Rock Hill Criminal Records and Court Filings

Rock Hill criminal records are produced by the Rock Hill Police Department, the Rock Hill Municipal Court, and the York County judicial system. As York County's largest city, Rock Hill generates a substantial volume of criminal records each year through its police department and courts. Searching Rock Hill criminal records provides access to incident reports, arrest histories, booking documentation, and court case filings for matters arising within the city. This page covers the official sources, FOIA procedures, and online tools available for locating criminal records in Rock Hill.

Rock Hill Police Department

The Rock Hill Police Department is located at 120 E. Black Street, Rock Hill, SC 29730. The main phone number is (803) 329-7200 and the fax is (803) 329-7260. A mailing address of PO Box 11706, Rock Hill, SC 29731-1706 is available for written correspondence. Police services information is available through the City of Rock Hill website at cityofrockhill.com. The department offers a Crime Map tool, an online incident reporting option, and procedures for submitting FOIA requests through the city's website.

FOIA requests for Rock Hill Police Department records must be submitted in writing. The city's website provides guidance on how to initiate a request. Rock Hill criminal records available through the FOIA process include incident reports, arrest documentation, and other records produced by departmental activities. Under South Carolina's FOIA statute at S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-10 et seq., these records are generally accessible to the public. The city is required to respond within ten business days as mandated by S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-30. Records protected by S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-40 exemptions, including active investigative materials, are not subject to release.

The SLED CATCH system at catch.sled.sc.gov provides comprehensive statewide criminal records research covering Rock Hill and all other South Carolina jurisdictions.

Rock Hill Crime Statistics

Rock Hill Police Department crime data from 2020 provides context for the scope of Rock Hill criminal records. The department documented 519 violent crimes and 2,748 property crimes for a total of 3,267 offenses, representing a 1.6 percent reduction from 2019 totals. The breakdown of violent crimes included 9 murders, 39 rapes, 56 robberies, and 415 aggravated assaults. Property crime categories included 7 arsons, 264 burglaries, 159 auto thefts, 773 shoplifting incidents, and 1,213 thefts of other types.

Each documented incident in the Rock Hill Police Department statistics represents a criminal record that may be accessible through the department's public records process, the York County court system, or through statewide databases. The overall downward trend in crime reflects the department's law enforcement activities that continue to generate the arrest and incident records comprising Rock Hill criminal records each year.

Rock Hill Municipal Court

The Rock Hill Municipal Court is located at 120 E. Black Street (the Law Center), Rock Hill, SC 29730. Court payments can be made online, by mail, or in person. The Municipal Court handles lower-level criminal matters within the city, including traffic violations, ordinance violations, and misdemeanor offenses. Records of cases adjudicated in Rock Hill Municipal Court are maintained at the court and are available to the public through standard records request procedures.

For felony and General Sessions criminal cases originating in Rock Hill, records are maintained by the York County Clerk of Court at the Moss Justice Center, 1675 1G York Highway, York, SC 29745, phone (803) 628-3036. A standard records search costs $12, with additional copies at $3 each. The York County Public Index at publicindex.sccourts.org/york/ provides free online access to court records filed in York County, including cases originating from Rock Hill arrests.

York County Sheriff and Inmate Search

The York County Sheriff's Office at yorkcountysheriff.com maintains an online inmate search with a current jail roster for the Moss Justice Center. The roster includes names, mugshots, sex, age, charges, booking date and time, bond information, and the arresting agency. This tool allows the public to verify whether an individual from Rock Hill is currently in custody in York County. Rock Hill residents arrested by the Rock Hill Police Department may be held at the Moss Justice Center prior to court proceedings.

The York County Sex Offender Registry is maintained in collaboration with SLED and can be searched free of charge by name or geographic area through scor.sled.sc.gov. The York County Public Defender can be reached at (803) 628-3031 for matters involving defense representation in York County criminal cases connected to Rock Hill incidents.

SLED Background Checks for Rock Hill

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division compiles statewide criminal history records that include arrests and convictions from Rock Hill. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 23-3-120, law enforcement agencies are required to report criminal history data to SLED, ensuring Rock Hill records are part of the statewide database. Background checks through the SLED CATCH system at catch.sled.sc.gov cost $25 per check as set out in S.C. Code Ann. § 23-3-115. These checks cover Rock Hill criminal records within the broader statewide database covering all 46 counties.

Expungement of qualifying Rock Hill criminal records may be sought under S.C. Code Ann. § 17-22-910. Eligible individuals can petition through the York County courts to have qualifying records removed from public access. Records destroyed under S.C. Code Ann. § 17-1-40 are similarly unavailable. Juvenile records in Rock Hill are sealed under S.C. Code Ann. § 63-19-2010 and are not accessible through standard public records requests. The SLED main website provides further guidance on statewide criminal records access.

York County Criminal Records

Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, and county-level criminal records are a key complement to city-level resources for a thorough search. The York County Clerk of Court, the York County Sheriff's Office, and the 16th Judicial Circuit courts all maintain records that may include cases originating from Rock Hill. For detailed information about county-level resources, the York County Public Index, and county-wide criminal records, visit the York County criminal records page.