or outstanding warrant against him/her, visit the local Sheriff’s Office at 320 Veeder Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12307. Information on arrest records can also be sought by contacting the county clerk, or you can use the form above for a warrant search.
Can you get any information about Schenectady County warrants and arrests over the phone? (2023)
- For information on arrests, call the main phone number of Corrections at (518) 388-4300.
- For inmate records use the mainline of corrections and then dial ext. 8 for inmate medical records, ext. 2 for visitation, and ext. 4 for bail information.
- For arrest records, incident and accident reports, contact the Sheriff’s Office at 518-630-0911.
- For victim assistance, call the Victim Advocacy Office at 518-388-4787.
- For access to court dockets and other judicial records, call 518-285-8401.
Crime Statistics for Schenectady County, New York
In 2020, the Schenectady County Police filed around 3800 criminal cases, as opposed to the 3954 crimes handled in the previous year. These included around 3300 crimes against property and approximately 550 crimes against persons.
Of the property crimes, over 2600 were larceny thefts, around 400 were burglaries, and over 240 were motor vehicle thefts. Of the violent crimes, more than 400 were aggravated assaults, over 40 were rapes and more than 100 were robberies.
Schenectady figures in the list of counties with the highest crime rate in the state of New York, and despite the efforts of the Sherriff’s Department to curtail these statistics, there has been a whopping rise of almost 83% in the overall crime rate of the county.
The spike in the number of violent crimes has been genuinely staggering as the figures ballooned from nearly 1000 in 1999 to well over 2000 in 2008. In the decade mentioned, an estimated 3500 crimes were reported each year. The rate of homicide and sexual assault and battery was the lowest, and theft and robbery were the highest, with almost 24,000 cases filed.