Bremer County Arrest Records

An arrest is the lawful detention of a person suspected of committing a crime or breaking the law. Arrests conducted by law enforcement can be with or without a warrant. The arrestee is taken to the Bremer County Jail, where they are detained and their information is collected. This information constitutes the Bremer County arrest record. If the case progresses into a criminal court case, the records form part of Bremer County Court Records. The Bremer County Sheriff's Office is the main custodian of arrest records, but local police departments also maintain arrest records in their jurisdictions.

Are Arrest Records Public in Bremer County?

Yes. Bremer County arrest records are public per the Iowa Code 2025, Chapter 22 (Iowa public records law). The law classifies public records as documents created or filed by government bodies while executing their duties, and this includes arrest records. Although this means everyone has the right to obtain public records, there are some exceptions to this law if the record is classified as a confidential record. To access these restricted records, a person needs to get a court order. Per the law, examples of records classified as confidential and restricted from public access include:

• Personal information in student records
• Medical records
• Trade secrets are duly protected by law
• Attorney-client documents
• Investigative reports by peace officers
• Reports to government agencies
• Personal information in government personnel records.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

A public arrest record in Bremeber County will usually contain the following:

• Full name of the offender
• Offender number
• Offender birth date
• Sex
• Offense
• Tentative Discharge Date (TDD) or Supervision Discharge Date (SDD)
• Custody details (date, status)
• Booking information
• Mugshot
• Location or holding facility.

Bremer County Arrest Statistics

The Bremer County Sheriff's Office reported 177 arrests in 2023 to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) crime data explorer 2023 arrest report. Some of the most popular crimes that resulted in these arrests include All Other Offenses (Except Traffic) with 111 arrests and driving under the influence with 49 arrests.

Find Bremer County Arrest Records

For individuals looking to find Bremer County arrest records, there are several local and state resources available to help them with this. Examples of these resources include:

• Bremer County Sheriff's Office: They are the custodians of arrest records, and they oversee the Bremer County Jail. Individuals can contact them in person, by phone, or by email. Their contact information is as follows:

Bremer County Sheriff's Office
111 4th St NE
Waverly, IA 50677
Phone: (319) 352-5400
Fax: (319) 352-0233
Email: sheriff@co.bremer.ia.us

• Bremer County Jail Roster: Iowa maintains a centralized inmate search tool for finding information on offenders currently in custody. A search can be conducted by the offender's name or ID number. Individuals need to create an account or register to access more extensive information on the inmate, such as their date of birth.
• Iowa Offender Search: This tool maintained by the Iowa Department of Corrections allows individuals to search for inmate information statewide. A search can be conducted using the inmate's names, birth date, offender number, sex, location, etc.

Free Arrest Record Search in Bremer County

To obtain a free arrest record, contact the Bremer County Sheriff's Office in person or online. Interested persons can also access information about current inmates housed by the county jail and other jails in Iowa via the Iowa Offender Search tool.

In addition to government sources, a person can conduct a basic search and obtain inmate information using third-party websites and databases. These websites aggregate records from different jails in different counties and make the records available using a user-friendly searchable interface. Using minimal information on the inmate, such as their first and last name, basic information on their incarceration can be obtained. Some third-party websites may however require a subscription or payment before a more detailed record can be given.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Forever. Criminal records are kept public in Iowa, so unless they are restricted or removed, they are usually available to everyone, including potential landlords, employers, and licensing bodies. Iowa Code 2025, Chapter 901C guides the expungement process for individuals and courts and defines if an arrest qualifies to be removed from an individual's record. Expunged records will no longer be accessible to the public (except through third-party websites), but they are not destroyed.

Expunge Bremer County Arrest Records

Expunction is the removal of an offense or charge from a person's criminal history. Not all offenses are eligible for expunction, and the process for expunction can differ with the type of crime. Examples of offenses not eligible for expunction include sex offenses, abuse against elders, and harassment.

Before a criminal record, such as an arrest record, can be expunged, it must satisfy one of the following qualifications:

• Be a deferred judgment
• The case was dismissed or acquitted
• Juvenile public intoxication or alcohol possession case
• Be an adult was transferred to a juvenile court
• A case that received a governor's pardon.

To expunge a record in Bremer County and any other county in Iowa, an individual can fill out the appropriate expunction form for their offense and submit it to the court where their case was tried. The clerk of courts will receive the petition, and if needed, the court sets a hearing date. If the hearing is successful, the record is expunged. In Iowa, a person can only expunge one case in their lifetime, but for misdemeanors, multiple charges under the same case can be expunged at once.

Bremer County Arrest Warrants

A Bremer County arrest warrant gives law enforcement officers legal rights to take a person into custody without infringing on their constitutional rights. Warrants are issued when probable cause is established that a crime has been committed and the suspected individual committed it.

During a criminal proceeding, a complaint can be filed before a magistrate, including an affidavit containing evidence of probable cause that a person committed a crime. If the affidavit proves that the person indeed committed the crime, the judge issues a warrant for their arrest. The arrest is executed the way it is specified in the warrant.

Per the Iowa Code 2025, Chapter 804, an arrest warrant can be issued when there is probable cause that a person committed a crime, and when a citation is issued, summoning a person to court, and they fail to appear without a good cause. The contents of a warrant, according to the same law, include the following:

• The name of the peace officer to whom the arrest is directed
• The name of the defendant (if the name is unknown, this is designated as "name unknown" on the warrant)
• Description of the offence for which the defendant is being arrested
• The issue date of the warrant
• The county or city where the warrant was issued
• Name, signature, and office of the issuing magistrate
• Order for bail if the offense is bailable
• Method of executing the warrant.

Do Bremer County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No arrest warrants in Bremer County do not expire. Unlike search warrants, which have a specific validity, arrest warrants and bench warrants do not expire in Iowa. Factors such as new evidence in the case or the warrant being recalled by a judge can stop the warrant from being executed.