Only a tribunal with criminal jurisdiction can issue active arrest warrants in the City of Portsmouth, Virginia. However, the court will never issue arrest warrants in criminal cases unless the police approach the judiciary for such an order.
In fact, it is the sheriff’s office or the DA’s department that initiates the process by filing an affidavit in court. The petition contains all the information that the police have about the case. If this is found to be enough to establish probable cause, a warrant can be issued on the spot.
However, in some cases, the witnesses and the victim may also be called in to offer sworn testimony. The objective of the entire procedure is to ensure that the rights of the person who is to be arrested are not compromised. Once issued, an active warrant can be executed at any place and at any time.
So, you must conduct periodic warrant searches to ensure that there are no City of Portsmouth outstanding warrants against you. When looking for arrest records in your name or even if you are interested in a criminal background check on someone you know, you should start with the magistrate’s court.
The judicial agency is located at 801 Crawford Pkwy, Portsmouth, VA 23704. They can even provide information on case-specific arrest orders, including bench warrants and search decrees issued by the tribunal. You can also find this data with the sheriff’s department situated at 1725 Green St, Portsmouth, VA 23704. Along with information on active and outstanding warrants, the police will also offer a list of the most wanted criminals in the county.
Finally, approach the county clerk’s office at 1345 Court Street, Portsmouth, VA 23705-1217. They maintain the court dockets hence will be able to provide details on civil and criminal cases.
What information can you get about Portsmouth City warrants and arrest records over the phone (in 2021)?
- The Records Unit of Portsmouth PD: Call the phone number- 757-393-8737 to know more about local criminal background checks.
- Non-emergencies phone number of the Police Department: Contact the agency at 757-393-5300 to complain about a crime/unlawful disturbance that does not merit an emergency/immediate response from law enforcement/public safety departments.
- Criminal Investigation Unit Division: Victims can call them at 757-393-8536 to learn about the criminal case and the suspects involved in the matter.
- The Hampton Roads Regional Jail: Contact them at 757-335-6260 to know about recent arrests.
- The Circuit Court Clerk: Get in touch with this office at 757-393-8671 for information on felony criminal records.
- The District Court Clerk: Call the agency at 757-393-8681 for misdemeanor cases, 757-393-8506 for traffic cases and 757-393-8851 for JDR cases.
Crime statistics for Portsmouth City, Virginia
In 2019, the total annual crime rate of nearly 6300 incidents comprised of 5500 property crimes and over 800 violent crimes. Within these crime categories, larceny-theft accounted for almost 4200 complaints while burglary contributed about 850 cases to the total incident rate of property crimes. In the violent crimes category, aggravated assaults led to nearly 600 complaints while robberies led to another 230 complaints.
With well over 6000 crime complaints per annum to its credit, the City of Portsmouth can certainly not be called the area with a receding crime rate. In fact, compared with the statewide and nationwide averages that stand at 2.14 and 4, this urban area ranks exceptionally high at well over 6 instances of violent crime per 1000 residents.