Perform a Free Wayne County Warrant Search on Anyone

Run a Wayne County warrant search to determine if a person is wanted for a crime or to view other types of information. Generally, warrant information is considered public record under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

People often conduct warrant searches because they are curious about someone in their life. Or, you may be concerned about whether you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest. Of course, you can look up various warrant details and types for any reason.

Sometimes, it is unclear who maintains this warrant information and the best way to access it. This article will give you an understanding of warrants, where they are located and how to best search for them in Wayne County, Michigan.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

A Look at What’s Needed To Check Warrants in Wayne County for Free

Before searching for warrant information, it’s important to know what you are searching for and what you need to conduct a successful inquiry. This section will answer some of your basic questions about warrants, the record custodian and the means of accessing this information which will greatly assist you in this process.

Broad access to warrant information is provided through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, but it does not mean that there are no restrictions you need to be aware of.¹ For instance, if the warrant is part of an investigating record, it can be restricted if it will interfere with law enforcement’s actions, deprive someone of a fair trial, and other related reasons.

In Wayne County, you will find that there are several different types of warrants. Some are more likely to be available immediately, such as arrest warrants. Others, like search warrants, may be restricted until fully executed so as to not interfere with law enforcement’s ability to obtain the criminal evidence they are seeking.

When conducting a warrant search, you will find that there are options for searching online, in-person, and by making requests via mail, email, and on the phone.

When preparing to conduct your search, make sure you have the necessary information. As a starting point, you will need to know the full name of the person you want to search.

In addition to that, it can also be helpful to know where they live. Also, make sure you confirm that the warrant was issued by a government agency in Wayne County.

It’s also helpful to have additional information, especially if you are doing a search in person and the name is not providing any results. Having the reason the warrant was issued, approximate date of issuance and a description of the person may help to resolve any discrepancy in the initial information you used to conduct your search.

Often, warrant information is contained in the criminal records files maintained with the courts. Such is the case here, where warrant information can be accessed by viewing the criminal records in the custody of the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan and the Wayne County Clerk Records Division.^{2, 3}

In some cities, there are municipal courts and agencies that issue warrants and maintain those records independently from the county. In Wayne County, the major cities like Detroit and Dearborn do not maintain their own independent warrant information.

Now that you understand a little bit more about warrants and the information you’ll need, the next section will walk you through conducting a search in Wayne County.

How To Run a Wayne County Warrant Search

If you are looking for warrant information in Wayne County, you can conduct an online case search with the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan.⁵ To begin your search, select criminal case records.

On the search page, you can search for warrant information by looking up criminal cases by the number, party’s name or even their attorney. You can also provide additional information to narrow the results, such as the individual’s date of birth. The search tool also allows you to select a case status (open, closed) and a filing date range.

Once you conduct your search, the results page will contain the names of all matching parties. Included on this page will be the case number, filing date and location, status, and any associated charges. Under the status section, you will see if there are any warrants related to the case.

You can then click on the case number to get the complete online criminal record. From here, you can go to the “Events & Orders of the Court” section to search for warrant information. In this section, you can see the chronology of a criminal case with every event that occurred. Here, you can find when a warrant was recommended and signed.

You can use this information to conduct a more detailed search in person. You can start by contacting the Third Judicial Circuit’s Criminal Division about how to look up warrant information.⁶

You can contact the criminal division by phone at 313-224-2437 or by going to the address below:

Frank Murphy Hall of Justice
Criminal Division
1441 St. Antoine
Detroit, Michigan 48226

You may also consider contacting the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office if you are still looking for active warrant information.⁸ They are responsible for executing warrants and may be able to provide additional data. You can contact them by email at [email protected] or by phone at 313-833-0864.

You can also go in person to their address below:

Wayne County Sheriff’s Office
4747 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, Michigan 48201

If, for some reason, you need older records for warrant information, you can also conduct a search in person with the Wayne County Clerk Records Division. They are located at the address below:

Wayne County Clerk Records Division
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Avenue, Rm. LL61
Detroit, Michigan 48226

If you have specific questions, you can contact them by email at [email protected] or by phone at 313-224-5530.

Some cities and towns handle the issuance of their own warrants. In Wayne County, warrants are not issued at the city level.

How To Verify Who Has a Warrant Throughout Michigan

You may not have found what you were looking for in Wayne County. Or you may just want to expand your search to see if a particular person has warrants in any other county in Michigan. To do so, you can conduct a criminal case search using the Michigan Court’s Case Search Tool.⁹

While this does not allow you to search throughout the state all at once, it does provide you the option to select any court in Michigan to search for criminal records to find warrant information. You can use this search tool in the same way as described specifically for Wayne County.

What Types of Warrants Are There & What Does Each Mean?

You may not have realized this, but there is more than one type of warrant in Wayne County. Understanding the different types of warrants can help you determine what type of search you want to conduct. You may find out that there are warrants with valuable information that you did not know about.

The most searched type is an arrest warrant. An arrest warrant authorizes law enforcement to bring someone into custody because of the potential commission of a crime.

In order for law enforcement to obtain an arrest warrant, they must gather and present sufficient evidence to establish probable cause with the judge. It is the judge who makes the determination as to whether an arrest warrant should be issued or not.

A search warrant differs from an arrest warrant in that it authorizes law enforcement to search a particular defined location for evidence of a specific crime. Similar to an arrest warrant, it is the responsibility of law enforcement to present enough evidence to the judge to establish probable cause that this evidence is located in the area identified.

A bench warrant is different in that it does not involve a request from law enforcement. A bench warrant is issued by a judge when an individual is in violation of a court order, whether for a civil or criminal case. Most often, this is seen when a person fails to show up for a hearing.

A bench warrant may also be issued if it is determined that a person has committed a violation of the terms of their probation or parole. Or a warrant may be issued for a person who fails to provide child or medical support in violation of a court order.

If you go to renew your license or get pulled over, the bench warrant will likely trigger your arrest until you resolve the issue. If it’s a criminal case, you may be considered a flight risk and not receive an option for bail.

How To Get Rid of an Outstanding Warrant in Wayne County Michigan

You may be searching for warrant information just to satisfy a curiosity. However, you need to know what to do if you come upon an outstanding warrant for yourself or someone you know.

Let’s first discuss if you have an outstanding warrant. Just like a bill, ignoring it will not make it go away. First, see if there is anything you can do to quickly resolve the warrant.

Sometimes, there will be instructions to pay an outstanding fine or schedule a court date to quash the warrant.

In cases when you do not know what to do or if it is more severe, you should contact a licensed attorney in Wayne County who specializes in criminal law. They can walk you through the process step-by-step of turning yourself into the appropriate authority. They can explain your rights further, as this is their expertise.

Even if you opt out from contacting an attorney, it’s still advisable to reach out to a bail bondsman; this will ensure you’ll be able to post bail more quickly if that is an option after you’re processed by law enforcement.

Also, do not forget to notify any family members, especially those you live with. You may not be able to place a call for some time, and you will want them to know what is going on.

Many individuals may be curious on what to do if the search you conduct reveals an outstanding warrant for a person you know. If it’s regarding a serious matter – such as the person being wanted for a felony – do not approach them. Instead, you should offer any available information you may have about said individual to your law enforcement agency.

This, for example, may be the city of Wayne Police Department.¹⁰ You can also provide any information you have to the Michigan State Police.¹¹

On the other hand, if the issue is less serious, you might want to consider letting the person in question know so they can resolve it right away. If you don’t feel comfortable telling them, you could always opt to let a friend or family member know instead.

You should now be completely prepared to perform a Wayne County warrant search and know what you should do with any information you uncover; use the tools and resources found throughout this article to assist you in your warrant search process.