Cary Criminal Records Access
Cary criminal records are maintained by the Cary Police Department and the Wake County court system. Located in Wake County, Cary is one of the largest towns in North Carolina with a population exceeding 175,000 residents. The Cary Police Department provides a Police-to-Citizen portal and an open data platform with over ten years of crime incident data. Criminal records from Cary are also accessible through the Wake County CCBI and the state court system as described on this page.
Cary Quick Facts
Cary Police Criminal Records Portal
The Cary Police Department operates a Police-to-Citizen (P2C) portal at townofcary.policetocitizen.com that provides public access to criminal records data. Through this portal, you can search for public reports and daily bulletins that document criminal activity in Cary. The system allows residents to review incident reports and arrest information without visiting the police department in person.
The following image shows the Cary Police open data platform, which provides access to crime incident data and criminal records information for the town.
The P2C portal is updated regularly and includes recent criminal activity data from across Cary. Daily bulletins provide summaries of reported incidents, and public reports offer more detailed information about individual cases. This tool is one of the most accessible ways to search criminal records in Cary, as it requires no account registration or fees to use basic search functions.
Note: The Cary P2C portal provides current records and daily bulletins but does not serve as a complete criminal history database for individuals.
Criminal Records Open Data
Cary stands out among North Carolina cities for its commitment to transparent crime data. The Town of Cary publishes a comprehensive open data set of police incidents at data.townofcary.org. This dataset includes Part I crimes reported in Cary over a period spanning more than ten years and is updated daily. This level of data availability is unusual for cities of this size in North Carolina.
The open data platform allows users to search, filter, and download criminal records data from Cary. You can sort incidents by type, date, and location to analyze crime patterns in specific neighborhoods or time periods. The dataset covers serious criminal offenses classified as Part I crimes, which include offenses such as homicide, assault, robbery, burglary, and motor vehicle theft in Cary.
This open data resource complements the P2C portal by providing historical context for criminal records in Cary. While the P2C portal focuses on recent activity, the open data platform allows researchers and residents to examine criminal trends over a longer timeframe. Both tools are free to use and accessible through any web browser. Under GS 132-1, this data is part of the public record in North Carolina.
Wake County CCBI Arrest Records
Criminal records from Cary are also maintained by the City-County Bureau of Identification (CCBI), which serves all of Wake County. The CCBI processes arrest data and maintains criminal record inquiries for the county. Because Cary is in Wake County, arrest records from the Cary Police Department are forwarded to the CCBI as part of the standard records management process.
The CCBI maintains arrest data from April 27, 2007 forward, collected under the authority of GS 15A-502. This statute governs the collection of arrest information by law enforcement agencies in North Carolina. For arrest records from Cary before that date, you may need to contact the Cary Police Department directly or check other sources. The CCBI criminal record inquiries page provides instructions for submitting requests.
The CCBI is a centralized resource that covers all law enforcement agencies in Wake County. This means a single inquiry to the CCBI can return criminal records from the Cary Police Department, the Raleigh Police Department, and other Wake County agencies. This makes it an efficient tool for anyone conducting a comprehensive criminal records search that involves Cary.
Note: The CCBI covers Wake County arrest data from 2007 onward, so earlier criminal records from Cary may require a separate search.
Criminal Court Records for Cary
Criminal cases originating in Cary are prosecuted through the Wake County court system. The Wake County courthouse is located in Raleigh and handles all criminal cases from municipalities throughout the county, including Cary. The North Carolina eCourts system at portal-nc.tylertech.cloud provides online access to criminal court records from Wake County.
Court records offer information beyond what police records contain. They track criminal cases from Cary through the full judicial process, including arraignment, pretrial motions, trial proceedings, and sentencing. The eCourts portal allows you to search by defendant name or case number. Basic case information is available for free through the online system.
For statewide searches that include criminal records from Cary, the NCSBI background check service provides comprehensive criminal history reports across all North Carolina counties. The North Carolina Sex Offender Registry is also available for searching registered offenders in Cary and throughout the state. Under GS 15A-145.5, some criminal records may have been expunged and will not appear in these searches.
Criminal Records Expungement in Cary
Certain criminal records from Cary may qualify for expungement under North Carolina law. Under GS 15A-145.5, eligible individuals can petition the Wake County court to have qualifying criminal records sealed and removed from public access. Dismissed charges, acquittals, and certain lower-level convictions may qualify after a waiting period.
The petition for expungement is filed with the Wake County Clerk of Superior Court in Raleigh. A judge reviews the petition and determines whether the criminal record meets the statutory criteria. If the petition is granted, the record is sealed and removed from the eCourts portal, CCBI databases, and standard background check systems. Serious felonies and sex offenses are generally not eligible for expungement under current law.
Wake County Criminal Records
Cary is located primarily in Wake County, with a small portion extending into Chatham County. Criminal cases from Cary are processed through the Wake County court system. Wake County is the most populous county in North Carolina and includes Raleigh, Apex, and several other municipalities. For broader information about criminal records throughout the county, visit the Wake County page.