Search Yakima Arrest Records
Yakima arrest records are available through two main sources: the Yakima Police Department for city-level records, and the Yakima County Sheriff's Office for county booking data and jail roster information. Yakima is the largest city in Yakima County and operates a full police department with its own public records division. The city posts daily arrest logs online, which makes basic arrest information accessible without a formal request. For more detailed records, including incident reports and officer documents, a public records request under RCW 42.56 is required, with a five-business-day response window.
Yakima Overview
Yakima Police Department Records
The Yakima Police Department is located at 200 S 3rd Street, Yakima, WA 98901. The department's main phone number is (509) 575-6200. The Records Division is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The city maintains an online public records portal for submitting requests. The department also posts daily arrest logs and most wanted lists on the city's website, so many basic arrest details are available without any formal request at all.
Daily arrest logs are one of the most practical tools for checking recent Yakima arrests. These logs list names, charges, and dates from recent bookings and are updated regularly. If you are looking for information about a recent arrest in Yakima, checking the daily log is the fastest first step. For older records or full documentation of a specific incident, you will need to submit a formal public records request through the city portal.
The Yakima Police Department page gives an overview of services and links to records resources.
The department page shown above links to the public records portal and lists contact information for the Records Division. It also includes links to daily arrest logs and the most wanted list, both of which are free to access without submitting a request.
| Department | Yakima Police Department |
|---|---|
| Address | 200 S 3rd Street, Yakima, WA 98901 |
| Phone | (509) 575-6200 |
| Records Hours | Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm |
| Daily Arrest Logs | Available online (no request needed) |
| Response Window | 5 business days (RCW 42.56) |
Yakima County Sheriff Records and Fees
The Yakima County Sheriff's Office maintains its own public records system separate from the city police. The Sheriff's public records portal is at yakimacounty.us/2279/Sheriffs-Public-Records. The Public Records Manager is Chief CarriAnn Ross. For most requests, you can contact Tracy Hyatt by email at tracy.hyatt@co.yakima.wa.us or by phone at (509) 574-2625. The Sheriff's public records office is located at 1822 S 1st St, Yakima, WA 98903 and is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on weekends and holidays.
The Yakima County Sheriff's Office page covers how to submit a public records request for arrest and booking data.
The Sheriff's records page shown above describes the request process, accepted submission methods, and what types of records the Sheriff's office holds. Traffic collision reports are handled through LexisNexis Police Reports rather than direct release from the Sheriff's office.
The county maintains a detailed fee schedule that covers most types of records you might request. Paper copies are $0.15 per page. Photos cost $0.75 per page. Scanned documents are $0.10 per page. Electronic files are $0.05 per set of four files. Electronic transmission is $0.10 per gigabyte. CDs or DVDs are $1.00 each. Flash drives are billed at actual cost. Staff time for redaction or review involving attachments is $0.41 per minute with a two-minute minimum. For large requests, the county requires a 10% deposit of the estimated fee before work begins.
In-person inspection of records is free. You do not pay to view a document at the public access terminal. Fees only apply when copies are made or records are transmitted electronically. If you want to inspect a record before deciding whether to request copies, in-person review is the most cost-effective approach.
Note: For large Yakima County requests, a 10% deposit of the estimated total fee is required before processing. Staff time for document review runs $0.41 per minute with a two-minute minimum for requests involving attachments.
Yakima County Jail Roster and Booking Data
The Yakima County jail roster is available free online through the Yakima County Sheriff's website. It lists current inmates by name along with booking dates and listed charges. This is the fastest way to check whether someone is in custody following a Yakima arrest. The roster updates regularly and does not require a formal records request to view.
Under RCW 70.48.100, Washington requires all jails to maintain a public register of inmates. The basic booking record, name, date, and cause of arrest, is always public. More detailed records like officer notes and incident reports may require a formal request and may go through a review process. Active investigative details and victim information can be withheld under RCW 42.56 exemptions. Mugshots and booking photos are generally considered public records in Washington, though some agencies review them individually before release.
RCW 10.97.050 draws a line between conviction records and non-conviction data. Conviction records are fully public and can be widely shared. If an arrest did not result in a conviction, the data has more limited release rules. You can view non-conviction arrest data, but redistribution may be restricted in certain contexts. This comes up most often when looking for records tied to dismissed charges or cases that were not prosecuted.
For custody status alerts, VINELink provides free notifications when a person's custody status changes at the Yakima County facility. You can sign up by phone, email, or text message. This avoids repeated calls to the jail to check on release status or transfers.
Court Records and Statewide Search Tools
The Yakima County Clerk's Office handles court records for arrests processed through the county court system. The office is located at 128 N 2nd Street, Room 100, Yakima, WA 98901. The phone number is (509) 574-2700 and hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Certified copies of court documents cost $5 to $10 per document depending on the type. Public access terminals are also available at the Yakima County Courthouse law library for free in-person review of case records.
The Washington Courts case search at dw.courts.wa.gov is free and covers Superior, District, and Municipal Courts statewide. Yakima felony arrests are handled at Yakima County Superior Court. Misdemeanor cases go to Yakima Municipal Court or Yakima County District Court. Both courts post case information to the statewide system, and you can search by name without an account. Results include case numbers, filing dates, charges, and dispositions.
The WATCH portal at the Washington State Patrol gives you a fast name-based statewide criminal history check for $11.
The WATCH portal shown above returns conviction data from across Washington, including Yakima County. It is useful for checking whether someone has a record beyond just what appears in local court case data. The search takes minutes and results are available immediately after payment.
The Washington State Patrol's criminal history division at wsp.wa.gov/crime/criminal-history explains when a name-based WATCH search is sufficient and when a fingerprint-based check returns more complete results. For most public lookups, WATCH works well. Fingerprint checks are used for official background checks and employment screening, not for general public access.
The Washington Attorney General's public records guide at atg.wa.gov/obtaining-records is worth reviewing if you have trouble getting a response from either the Yakima Police Department or the Yakima County Sheriff's Office. It explains your rights under RCW 42.56 and the steps available to you if a request is denied, delayed, or answered with an overly broad exemption claim.
Redaction is permitted under RCW 42.56.240 when a record contains exempt information alongside public data. In those cases, the agency is required to release the non-exempt portions after redacting the protected parts. If you receive a record with redactions, you can ask the agency to identify which exemption applies to each redacted section. That response is itself a public record.
Yakima County Arrest Records
Yakima is the county seat of Yakima County, and all Yakima city arrests are booked into the Yakima County corrections system. County-level resources cover jail booking, Sheriff records, and court filings for the full Yakima area. For more detail on county arrest records, how to access them, and what the county maintains, see the Yakima County page.
Nearby Cities
These cities near Yakima have arrest records and public records options through their own departments or county systems.