North Charleston Criminal Records and Arrest Information

North Charleston criminal records are produced by the North Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Municipal Court, and the Charleston County judicial system. As one of South Carolina's largest cities, North Charleston generates a significant volume of criminal records each year. Searching North Charleston criminal records provides access to police incident reports, arrest histories, booking information, and court case filings. This page covers the official agencies, the online FOIA portal, and the public records tools available for locating criminal records in North Charleston.

North Charleston Police Department

The North Charleston Police Department was formed in 1972 with just 19 officers. Today the department has grown to more than 340 sworn officers and 85 civilian employees serving a residential population of approximately 90,000 people. The daytime population swells to over 200,000 due to the city's commercial and industrial activity. The department maintains 12 patrol zones covered 24 hours per day. The department's main website is at police.northcharleston.org. Non-emergency calls can be directed to 843-743-7200, the tip line is 843-607-2076, and the drug tip line is 843-308-4708.

The department operates three bureaus. The South Bureau is located at Cosgrove and Rivers Avenues, phone (843) 308-4718. The Central Bureau is at City Hall Lane, phone (843) 740-2812. The North Bureau is at 2238 Otranto Road, phone (843) 207-0666. Each bureau serves a geographic portion of the city and handles patrol and investigative functions that generate the criminal records maintained by the department's Administrative Services division.

The North Charleston FOIA public portal at justfoia.com allows online submission of public records requests for North Charleston criminal records, with tracking available via a Request Number and Security Key.

North Charleston FOIA and Records Requests

North Charleston has an online FOIA portal at northcharleston.justfoia.com/publicportal. Requesters can submit FOIA requests online and track their request status using the provided Request Number and Security Key. This portal is the city's preferred method for receiving public records requests, including those for North Charleston criminal records and police documentation.

For those who prefer not to use the online portal, FOIA requests may also be submitted by fax to (843) 745-1050, by mail, or by hand delivery to 2500 City Hall Lane, 3rd Floor, North Charleston, SC 29406. The mailing address is City of North Charleston, Attn: Clerk of Council, PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC 29419. The Municipal Clerk is Courtnay Fields, who can be reached at (843) 740-2509. Under South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act at S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-10 et seq., government records are generally public, and the city must respond to requests within ten business days as required by S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-30.

Exemptions to public release under S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-40 apply to active investigative files, records that would compromise law enforcement activities, and information protected by court order. For concluded criminal matters involving North Charleston Police Department, most records are accessible through the FOIA process described above.

North Charleston Police Administrative Services

The North Charleston Police Department's Administrative Services division, under Support Services Bureau Captain Howard Thomas at (843) 740-2510, handles several functions relevant to public records access. The Records Unit manages the clerical processing of daily police reports. The Duty Officer Unit handles walk-in and phone-based report requests. The Holding Facility manages transport, photographing, and fingerprinting of arrested individuals. Accident reports from North Charleston incidents can also be accessed online through the department's records system.

The North Charleston Police Department's Administrative Services page provides information about how the Records Unit, Duty Officer Unit, and Holding Facility handle North Charleston criminal records and police documentation.

North Charleston Municipal Court

The North Charleston Municipal Court is located at 2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC 29406, and can be reached at (843) 740-2509. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The Municipal Court handles lower-level criminal matters within the city, including traffic violations, ordinance violations, and certain misdemeanor offenses. Records of cases adjudicated in North Charleston Municipal Court are maintained at the court and are available to the public through standard records request procedures under state FOIA law.

For felony and General Sessions criminal cases originating in North Charleston, records are maintained by the Charleston County Clerk of Court. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office at sheriff.charlestoncounty.org also holds records for county-level incidents. The Charleston County Public Index provides online access to court records filed in Charleston County courts, including cases originating from North Charleston arrests that were processed through the county court system.

SLED and Statewide Records for North Charleston

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division maintains statewide criminal history records that include arrests and convictions from North Charleston. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 23-3-120, law enforcement agencies are required to report criminal history data to SLED. SLED CATCH background checks are available at catch.sled.sc.gov for $25 per check as established under S.C. Code Ann. § 23-3-115. These checks include North Charleston criminal records within the broader statewide database.

The SLED Sex Offender Registry at scor.sled.sc.gov provides free name and geographic searches for registrants in the North Charleston area. Expungement of qualifying North Charleston criminal records may be sought under S.C. Code Ann. § 17-22-910. Juvenile records in North Charleston are sealed under S.C. Code Ann. § 63-19-2010 and are not accessible through standard public records requests.

Charleston County Criminal Records

North Charleston is located within Charleston County, and county-level criminal records are an important part of any thorough search for North Charleston criminal records. The Charleston County Clerk of Court, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, and the 9th Judicial Circuit courts all maintain records that may include cases originating from North Charleston. For detailed information about county-level resources and how to access Charleston County criminal records, visit the Charleston County criminal records page.