There are two scenarios in which an arrest order may be issued by the courts in Benton County, WA, against an individual. A warrant is handed over to the police for the detention of a person suspected of committing a felony or misdemeanor. An order for arrest may be issued when an individual fails to appear in court. While the former is known as an active arrest warrant, the latter is legally termed a bench warrant.
While arrest warrants in case of felonies are only issued in response to the Sheriff’s Department’s requests, a bench warrant is issued by the judiciary on its own without any role played by the police in the process. Although both warrants will get a person arrested, a bench warrant can be evacuated while an arrest warrant stays in effect until an arrest is made with it.
For the issuance of an arrest warrant, the local police department approaches the court with a sworn statement from the investigating officers, victim, or witnesses. This is carefully considered before the judge signs the arrest order, which is then termed an active arrest warrant.
Information on all arrest orders issued in the country is stored in a central FBI database. Pending warrants that are stored in this system are known as outstanding arrest warrants. The local Sheriff’s Department can help you to find out if a person you know has a warrant in his/her name. Contact the law enforcement agency’s head office in Benton County, Washington, located at 7122 W Okanogan Pl, Kennewick, Washington 99336.
You can also call them for information related to arrest records; more on this below. For an online warrant search, fill the form on this webpage, which will give you access to a nationwide database of criminal records.
How do you get information on Benton County active warrants and arrests over the phone? (2021- Update)
- Information on recent arrests: Benton County Corrections Department – (509) 786-5613 or (509) 783-1451
- Details about a criminal case filed by you: The Sheriff’s Office – (509) 735-6555 (Kennewick) or (509) 786-5615 (Prosser).
- First person warrant search and information on surrender: (509) 735-3787 (Benton County Jail)
- Information about accessing Benton county judicial records: (509) 736-3071 (Superior Court), (509) 735-8388 (Benton County Clerk only for Superior Court Records), (509) 735-8476 (District Court) and (509) 783-2151 (Juvenile Court for parents and guardians only).
- Details on assistance available to crime victims: Crime Victim Program (509) 735-3591 (District Court Division), (509) 735-3591 (Felony Division), (509) 735-3591 (Juvenile Division)
Crime Statistics of Benton County, Washington
The Benton County Sheriff’s Department received 20% fewer criminal reports in 2019 than the prior year. In contrast to the annual average of around 540 events in 2018, only around 440 cases were reported in 2019. Over 380 of the complaints were for property offenses, while over 70 were for violent crimes.
In the ten years from 1999 to 2008, the crime scenario in Benton, Washington, has worsened with a combined increase of almost 50% in the rate of property and violent crimes. Every year, nearly 5000 criminal incidents are reported in the area, which puts the decade long figure at almost 50,000.
Most of the cases were theft and robbery related, with an astounding average of nearly 38,000. On the other hand, the police have managed to control the number of violent felonies, reflecting in the figures for homicide and sexual assault, with approximately 30 and 450 case reports lodged over the decade.