Checking Criminal History in Ozaukee County
No single search produces every Ozaukee County criminal record. Begin with Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, or WCCA, for public Circuit Court case data. Use a first and last name before adding filters that may hide a match. Select Ozaukee County when the location is known, open the case number, and choose the detailed view. Read each charge separately because one count may be dismissed while another ends in conviction.
The web result is only the first layer. Room 201 at the Justice Center has self-help computers that show qualifying filed documents that public WCCA does not display. The Clerk can search, copy, or certify a court file. The arresting agency supplies its report and media. The county jail confirms current local custody, while Wisconsin DOC covers state custody. WORCS supplies the state repository response.
- Search WCCA by first and last name or by case number, then narrow to Ozaukee County.
- Match the case using date of birth, middle name, filing details, and case type when those fields are available.
- Read charge status, events, disposition, sentence, bond, financial entries, and any warrant notation.
- Use the Clerk's Room 201 terminals or request channels for public filed documents and certified copies.
- Check the arresting agency, jail, DOC, or WORCS when the question goes beyond the court file.
Ozaukee County Record Custodians
The Circuit Court, Clerk, District Attorney, Sheriff, and jail share the Ozaukee County Justice Center at 1201 S. Spring Street in Port Washington. That convenient address does not create one records office. The Clerk keeps court filings. The Sheriff keeps its incident, jail, 911, and media records. The District Attorney makes charging decisions and holds internal prosecution material that is not the Clerk's public file.
The official Sheriff's page shows the local records and custody hub. Its photograph gives useful context for where several Ozaukee County criminal-record functions meet.
A request still must go to the office that made or maintains the exact record. A city police report, for example, remains with that city even if the person was later booked at the county jail.
Clerk of Circuit Court
Room 201, 1201 S. Spring Street, Port Washington, WI 53074
262-284-8409
Weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sheriff Open Records Unit
1201 S. Spring Street, Port Washington, WI 53074
262-284-8437
Lobby weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Jail and Booking
1201 S. Spring Street, Port Washington, WI 53074
262-284-8446
Current local custody information
Wisconsin Official Background Checks
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Crime Information Bureau, or CIB, runs the Wisconsin Online Record Check System. WORCS is the official public name-based state check. A one-time request does not require an account, but the Order Reference Number must be saved to retrieve the result. Matching can use a full name, aliases, date of birth, and a Social Security number when supplied. More sound identifiers reduce the risk of joining the wrong person to a response.
A basic non-fingerprint request costs $7 under Wisconsin law. A paper result adds $5. Personal record review and correction follow separate CIB instructions. Fingerprint cards may support authorized or subject-review checks, while Fieldprint Wisconsin is limited to specific programs and must not be treated as an open service for checking anyone. A federal FBI Identity History Summary is subject-only, requires fingerprints, and carries an $18 FBI fee.
The Wisconsin DOJ fingerprinting information shows the state channel for fingerprint-supported record work.
Use that official process when reviewing or correcting your own CIB record. A fingerprint match is stronger than a name match because it links the record to biometric identity.
| Official channel | Scope | Fee or access |
|---|---|---|
| WORCS | Wisconsin name-based CIB response | $7 base; $5 paper surcharge |
| CIB personal review | Your own Wisconsin repository record | Follow official form and fingerprint instructions |
| FBI Identity History Summary | Your own national fingerprint-supported summary | $18 FBI fee; fingerprints required |
| Ozaukee court request | Local filed-case data and documents | Free WCCA data; Clerk fees for searches and copies |
WCCA, WORCS, and Jail Records
Three official searches answer three different questions. WCCA shows whether a Wisconsin Circuit Court case was filed and how each public count moved. WORCS compiles the CIB history built from qualifying fingerprint-supported arrests and reported outcomes. The Ozaukee inmate lookup or booking line answers whether someone is in current county custody. A missing result in one system does not cancel a record held in another.
WCCA's public interface asks the user to accept its terms, then offers county, case number, party name, birth date, business name, and case-type controls. After opening a result, use the case-details link. Public fields can include the court, case number, filing date, parties, attorneys, judge, charges, event history, hearings, dispositions, sentence, bond, financial entries, and warrant notation. Filed document images require the courthouse terminals.
| Question | Best first source | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Was a state criminal case filed? | WCCA and the Clerk | That every filed count led to guilt |
| Is someone in the county jail now? | County lookup or booking line | The final charge or outcome |
| What appears in a state history response? | WORCS through CIB | That every local document is included |
Criminal Record Types
Ozaukee County criminal records form a chain rather than a single file. The responding police agency starts the incident narrative. A booking creates a jail intake record. Fingerprints from a qualifying arrest can begin a CIB cycle. If the District Attorney files a charge, the Clerk opens a Circuit Court case. The court outcome should flow back to CIB, though reporting delays or unmatched entries can leave differences between sources.
Choose the source by record type:
- Incident and arrest reports: held by the Sheriff or the city, village, or state agency that responded.
- Booking and jail records: created by the Ozaukee County Jail for local intake and custody.
- Court case files: held by the Clerk, with public metadata available through WCCA.
- Repository history: compiled by Wisconsin DOJ CIB and accessed through WORCS.
- Supervision and prison records: maintained by Wisconsin DOC, not a county probation office.
Warrants and sex-offender registry listings are separate again. Verify warrants live with the issuing court or serving agency. Use the Wisconsin DOC registry for statutory community-notification data, not as a general criminal-history report.
Wisconsin Circuit Court hears all state felonies and criminal misdemeanors in Ozaukee County. Mid-Moraine Municipal Court instead handles ordinance and noncriminal traffic forfeitures. Wisconsin felony classes run from Class A through Class I, while misdemeanors use Classes A through C. The class on a court charge identifies its statutory ceiling, not the sentence a person actually received. Read the final disposition and sentencing entry before drawing a conclusion from the charge label.
Ozaukee County Sheriff Record Requests
The Sheriff's Open Records Unit is the fallback for records created by that office. Its form lists accident, incident, citation, contact history, jail records, 911 calls, and video. Staff may also release qualifying photographs, mug shots, audio, or video after review. The form accepts a known report number, occurrence date, location, involved person's details, and a precise description. A requester's identity and purpose generally cannot be demanded for an ordinary request, though identification can permit greater subject-of-record access.
Send the completed form by email, fax it to 262-284-8490, mail it to Ozaukee County Sheriff, PO Box 245, Port Washington, WI 53074-0245, Attn: Open Records Unit, or deliver it at the Justice Center. Release questions go to 262-284-8437. The Sheriff says a response may take up to ten days, and digital media can take at least fourteen days. Estimates above $5 may require advance payment.
| Requested item | Published cost or timing |
|---|---|
| Crash report returned by email | Free; usually ready in 5 to 10 working days |
| Crash report by mail or in person | $1 by check or money order |
| Other Sheriff records | Record-specific review and reproduction fees |
| Digital media | May require at least 14 days |
Note: A Sheriff request does not reach reports held by Mequon, Cedarburg, Port Washington, or another responding police agency.
Inside an Ozaukee County Criminal Record
The fields depend on the custodian. A CIB response can begin with names, aliases, birth date, physical descriptors, and state or FBI identifiers. Fingerprint-supported arrest cycles can then show arrest date, agency, arrest charges, reported court findings, sentences, and correctional admissions or releases. A local court file instead organizes the prosecution around one case number and a count-by-count docket.
| Name and identifiers | Legal name, aliases, date of birth, and identifying numbers where law permits |
|---|---|
| Arrest and booking data | Agency, intake time, initial charge, booking identifier, custody, fingerprints, photograph, and bond |
| Charges and statutes | Each alleged offense, Wisconsin statute, and class or severity |
| Disposition | Conviction, dismissal, acquittal, amendment, or another count-specific result |
| Sentence | Custody, probation, extended supervision, restitution, costs, and related orders |
| Custody or supervision | County jail, state institution, probation, parole, or extended-supervision status when public |
- Disposition
- The final recorded outcome of one charge.
- Complaint
- The written allegations that begin a Wisconsin criminal prosecution.
- Bond
- Financial or nonfinancial terms meant to support appearance and compliance.
- Extended supervision
- The community portion of a Wisconsin Truth-in-Sentencing prison sentence.
Ozaukee County Jail and DOC Custody
County and state custody must be searched separately. The Ozaukee County Jail creates booking information for local intake and current custody. Its official lookup gateway is the first online stop, but the research did not verify its dynamic fields. If it fails, call booking at 262-284-8446 or request jail records from the Sheriff. Do not invent search details that the county does not publish.
Wisconsin DOC's Person in Our Care or Client Search covers state imprisonment and some community-supervision status. It does not replace the county jail source. A person may move from local custody to a state institution after sentencing, so the correct search can change over time.
Adult probation, parole, and extended supervision are also state-run through the Wisconsin DOC Division of Community Corrections. Ozaukee County has no separate county probation portal. Probation is a court-ordered community sentence, parole is discretionary release tied mainly to older indeterminate sentences, and extended supervision is the community part of a Truth-in-Sentencing prison term. The Wisconsin Parole Commission makes discretionary parole decisions, while DOC supervises each of these community statuses.
Use the DOC locator for a public status, WCCA for the sentence and later public court events, and the DOC office directory for the serving community-corrections office. Wisconsin VINE at 1-888-944-8463 or DOC NOTIS may provide eligible notifications. Agent notes and detailed conditions can remain restricted, so a public status screen is not a complete supervision file.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons locator supplies a third layer for federal custody from 1982 forward.
A federal result can be searched by name or an official identifier. A released result does not rule out state custody, local custody, or supervised release.
Public Access Laws in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Records Law starts from broad access, but each custodian applies exemptions and redaction rules to the record it holds. A request generally needs only to describe the record reasonably. Identity or purpose normally cannot be required. Agencies may charge actual copy costs, assess location costs only when the statutory threshold is met, and require prepayment above the published level.
Key Wisconsin laws:
Wis. Stat. §19.35 sets the request, timing, identification, and fee rules for public records.
Wis. Stat. §165.83 governs criminal-identification reporting that feeds CIB.
Wis. Stat. §59.20(3) supports inspection of qualifying papers held by the Clerk.
Wis. Stat. §§801.19 to 801.21 protect identifiers and govern confidential or sealed filings.
Public access does not include every detail. Court filers must protect Social Security, tax, account, license, and passport numbers. WCCA excludes protected victim, witness, and juror information in covered matters, along with confidential cases and sealed material.
Ozaukee County Warrant Checks
Ozaukee County does not publish a separate active-warrant name database. Search WCCA, open the case, choose the detailed view, and inspect the Case Summary for a warrant notation. Online data can lag. Confirm the current status with the issuing court, the Sheriff at 262-284-7172, or the relevant local police agency before acting on it.
A person resolving their own county warrant may report to the jail before 7:00 a.m. on a weekday to improve the chance of a same-day 1:00 p.m. bond hearing. A later arrival can mean waiting until the next weekday. Municipal warrants belong with Mid-Moraine Municipal Court or the issuing municipal agency. Anonymous OZSO Tips are for sharing information, not for confirming a warrant.
Sealed, Expunged, and Restricted Records
Wisconsin expungement under §973.015 is a narrow sentencing-time remedy. For the ordinary adult route, a person generally must have been under 25 when the offense occurred, the offense must carry no more than six years of possible imprisonment, and the judge must approve expungement at sentencing. Several offense categories are excluded. Successful completion requires no later conviction, no probation revocation, and satisfaction of probation terms.
Expungement does not order every police or prosecutor record destroyed. A separate DOJ route may address an arrest and fingerprint record when someone was released without charge or cleared in proceedings. Juvenile expunction and motions to seal use different laws. The Ozaukee Clerk acknowledges an expunged record only to the defendant who presents identification; other requesters are told no record exists.
Note: A dismissal, acquittal, or missing web result does not by itself prove that every independent Ozaukee County criminal record was erased.
Ozaukee County Diversion Paths
A filed case does not always travel in a straight line from complaint to conviction. Ozaukee County's Criminal Justice Collaborating Council brings together the courts, Clerk, District Attorney, Sheriff, Human Services, local police, municipal court, public defense, and state supervision. Its work shows how agencies coordinate while keeping separate record duties.
Minutes from February 2025 reported 219 cases admitted to Diversion or Deferred Prosecution Agreement programs over time, with 25 then current. The same report listed referrals, admissions, a graduation, and noncompliance terminations. Those figures explain why an open filing needs careful reading: a case may follow conditions and later reach a disposition that differs from the first charge.
The official PACER service is separate from this state and county path and covers federal dockets.
For an Ozaukee matter, first identify whether the case is in Wisconsin Circuit Court or the federal Eastern District of Wisconsin before choosing the portal.
Ozaukee County Record History
Ozaukee County was organized in 1853, with Port Washington chosen as the county seat. The first courthouse, built in 1854, placed a jail and jailer's rooms on its first floor, offices on the second, and a courtroom on the third. A fireproof records building followed in 1867. Today's Justice Center again places jail, sheriff, courts, Clerk, and prosecutor near one another, though their legal custody of records remains separate.
The county courthouse history preserves that older recordkeeping setting.
The image is more than local color. It shows why Port Washington remains the center for county court records while city police files stay spread across the county.
The official county overview adds geographic context for those separate local custodians.
Ozaukee is Wisconsin's smallest county by land area, yet Mequon, Cedarburg, Port Washington, and other communities maintain distinct police channels. A compact map does not mean one police-record pool.
Ozaukee County Criminal Records by City
City police departments create their own incident records, and Mid-Moraine Municipal Court handles local ordinance and noncriminal traffic matters for these cities. State crimes move to Ozaukee County Circuit Court, while longer local custody moves through the county jail. The three city routes differ enough to warrant separate records instructions.
Mequon Criminal Records
Population 25,128. Police requests, weekly bulletins, booking-only cells, and Mid-Moraine citations use distinct channels.
Cedarburg Criminal Records
Population 12,976. Police reports offer paper, email, and online request routes before county-level custody or court checks.
Port Washington Criminal Records
Population 12,952. A clerk-assisted police records bureau sits near, but remains separate from, the county justice system.
Ozaukee County Federal Record Layers
Federal court and identity-history records require their own sources. Ozaukee County lies in the Milwaukee Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. PACER holds federal dockets and documents. The FBI supplies a subject-only Identity History Summary through electronic, mail, and approved fingerprint channels.
The FBI electronic request portal handles the online start of an Identity History Summary request.
The FBI requires current fingerprints and does not provide one private person's summary to another person. Challenges to FBI records are free, while capture or channeler services can add separate costs.