Wilmington Criminal Records
Wilmington criminal records can be searched through the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, and the county court system. Wilmington is the largest city in southeastern North Carolina and the county seat of New Hanover County with a population exceeding 125,000 residents. The police department offers a P2C portal and partners with Sunshine Request for data transparency. Residents and the general public can access criminal records in Wilmington through multiple official channels described on this page.
Wilmington Quick Facts
Wilmington Police Criminal Records
The Wilmington Police Department provides public access to criminal records through its Police-to-Citizen (P2C) portal at wilmingtonnc.policetocitizen.com. This portal allows residents to search for criminal incidents, file non-emergency reports, and access public records data from the department. The P2C system is available around the clock and provides a convenient way to search criminal records in Wilmington without an in-person visit.
The following image shows the Wilmington Police Department P2C portal, which serves as the primary online resource for accessing police criminal records in the city.
Through the P2C portal, users can search for reported incidents by date, location, and type. The system provides details about criminal activity in Wilmington including the nature of the offense, the location, and the date. This information forms the basis of police criminal records in the city and is accessible under GS 132-1, North Carolina's public records statute.
Note: The Wilmington P2C portal covers police-generated records and does not include court disposition information for criminal cases.
Criminal Records Data Through Sunshine Request
Wilmington participates in the Sunshine Request platform, which provides another avenue for accessing criminal records data from the police department. Through sunshinerequest.com, you can request crime data, arrest records, and citation data from the Wilmington Police Department. This platform is designed to make the public records request process more transparent and accessible.
The following image shows the Sunshine Request portal for Wilmington police data, which facilitates access to criminal records and police statistics.
The Sunshine Request platform complements the P2C portal by offering a structured way to request specific criminal records datasets from Wilmington. While the P2C portal is best for individual record searches, Sunshine Request is useful for obtaining broader datasets about criminal activity patterns, arrest statistics, and citation information. Both tools support public access to criminal records in Wilmington as required by North Carolina law.
State Criminal Records Resources
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety provides links to various public records that include criminal records covering Wilmington. The NC DPS public records page connects to multiple databases and tools for searching criminal records across the state.
The following image shows the NC DPS links page, which provides access to various online criminal records resources covering Wilmington and all of North Carolina.
These state-level resources supplement the local criminal records available through the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County agencies. The NCSBI background check service provides statewide criminal history searches that include records from Wilmington. The North Carolina Sex Offender Registry also covers Wilmington and allows searches by name or address.
New Hanover County Sheriff Criminal Records
The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office is located at 3950 Juvenile Center Road in Castle Hayne and can be reached at 910-798-4200. The sheriff maintains criminal records related to county law enforcement activities, jail operations, and warrant service. Criminal records from New Hanover County are also available through the county records portal at newhanoverrecords.us/criminal-records.
The sheriff operates the county detention facility and processes booking records for individuals arrested in Wilmington and throughout New Hanover County. These booking records include charges, bond information, and custody status. The sheriff also serves criminal warrants issued by the courts, creating documentation that becomes part of the criminal record for each case in Wilmington.
For criminal court records from Wilmington, the North Carolina eCourts portal at portal-nc.tylertech.cloud provides online search capabilities. Court records track criminal cases from initial filing through sentencing and provide the most comprehensive view of how cases were resolved. Under GS 15A-145.5, some criminal records may have been expunged and will not appear in search results.
Note: The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office handles county-level criminal records separately from the Wilmington Police Department's city records.
Criminal Records Expungement in Wilmington
Certain criminal records from Wilmington may qualify for expungement under North Carolina law. Under GS 15A-145.5, eligible individuals can petition the New Hanover County court to seal qualified criminal records. Expungement may apply to dismissed charges, acquittals, and certain lower-level convictions after a waiting period has passed.
The expungement petition is filed with the New Hanover County Clerk of Superior Court. A judge reviews the petition and determines whether the criminal record meets the statutory criteria for removal. If approved, the record is sealed and removed from public databases including the eCourts portal. Not all criminal records qualify for expungement, and serious felony convictions are generally excluded under current North Carolina law.
North Carolina's public records law under GS 132-1 provides a strong presumption of public access to criminal records in Wilmington. While certain exemptions exist under GS 132-1.4 for active investigations and sealed records, most criminal records from Wilmington remain accessible through the channels described on this page.
Note: Expunged criminal records in Wilmington are removed from standard background checks and public search databases.
New Hanover County Criminal Records
Wilmington is the county seat of New Hanover County. All criminal cases from Wilmington are processed through the New Hanover County court system. The county is one of the smaller geographic counties in North Carolina but has a significant population concentrated in and around Wilmington. For additional criminal records resources covering the entire county, visit the New Hanover County page.