An active arrest warrant issued in the City of Richmond, VA, is nothing but a judicial order for the detention of an individual who has been accused in a criminal matter. It varies significantly from some of the other detention decrees released by the court. It is also different from legal instruments routinely used to order the presence of a person in court.
For instance, a subpoena is issued in the City of Richmond in both civil and criminal matters to call in witnesses to the court. In contrast, the civil court may issue a bench warrant in cases where a person fails to show up for a judicial hearing and even against those who have failed to honor a court directive. The common thread here is that these decrees for detention are issued by the court of their own accord, unlike arrest warrants.
In contrast, an active warrant is strictly issued when the police approach the court for it. All arrest orders are to be executed at once, and those that cannot be served never go out of effect. They are merely stored in a central criminal database as outstanding warrants.
When performing a warrant search through the local sheriff’s office or the City of Richmond’s judicial divisions, you can also request arrest records on the subject of your inquiry to get a complete picture of the individual’s criminal past. You can approach one of the following agencies to get this data.
- The sheriff’s department:1600 Oliver Hill Way, Richmond, VA 23219. Tel no: 804-646-3437
- The magistrate’s court: 101 Court Circle, Warsaw, VA 22572-0956
- The county clerk’s division: Justice Center as above
Can I get any information about Richmond City arrests and active warrants over the phone? (2021-update)
- Outstanding warrants and arrest report inquiries: Call the phone number of the Central Records Unit at 804-646-6715 to learn about the procedure for initiating a criminal background check or filing a request for a police report.
- Filing a criminal complaint: Call 804-646-5100 to file a non-emergency complaint.
- General inquiries: Get in touch with Richmond PD at 804-646-6842.
- Recent arrests and inmate search: Call the Information Desk of the Richmond City Justice Center at 804-646-4464.
- Help for victims and witnesses: Get in touch with the Victim-Witness Assistance Service at 804-646-7665.
- Judicial records pertaining to misdemeanor and traffic offenses: Call the Clerk of the District Court at 804-646-6677.
- Case records pertaining to felony crimes: Call the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 804-646-6505.
Crime statistics for Richmond City, Virginia
Of the 10,400 criminal complaints received by Richmond PD, around 11% were made against violent crimes. This crime category led to the filing of around 1100 cases of which aggravated assaults formed the bulk, with nearly 580 complaints but cases of robbery followed behind closely with an annual average of almost 400 incidents. Property crimes led to the filing of over 8000 complaints.
The City of Richmond, the thriving capital metropolis of the state, characteristically has a high crime rate, with almost 11,000 incidents reported annually. Of these, over 1500 are instances of violent crime. The city’s crime rates are considerably higher than the state and national averages, which are calculated at 2.14 and 4, respectively.