In South Carolina, a Magistrate Judge requires an affidavit filled with factual details to support probable cause before issuing an arrest warrant. Mere assumptions or guesses in the affidavit won’t cut it. The Judge should not issue the warrant unless solid evidence is presented showing a crime probably occurred. Fear not; discovering active warrants in Richland County is simple with an online case records system. This process is as straightforward as checking your mailbox for a letter. Knowing where to look makes it a walk in the park, leaving no stone unturned for the inquisitive souls out there.
Searching for arrest records in Richland County
Begin your warrant search by accessing the online case index system for Richland County. You can view current and closed civil and criminal court cases within Richland County through the Fifth Judicial Circuit website. If you require copies from the court records, you must visit the Richland County Clerk of Court located at 1701 Main Street, Room 205, Columbia, SC 29202 (803-576-1950). You may access a list of current inmates, the current court dockets, and court rosters through the Clerk’s website.
The Fugitive Task Force/Warrant Division of the Richland County Sheriff’s Office can provide information on outstanding warrants. You may also access a list of unsolved homicides through the website. See Richard County’s Wanted for a list of the most wanted fugitives in Richland County with outstanding warrants.
Who should you call for information on Richland arrests and warrants? (2024)
- Inmate records and recent arrests- 803-576-3238, 803-576- 3239.
- Incident related information and filing a non-emergency complaint- 803-576-3000.
- Giving an anonymous crime tip- 888-CRIME-SC.
- Details on bench warrants and other civil processes and request to serve such processes- 803-576-3151.
- Investigations related information- 803-576-3000.
- Criminal records from the police- 803-576-3000.
- Assistance for victims- 803-576-3115.
- Details on civil matters (less than $7500)- 803-576-2300.
- Criminal records and warrant search through the judiciary- 803-576-1939.
- Payment of traffic fines- 803-576-1621.
- Hearing dates – 803-576-1800.
- Details about release on parole or probation- 803-253-6323/803-734-6320.
- Civil Records-803-576-1952
- Magistrate’s court case records- Phone number- 803-576-2300; ext.5 traffic court, ext.7 domestic violence cases, ext.8 preliminary/arrest warrants hearings.
Richland County crime data
In 2019, the property crime rate for Richland County declined by well over 300 incidents per annum. But this was not enough to quell the concern created by the rise in the rate of violent crime. Although there was a slight decrease in the number of robbery and sexual battery cases, the increase in the rates of homicide and aggravated assault were enough to send the overall violent crime rate soaring. In terms of the annual rate, the violent crime figures climbed to a high of 3565 in 2019 from 3276 in 2018.
Compared with nine other similar counties in South Carolina, Richland County ranked second highest for overall crime rates from 1999 through 2008. Out of the 10 counties, Richland ranked first for the highest violent crime rate during that period. Crime increased in Richland County by 80% between 1999 and 2008, resulting in a crime occurring about every 33 minutes, including approximately 251 murders and 17,802 assaults.