If I were to draw up a list of North Carolina counties that make it easy for regular folks to launch a warrant search or find criminal records, Buncombe would figure in it. I have approached both the police and the judicial agencies of the area for arrest records and warrant checks. I found both law enforcement and the judiciary to be beneficial.
While you can get a lot of information from these sources when you initiate a criminal check, I’d say that you should pick the agency to connect with based on the amount of information you require and the reason for your inquiry. Let me elaborate on this:
When should I approach the police for a warrants list from Buncombe County, NC?
The police place the request for arrest warrants in criminal matters. If the court grants this request, the deputies are entrusted with serving the active warrants and then holding the arrestee until such time that he/she can be brought before the magistrate for a bail hearing.
The detention facility which houses under trials is also under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement. So, if you want criminal records connected to these duties, approaching the sheriff’s office would be your best bet. I am going to take this explanation one step further and tell you exactly what details you can get from the police:
Inmate list: Buncombe County Sheriff’s office allows you to access the most recent arrest log by using the online search tool https://buncombecountyso.policetocitizen.com/Inmates/Catalog.
Incident search: If the subject of your warrant search was recently involved in a criminal incident and you have some details about this occurrence, like the area in which the crime was reported and the date of the incident, you can use the tool at https://bcsdp2c.buncombecounty.org/Summary_Disclaimer.aspx to learn more about the case.
Closed calls: This facility gives you information on all the local police’s calls and their outcome. This is another nifty tool to know about recent arrest reports, although the suspects’ names are not given in the crime records. The feature is available at http://bcsd.p2c.buncombecounty.org/cad/callsnapshot.aspx.
Most wanted list: At the time of writing this article, the most wanted list was not available. But, I would ask you to check the page at https://buncombecountyso.policetocitizen.com/Home often to know about the criminal activities in your county. This is your best bet if you are seeking a warrant list from the area.
The daily bulletin: Now, this is what I call the motherload of information. I’d say the page at https://buncombecountyso.policetocitizen.com/DailyBulletin is as close as you can get to access the police blotter for Buncombe County. You will find all arrest reports for the day, along with details about traffic accidents, issues, and service of summons and citations, and more.
If, after all of that, you still need more information on police reports, get in touch with the sheriff’s dept in person at 60 Court Plaza, 4th Floor, Asheville, NC 28801. For all of you who want to know about recent crimes in the area, I would point you to the law enforcement agency’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/buncombesheriff/.
When would I connect with the judiciary for a criminal records search in Buncombe?
I only recommend going to the court clerk’s office when you need a formal background check done. This can be in your name when you want the report for immigration or employment, or the inquiry can be made in the name of another individual.
The good news is that the clerk’s department works out of the same location as the police. So, once you are at the address given above, you can access all the criminal court records you need.
Can you get any information pertaining to Buncombe County warrants and arrests over the phone? (2021-Update)
- Call the dispatch phone line at (828) 250-6670 for non-emergency complaints and general information.
- Contact the Magistrate’s Court (Criminal Division) at (828) 250-4690 for a warrant search.
- Connect with the Detention Division at (828) 250-4550 to learn about recent arrests.
- Call the Investigations Division at (828) 250-4436 to speak with a detective assigned to your case (victims only).
- Get in touch with the Records Division at (828) 250-4456 to learn how to do a local criminal history check.
- Connect with the Victim’s Advocate at (828) 259-3410 to reach Victim/Witness Services.
- Call the Clerk of Court at (828) 259-3400 to get criminal conviction and judicial records.
Crime statistics of Buncombe County
In 2019, the Buncombe Sheriff’s Office received 2049 criminal complaints, as opposed to the 1600 cases received in 2018. These included 1830 property crimes and 219 violent crimes.
The property crimes category included 1071 larceny thefts, 520 burglaries, and 239 motor vehicle thefts. The violent crimes category included 178 aggravated assaults, 14 rapes and 27 robberies.