Plano Arrest Records

In Plano County, an arrest may be made when a warrant orders such or law enforcement sees a person committing an offense or has probable cause to believe that such person is responsible for a crime that has just been committed. Plano operates a city jail, although it is a short-term detention facility where arrestees are held for less than 24 hours. Long-term inmates are held at the Collin County Jail.

Booking occurs at any of these facilities and involves collecting the arrestee's name, address, photographs, fingerprints, reason for the arrest, and inventory of the arrestee's possessions at the time of the arrest. This process creates the city's arrest records and, by extension, Collin County arrest records, which can be perused through law enforcement or court record repositories.

Are Plano Arrests Public Record?

Yes. The Texas Public Information Act, as codified in Texas Government Code Chapter 552, provides that it is every person's right to access records maintained by governmental bodies about the conduct of public business. Under this law, arrest information is public in Plano. However, certain exemptions under this law allow agencies to deny the public access to specific records. In addition, a record may be made confidential if its public availability violates another statute or law.

If a requested public arrest record contains information that is deemed non-public, the non-public information is redacted before the request is fulfilled. Non-public arrest records are only accessible to record subjects, persons with a tangible or direct interest in the case, and their attorneys. Examples of such exemptions are as follows:

• Information protected by attorney-client privilege.
• Social security numbers, telephone numbers, and license numbers of law enforcement officers, arrestees, or their family members that may constitute an arrest record.
• Information with the potential to influence the outcome of an ongoing investigation.
• Identifying juvenile information.
• Information whose disclosure may constitute an unnecessary invasion of any person's privacy, including that of an arrestee.

Plano Crime Rate

The Plano Police Department reports crime statistics through the FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). According to the crime statistics summary 2024, the department reported 457 violent crimes, 4,279 property crimes, and 2,195 traffic-related crimes. Compared to the previous year (2023), there was a decrease in the crime rate per 1000, with 2.01 for property crimes and 0.5 for violent crimes. Notable crimes included:

• Homicide — 3
• Rape — 104
• Robbery — 78
• Aggravated assault — 272
• Burglary — 467
• Larceny — 3,390
• Motor vehicle theft — 422.

Find Plano Arrest Records

The local clerk of court and the Plano Police Department may facilitate access to arrest records for residents. Interested persons can also find inmate information, active warrants, and court case information online through the Judicial Online Search tool. Information available on this website includes an inmate's name, date of birth, sex, booking date, and SO number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Plano

The Judicial Online Search tool highlighted in the previous header is a cost-free option for county-wide arrest record searches. Many commercial aggregator websites also offer free arrest lookups, although users may face limitations, such as lag times that may lead to a person obtaining outdated information, and paywalls that restrict free users' access to full details and site features.

Criminal Background Check in Texas

Criminal background checks may be performed with the Texas Department of Public Safety. This agency provides online access to conviction records through the Computerized Criminal History System (CCH). Searches on this site are name-based and return information about arrests, prosecutions, and court dispositions of cases for persons arrested for class B misdemeanors or higher offenses.

Researchers are required to create an account to use this resource. Users are required to have search credits to perform a search. Search credits cost $3.00 plus a convenience fee, depending on the payment method. Further inquiries should be addressed to:

Texas Department of Public Safety
P.O. Box 4143
Austin, TX 78765-4143
Attention: Criminal History Inquiry Unit

Plano Inmate Search

Statewide searches for inmates incarcerated in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facility may be performed online using the Inmate Information Search system. The website is updated on business days, and the minimum input requirement to perform a search is either of the following:

• The State Identification (SID) number
• The first initial of the first name and the last name, or
• The TDCJ number

Plano Police Record Lookup

The Plano Police Department, through its Open Records Unit, has the responsibility of making public all police records in compliance with the Texas Open Records Act. Although some records, such as crash reports, are available online, residents may submit requests in person, by fax at (972) 942-2191, or through an electronic form. In-person requests must be submitted in writing at any of the following locations:

Plano Police Department (Main Station)
909 14th Street
Plano, TX 75074
Phone: (972) 424-5678

Plano Police Department (Joint Use Facility)
7501-A Independence Parkway
Plano, TX 75025
Phone: (972) 424-5678

Plano Police Department (Northwest Station)
7501-A Independence Parkway
Plano, TX 75025
Phone: (972) 424-5678

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record in Plano?

Indefinitely. Texas laws do not specify a baseline retention period for arrests on a person's record. Notwithstanding, record subjects may be able to remove arrests from their records through a legal procedure known as expungement if they meet certain eligibility requirements.

How Can I Get My Record Expunged for Free in Plano?

There is no guarantee that the entire expungement process will be cost-free. However, people may qualify for fee waivers under certain circumstances. Article 55.01 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures (T.C.C.P.) outlines eligibility requirements that must be met for a person to qualify for an arrest record expungement, including the following:

• The arrest was due to mistaken identity.
• A minimum of three years have passed since the record subject completed a felony sentence.
• A grand jury issued a "no-bill" verdict.
• The arrested individual was not convicted of the charges that led to the arrest.
• The case was dismissed upon completion of a mental health treatment or veterans program.
• If the arrest was for a class A or B misdemeanor, a minimum of three years must have elapsed since completion of the sentence and there must be no felony connected to the same arrest.
• If the arrest was for a class C misdemeanor, a minimum of 180 days must have passed since completion of the sentence and there must be no felony connected to the arrest.

Eligible persons should begin by filing an expungement petition with the District Clerk's Office. A $100 filing fee is assessed if the petitioner was not acquitted of the charges, while there are no filing fees if a person was acquitted. The petition shall contain information about the petitioner, the arrest to be expunged, names of entities and agencies that may have records of such arrest, and the reason for the expunction.

If the court grants the petition, it shall issue an expungement order to all agencies named in the petition. The entire process typically takes between a few months and a year.

Plano Warrant Search

Arrest warrants are similar to bench warrants, as both order law enforcement to bring a person before a judge. However, while arrest warrants are based on the warrant subject's commission of a crime, bench warrants are issued if a person fails to honor a scheduled court appearance. The Plano Police Department publishes a list of persons with outstanding misdemeanor warrants on its website.

Interested persons can use this resource to find information, such as the defendant's name, the number of warrants on a person's name, the defendant's street, the case number, and the total due amount on each warrant. Warrant-related inquiries may also be channelled to the Plano Municipal Court at (972) 941-2199.

To avoid being arrested when they visit the court premises or the police department, defendants can resolve their warrants online by paying warrant fines and costs via the Municipal Online Payments system. All payments are made via credit cards.

Do Plano Warrants Expire?

Arrest warrants issued in Plano do not expire. A warrant stays in effect until the warrant's subject turns themselves in, gets arrested by law enforcement, or dies. Without an arrest, most misdemeanor warrants may only go away if quashed or recalled by the issuing authority, the suspect pays the required fine or posts a bond, or the suspect dies. Also, arrested persons may be released on "time served" after acquiring sufficient jail credit.