Suffolk County Arrest Records

Suffolk County arrest records are maintained by several agencies, including the Boston Police Department, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, and the district attorney's office. These records cover arrests made in Boston, Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop, and they are accessible through public records requests, the iCORI system, and the MassCourts online portal. This guide explains where to find Suffolk County arrest records, how to submit a request, and what each source includes.

Boston Police Department Records

The Boston Police Department is the primary source for arrest records in Suffolk County. Most arrests in the county happen within Boston city limits. The BPD's Public Records Division handles all formal records requests. You can reach them at (617) 635-4037 or by email at publicrecords@boston.gov. The Records Access Officer is Grace Jung, reachable at grace.jung@boston.gov.

To submit a request in person, go to 1 City Hall Square, Room 615, Boston, MA 02201. You can also use the online portal at www.boston.gov/departments/public-records and click "Submit a Request." Mail requests go to the same City Hall Square address. BPD headquarters is at One Schroeder Plaza, Roxbury Crossing, MA 02120, and the main line is (617) 343-4500.

Electronic copies are free when records exist in digital form. Paper copies cost $0.05 per page. The first two hours of staff search time are free. After that, the rate is $25 per hour. These rates come from MGL c. 66, § 10, which governs public records access across the state.

Records available from BPD include incident reports, arrest reports, accident reports, daily arrest logs, and statistical data. Records that are not public include anything tied to ongoing investigations, juvenile arrests, victim and witness information, and internal affairs files.

Suffolk County Sheriff's Department

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department operates two correctional facilities in Boston: Nashua Street Jail and the South Bay House of Correction. The sheriff's office is located at 20 Bradston Street, Boston, MA 02118, and can be reached at (617) 635-1000. Their website is www.scscma.org.

The sheriff's Records Division handles requests for inmate booking records and jail-related arrest documentation. You can call (617) 635-1000 and ask for the Records Division, visit in person at 20 Bradston Street, or mail a written request to the Records Division at the same address. Note that the sheriff's records cover people held in county facilities, not every arrest made in Suffolk County. For arrest reports from a specific incident, contact the police department that made the arrest.

Police Departments in Suffolk County

Suffolk County has four cities and towns, each with its own police department. Arrest records are held by the department that made the arrest. Here is contact information for each department.

The Revere Police Department is at 400 Revere Beach Parkway, Revere, MA 02151, phone (781) 284-1212. The Chelsea Police Department is at 311 Washington Avenue, Chelsea, MA 02150, phone (617) 466-4800, and their site is at www.chelseama.gov/police. The Winthrop Police Department is at 1 Metcalf Square, Winthrop, phone (617) 846-1212.

Each department follows the same state public records law. Requests go to the Records Access Officer at each department. You can call, visit in person, or mail a written request. Response time is 10 days under MGL c. 66, § 10. Some departments post daily logs online. Under MGL c. 41, § 98F, police logs must be made public. Domestic violence-related reports are an exception. Those are not public under MGL c. 41, § 97D.

iCORI System and CORI Records

The state's Criminal Offender Record Information system, known as iCORI, is one of the most complete sources for Massachusetts arrest records. The system is managed by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) and is available at www.mass.gov/icori.

Under MGL c. 6, § 167, CORI includes arrests, charges, and incarceration records for people 18 and older. Access rules depend on the outcome of the case. Under MGL c. 6, § 172, non-conviction records are available right away to those with a legitimate need. Misdemeanor records require a 5-year wait. Felony records require a 10-year wait before broader access is granted.

Individuals can request their own CORI for free. Employers and other authorized parties pay a fee and must meet specific requirements. The iCORI portal walks users through the process step by step.

MassCourts and District Attorney Records

Court records tied to arrests in Suffolk County are searchable through masscourts.org. The portal provides access to case information from the trial courts, including district courts, Boston Municipal Court, and Superior Court. You can search by name, case number, or party.

Suffolk County Superior Court is at 3 Pemberton Square, Boston, MA 02108, phone (617) 788-8160. Boston Municipal Court has several divisions across the county: Central at 24 New Chardon Street, Roxbury at 85 Warren Street, South Boston at 535 East Broadway, West Roxbury at 445 Arborway, Charlestown at 3 City Square, and East Boston at 37 Meridian Street. Chelsea District Court and Revere District Court also serve parts of the county.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office is at 1 Bulfinch Place, Boston, MA 02114, phone (617) 619-4000, and online at www.suffolkdistrictattorney.com. The DA handles prosecution of cases arising from Suffolk County arrests. Case filings from the DA's office are part of the court record and may be requested through MassCourts or the specific court clerk's office.

Record Sealing and Expungement

Some arrest records in Suffolk County may be sealed or expunged under state law. Sealing removes a record from public view but keeps it accessible to certain agencies. Expungement destroys the record entirely.

Under MGL c. 276, § 100A, a person can petition to seal a misdemeanor conviction after 3 years from the end of their sentence, or a felony conviction after 7 years. Non-conviction records, such as cases that were dismissed or resulted in a not guilty verdict, are automatically sealed under MGL c. 276, § 100C. Expungement is available in limited cases under MGL c. 276, §§ 100E through 100U, typically for first-time offenders who were young at the time of the offense.

If a record has been sealed or expunged, it will not appear in most public searches, including iCORI responses for standard requesters. The clerk's office at the relevant court can provide guidance on the sealing or expungement process.

Additional Data Sources

Boston's open data portal at data.boston.gov includes crime statistics, incident data, and other public safety records. This is a good resource for aggregate data rather than individual arrest reports. In 2019, Suffolk County had 16,537 total reported crimes, with 4,244 violent crimes and 12,293 property crimes.

The Massachusetts State Police also maintains records for incidents they handle directly. State Police records requests go through www.mass.gov/public-records-for-the-massachusetts-state-police. The state's Sex Offender Registry Board maintains a public database at www.mass.gov/sorb. Searches there can help identify registered sex offenders by name or address. The Department of Correction at www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-correction provides state inmate lookup tools.

Third-party aggregators also compile Suffolk County arrest data. One example is massachusettscourtrecords.us, which indexes public court and arrest record data. These sites may not be current or complete, so verify any information through the official sources above.

Cities in Suffolk County

Suffolk County includes Boston, Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop. The two cities below have dedicated arrest records pages.

Chelsea and Winthrop do not have individual city pages but are served by the county-level resources described above.

Nearby Counties

Suffolk County borders several other Massachusetts counties. Each has its own court system and law enforcement agencies.