Wasco County Arrest Records

Arrests occur when law enforcement has probable cause to believe a person is involved in a crime or when a warrant exists in a person’s name. When an individual is arrested, they are detained at the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR), which is the primary holding facility for Wasco County and surrounding areas.

In Wasco County, the Sheriff’s Department is the leading agency responsible for arrests and generating arrest records. Arrest records contain all necessary information about an arrest incident and may be reviewed together with the Wasco County court records to find out about a person's interaction with the county’s criminal justice system.

Are Arrest Records Public in Wasco County?

Yes. Individuals generally have the right of access to Wasco County arrest records under the Oregon Public Records Law (ORS §§ 192.311–192.478). The law provides a general framework for accessing public records and identifying records available for inspection. Not all arrest records in Oregon are disclosable to the public, primarily for privacy or safety reasons. The following arrest records or parts of an arrest record are confidential in the state:

• Juvenile arrest records
• Identifying information of domestic violence or sexual assault victims
• Records where disclosure would jeopardize investigations or endanger victims/witnesses
• Body camera/police video footage (unless faces are blurred)
• Medical and mental health information

If a person requests to inspect an arrest record containing both private and public information, the law enforcement agency may provide a "condensation". A condensation is a summarized version that includes significant yet non-confidential facts. If unsatisfied with the information provided, the requester may file a petition for review in court.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Under ORS § 192.345(3), the following arrest information is generally considered public and must be disclosed at request:

• Biographical data of an arrestee, including name, age, residence, employment, and marital status
• The arrest charges
• The arresting or investigating agency
• Circumstances of the arrest, such as time, location, whether resistance or pursuit occurred, and whether weapons were used
• Conditions of release (e.g., bail amount, pretrial restrictions)
• Identifying information of the victim, except for victims of sensitive cases (e.g., sexual assault, domestic violence)

Wasco County Arrest Statistics

Oregon counties, including Wasco County, participate in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, which reports crime data to the Oregon State Police. The agency maintains Crime Data Dashboards, which contain statistics about offenses, victims, arrests, and law enforcement officers killed and assaulted (LEOKA) across the state.

In 2024, Wasco County recorded 1,655 criminal offenses resulting in 1,314 arrests. The most common arrest offenses were driving under the influence (185 arrests), disorderly conduct (143 arrests), and larceny/theft offenses (110 arrests).

Find Wasco County Arrest Records

Individuals seeking records of arrest incidents that occurred in Wasco County may begin by identifying and contacting the law enforcement department that made the arrest. Alternatively, requests can be submitted directly to the Wasco County Sheriff's Office, which handles such inquiries through its Records Division.

Requests can be submitted to the Sheriff's Office by filling out a Public Records Request and delivering it in person, via email, by fax to (541) 506-2581, or by mail to:

Attn: Records Division
Wasco County Sheriff's Office
511 Washington Street
Suite 102
The Dalles, OR 97058

The fees for copying an arrest record are provided on the form and the Sheriff's website, and these vary by the number of pages in the record, the labor needed to process the request, and the mode of retrieving the record.

At the state level, individuals can find offender information by searching the Oregon Offender Search system. A search can be performed using a state inmate's name or SID number.

Additionally, information on federal inmates can be obtained through the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator portal. The search criterion is an inmate’s name or BOP/INS/FBI/DCDC number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Wasco County

One way of accessing Wasco County arrest records is to search online third-party portals. These portals are owned and maintained by private companies that aggregate arrest records for public viewing. Researchers using these platforms can generally search with a person's first and last name. However, while searches may be free, users may be prompted to pay a fee for extensive information.

Users should note that Wasco County law enforcement agencies do not provide official copies of arrest records through third-party providers. Official copies should be obtained directly from the arresting department.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely, Arrests remain on a person’s record forever in Oregon unless they are set aside. Wasco County follows state law, which allows the setting aside of arrests only under specific conditions, such as if charges were dismissed, not filed, or the individual was acquitted. Persons who qualify may petition the court to have their arrest record expunged.

Expunge Wasco County Arrest Records

In Wasco County, individuals with an arrest record can petition the court to set aside their record. Setting aside a record restricts it from public access. However, an individual must satisfy the following conditions to qualify for a restriction:

• No accusatory instrument was filed, and at least 60 days have passed since the prosecuting attorney declined to proceed with charges.
• The case ended in a dismissal or acquittal.
• The person was convicted, but:
  • The conviction was for an eligible offense (Class A, B, and C misdemeanors, and Class B and C felonies), and
  • The person has not been convicted of any new crimes (excluding traffic violations) during the applicable waiting period.

Some crimes—most sex crimes and certain crimes against vulnerable victims (e.g., elderly or minors)—cannot be set aside.

Eligible parties may file a set-aside motion with the Wasco County Circuit Court. The court will release an order setting aside the record if the motion is satisfactory.

Wasco County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a written order (or "writ") authorizing law enforcement to take a person into custody. In Oregon, including Wasco County, arrest warrants are released by a judge or magistrate when probable cause exists that someone committed a crime.

According to ORS § 133.110, a magistrate will issue an arrest warrant if:

• A criminal complaint or information has been filed, and
• The magistrate is satisfied there is probable cause that the accused party committed the alleged crime.

The court may opt for a criminal citation instead of an arrest warrant for certain offenses.

Per Oregon law, A Wasco County arrest warrant must be in writing and contain the following details:

• Name (or description) of the individual to be arrested
• Alleged crime
• Date and location of issuance
• The issuing magistrate’s signature and official title
• A command for law enforcement to arrest the person and bring them before a magistrate
• Any special instructions (e.g., if the officer may enter a home without announcing their presence)
• Amount of bail or security for release, if applicable

Do Wasco County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, arrest warrants do not expire in Wasco County. Law enforcement agencies can execute an arrest warrant at any time, regardless of how much time has lapsed. However, while an arrest warrant does not expire, a judge may recall or quash it under specific circumstances.