New Castle County Arrest Records

New Castle County arrest records cover the busiest part of Delaware, from Wilmington up to the Pennsylvania line. The county runs its own sheriff, its own police force in the unincorporated zones, and the largest Superior Court in the state. Search arrest records in New Castle County through the state's Bureau of Identification, the county public records portal, or the arresting police agency. This guide walks through each path so you can find the right office for your request.

New Castle County Sheriff's Office

The New Castle County Sheriff's Office sits at 87 Reads Way in New Castle, DE 19720. Call (302) 395-8450 for civil process work or (302) 395-8460 to fax a filing. The office does not run general patrols. Its main job is civil process, court security, and related duties. Still, the team can point you to the right law enforcement unit for any arrest record you need. Learn more at nccde.org/190/Sheriffs-Office.

The New Castle County Sheriff page is shown below.

As listed on nccde.org, the office serves legal papers, posts wanted notices, and runs court security in Wilmington. Arrest records themselves are built by the arresting agency, not the sheriff.

Under 29 Del. C. § 10002(l)(4), a person may get their own criminal record with proof of identity, even when third-party access is blocked. The New Castle County SBI office sits inside the Delaware State Police Troop 2 building at 100 LaGrange Avenue, Newark, DE 19702.

New Castle County Superior Court Records

The New Castle County Superior Court sits at 500 N. King Street in Wilmington, DE 19801. The Court of Common Pleas line is (302) 255-0800. The building is the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center and holds the Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, Family Court, and Justice of the Peace Courts. Court hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public access terminals are open to the public by appointment only.

To book a terminal, email or call (302) 255-0740. Criminal court case records in New Castle County cannot be read online and must be pulled at the courthouse. The Superior Court handles all felony criminal cases, civil matters over $50,000, and appeals from lower courts. The Court of Common Pleas takes civil cases between $15,000 and $50,000 plus landlord-tenant files and some administrative appeals.

The New Castle Superior Court location page is shown here.

The page at courts.delaware.gov/locations/superior_nc.aspx lists phone lines, parking details, and rules for bringing devices into the building.

The Delaware Court of Chancery also sits in Wilmington. It handles complex business cases and is well known across the country for corporate law. Drug court and mental health court also run in New Castle County as alternatives to standard criminal cases.

New Castle County Police Department

The New Castle County Police Department patrols all unincorporated parts of the county. The force is a full-service agency and works with Delaware State Police and local city units on big cases. Reach them at (302) 573-2800 for non-emergency calls, or dial 911 for any in-progress crime. News releases about fresh arrests run on the agency site.

Suspect names, charges, and incident details get posted with each story. The department joins task forces with other agencies and runs its own detective unit. Arrests, incident reports, and crash reports stay on file at the department.

Delaware State Police Troop 2 in Bear backs up the county police in many parts of New Castle County. For state highway arrests and rural areas, DSP carries the load. Newark and Middletown each have their own city force that shares data through DELJIS. The Howard R. Young Correctional Institution at 1301 East 12th Street in Wilmington is the main booking and detention site for the county.

New Castle County Inmates and Corrections

Adults booked on New Castle County arrests go through the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution at 1301 East 12th Street in Wilmington. The site is the primary booking and detention center for the whole county. Juveniles held pre-trial go to the New Castle County Detention Center, run by the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services.

To check current inmate status in New Castle County, use the Department of Correction inmate locator. You can search by name or offender ID. The tool runs on VINELink and lets you sign up for free alerts by phone, email, text, or TTY when custody status changes.

Four state prisons hold adults in Delaware: Baylor Women's Correctional Institution, Howard R. Young, James T. Vaughn in Smyrna, and Sussex Correctional in Georgetown. The Bureau of Community Corrections runs probation for all three counties. Two probation and parole offices sit in New Castle County, one in New Castle and one in the northern part of the county.

To check for open warrants on any New Castle County arrest, use the DELJIS Online Wanted Person Review at deljis.delaware.gov. You enter a first and last name to see if a warrant is active. The Delaware State Police arrest archive at dsp.delaware.gov/category/arrest also lists fresh bookings from across the county.

How to Request New Castle County Arrest Records

Arrest records in New Castle County are public under Delaware's FOIA, Title 29, Chapter 100. An arrest record shows that someone was taken into custody and booked. It does not prove guilt. A conviction record shows a guilty finding after court. Both types are held by different offices.

To ask for a record, give the office this info:

• Full name of the arrested person
• Date of birth or age
• Date of arrest, or a close guess
• Case number, if you have it
• Arresting agency, if known

Under § 10003 of the Delaware Code, the agency must reply to a FOIA request within 15 business days. Fees may apply for copies and staff time. The ACLU of Delaware has pushed suits on FOIA response speed in the county in past years.

For a full certified criminal history, pay $72 for the state-only report or $85 for the state and federal mix. Prints run through IdentoGO at uenroll.identogo.com with the service code your agency gives you. The State Bureau of Identification page at dsp.delaware.gov has the full fee and ID list.

Online Case Search Options

Delaware CourtConnect is the main online lookup for New Castle County court cases. It covers civil and some criminal filings from the Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Justice of the Peace Courts. The tool is free and open 24/7. Visit courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov. Search by name, business, or case type.

Full criminal files are not on CourtConnect. Basic docket info and case status are what you get. For the full file, head to the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center and book a terminal.

Trellis Law tracks Superior Court dockets across Delaware and has deep coverage for New Castle County. The platform sends alerts, pulls docket text, and shows party details. View at trellis.law/coverage/delaware/newcastle. Delaware State Police arrest archives at dsp.delaware.gov/category/arrest cover press releases on fresh arrests, and the Sex Offender Central Registry lists registered offenders by name or zip code.

Clean Slate and Expungement in New Castle County

Delaware's Clean Slate law from 2021 automates expungement for many arrest and conviction records. The rollout started August 1, 2024. Over 290,000 people statewide may qualify. To read the rules, visit aclu-de.org/en/csde. Under 11 Del. Code § 4372, a person need not disclose a record that has been expunged.

To check if your own record has been wiped in New Castle County, stop by the prothonotary at the Wilmington courthouse, use the public access terminals, or order a certified criminal history from SBI.

Cities in New Castle County

New Castle County includes Wilmington, Newark, Middletown, New Castle, and Delaware City. Each has its own police force that feeds arrest data into DELJIS. Pick a city below for local records details.

Nearby Counties

Kent and Sussex County sit south of New Castle County. Check the right county for the place of the arrest.