Find Arrest Records in Prince George's County
Prince George's County arrest records are available through the Prince George's County Police Department's Criminal Records Public Access Room, the statewide Maryland Judiciary Case Search, and formal requests under the Maryland Public Information Act. This page explains how each of those sources works and what information you can expect to find in each one.
Prince George's County Overview
Prince George's County Police Criminal Records Room
The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) maintains a Criminal Records Public Access Room where members of the public can request and review certain arrest and incident records. This is one of the more direct ways to access records in the county, particularly if you are looking for police reports related to a specific case or individual. The access room is a dedicated resource for these requests and is separate from other administrative offices within the department.
The PGPD Criminal Records Public Access Room page at princegeorgescountymd.gov/291/Criminal-Records-Public-Access-Room lists the procedures for submitting a records request, what identification or information you need to bring, and what types of records are available. Check that page before visiting to confirm current hours and any updated requirements. In-person visits can be more efficient than mail requests for straightforward searches, since you can answer follow-up questions on the spot.
For requests submitted by mail or online, the PGPD will send a written response within 10 working days. That response may include an estimate of fees before the actual records are released. If you receive a denial, the department must cite the specific legal basis for withholding the record. You have the right to appeal.
The screenshot below shows how the Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal looks, which you can use in parallel with a PGPD request to see what is in the court record.
Using both the PGPD Criminal Records room and the Case Search together gives you the most complete picture of a case from arrest through court disposition.
Maryland Judiciary Case Search for Prince George's Cases
The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is a free statewide tool that covers all Maryland courts, including the Circuit Court and District Court in Prince George's County. It shows criminal case filings, charges, hearing dates, and case outcomes. You can search by name or case number. Because Prince George's County is one of the most populous counties in Maryland, with nearly a million residents, the volume of cases in the system is high. A search on a common name will likely return many results, so narrowing by date of birth or filtering by court location helps.
Since December 7, 2021, the system requires an exact name match unless you use the percent sign (%) wildcard at the end of a name. A CAPTCHA appears with each search. Expunged and shielded records are not displayed. The Case Search does not show police department records, only court filings and outcomes. An arrest that never led to charges will not appear in the Case Search at all.
MPIA Requests to Prince George's County Agencies
Maryland's Public Information Act (MPIA), found in General Provisions Title 4, gives people the right to request records held by state and local government agencies. In Prince George's County, that means you can submit requests to the PGPD for police records, or to other county agencies for records they hold. The first two hours of staff search time are free. After that, fees apply under the COMAR 29.01.02.13 schedule. Before charging anything beyond the free period, the agency must provide you with a written estimate. You can revise your request to reduce costs.
If you are the person the record is about, you are a "person in interest" under the MPIA and have broader access rights than a third-party requester. A person in interest can access certain records that might otherwise be withheld, particularly those that directly relate to their own case. This does not override every exemption, but it matters in many common situations. The Maryland Attorney General's MPIA manual at oag.state.md.us/Opengov/pia.htm is a detailed, free resource that explains the full scope of these rights in plain language.
What Arrest Records Contain in Prince George's County
An arrest record created by the PGPD at the time of booking typically documents the date and time of arrest, the charges at booking, the identity of the person taken into custody, and the arresting officer's information. It may also include notes from the associated incident report. A court record, by contrast, documents what happened after the arrest: whether the state's attorney filed charges, how the defendant pleaded, what the court found, and what sentence (if any) was handed down.
You may need both types of records depending on why you are searching. If you want to know what the police found at the time of arrest, go to the PGPD. If you want to know how a case was resolved in court, use the Maryland Judiciary Case Search or contact the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, which is located in Upper Marlboro. Certified copies of court documents from the clerk's office carry more legal weight than an unofficial printout from the online Case Search.
Keep in mind that an arrest is not a conviction. A person can be arrested and never charged, or charged and later acquitted. The arrest record and the court record together tell the full story. Neither alone is complete.
DPSCS Inmate Locator for Prince George's Cases
For people who were convicted in Prince George's County and sentenced to a Maryland state correctional facility, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) runs a free Inmate Locator tool. You can search by name and see the current facility, committing county, sentence length, and projected release date. This covers state prisons only. It does not include people held at the Prince George's County Detention Center or anyone who is pretrial and housed locally.
Prince George's County has one of the larger inmate populations in Maryland given its size, so the DPSCS locator can be a useful first stop when you know someone was convicted here and want to find out where they are currently held. If the person has already been released, they may no longer appear in the database.
Maryland State Police Records in Prince George's County
The Maryland State Police also has jurisdiction in parts of Prince George's County and maintains records separate from the PGPD. If an arrest was made by an MSP trooper, the record will be held by MSP, not the county police department. Those records must be requested separately from MSP Central Records, located at 1711 Belmont Ave, Baltimore, MD 21244. The phone number is (410) 653-4246 and they are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Submit a written MPIA request with the case details you know.
The MSP Public Information Request page is shown below.
The page explains the steps for requesting MSP-specific records and lists what information to include in your request.
Expungement and Shielding in Prince George's County
Maryland law allows people to petition for expungement of certain arrests and charges, as well as some convictions under specific conditions. Once expunged, a record is removed from public view. It won't appear in the Judiciary Case Search, and the PGPD is required to remove it from their files. A clean result from any search doesn't mean no arrest ever happened; it may mean the record was expunged.
Maryland also allows shielding of certain non-violent convictions after a waiting period. Shielded records are not visible to the public but are accessible to law enforcement. If you are trying to understand the status of your own record, or help someone else understand theirs, an attorney who practices criminal law in Prince George's County can advise on what might be eligible for expungement or shielding. The process requires filing a petition in the court where the case originated.
Cities in Prince George's County
Bowie is the largest city in Prince George's County with its own arrest records page covering local law enforcement and search resources.
Other communities in Prince George's County, including Hyattsville, Laurel, and College Park, are served by the same PGPD records process described above.
Nearby Maryland Counties
Prince George's County borders several major Maryland counties, each with its own law enforcement agency and records procedures.