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For Delaware arrest records, start with the arresting agency for a recent event, use Delaware State Police SBI procedures when the goal is an identity-based criminal-history record, and use the public court case for the filed prosecution and disposition.
Delaware law separates contemporaneous arrest information from criminal-history records
A recent Delaware arrest can produce information held by the arresting agency at the same time that broader criminal-history information is controlled through the State Bureau of Identification. Those are different products. The agency event can answer who was arrested, when, and by which office; the SBI process is designed for identity-based criminal-history functions under Delaware law.
That distinction is important when a search result is incomplete. A person may have an arrest event that does not translate into an unrestricted public criminal-history record. Public court proceedings are another layer again. When the research question becomes the filed charge, hearings or disposition, move to the court case instead of treating the police arrest event or background-check product as the final record.
Choose the Delaware source from the type of record
| Need | Start with | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Recent arrest event | Arresting agency | Contemporaneous arrest information the agency can disclose |
| Identity-based criminal history | Delaware State Police SBI | Criminal-history product under SBI procedures |
| Filed criminal case | Delaware court record | Charges, docket events and disposition |
| Current custody | Responsible detention facility | Custody status rather than historical criminal record |
Three limits belong beside a Delaware arrest result
Category
Arrest data and criminal history are not interchangeable
The legal access rules differ by record category.
Agency
Keep the arresting office with the event
A statewide SBI record is not the original local report.
Outcome
Use the court for disposition
An arrest does not establish conviction, dismissal or acquittal.
Build a Delaware record trail without mixing the products
1
Identify the arresting agency and dateUse the event itself to anchor the local arrest record.2
Use SBI only when the goal is criminal historyFollow the state identity-based procedure for that product.3
Carry any case number into the court systemThe judicial record is the source for the prosecution.4
State the outcome from the caseKeep the arrest fact and the court disposition as separate conclusions.Related guide: How to look up criminal records