Find Dukes County Booking Reports

Dukes County booking reports come from the Sheriff's Office and local police departments on Martha's Vineyard. The county is made up of the island and a few small spots on the mainland, but nearly all law enforcement work takes place on the Vineyard. Getting booking reports here works a bit differently than in most of Massachusetts because of the island setting and small population. You can still request these records through the same state laws that apply everywhere else. The Dukes County Sheriff's Office in Edgartown is the main place to start if you want to look up a booking report. Police logs from local departments also hold arrest data that ties back to booking records in Dukes County.

Dukes County Booking Reports From the Sheriff

The Dukes County Sheriff's Office is based in Edgartown. It runs the jail and keeps booking reports for all people held at the county level. When someone is brought in on a warrant or after an arrest by local police, the sheriff's staff create a booking report. That report has the person's name, date of birth, charges, and the time they were booked. Dukes County booking reports from the jail also note bail amounts and release dates.

You can reach the Dukes County Sheriff's Office by phone or mail to ask about booking reports. Walk-in requests are an option too, but keep in mind this is a small office. Staff may need time to pull older records. The office does not have an online portal for booking report searches, so you will need to make a direct request. Under M.G.L. c. 66 § 10, booking reports are public records in Massachusetts. The sheriff must respond to a proper request within ten business days in Dukes County.

Note: Dukes County booking reports from the sheriff may not include arrests handled solely by town police departments on Martha's Vineyard.

Dukes County Police Booking Logs

Martha's Vineyard has six towns, and each one has its own police force. Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah all keep their own arrest logs. Under M.G.L. c. 41 § 98F, every police department in Massachusetts must keep a daily log of all arrests. These logs are public. They show the name of the person, the charge, and the date and time of the arrest. This is a key source for booking reports in Dukes County.

Each town handles its own log. You can ask for it at the station or by mail. Some departments post logs on their town websites, but not all do. If you want a full picture of booking reports across Dukes County, you may need to check with more than one department. Edgartown and Oak Bluffs tend to have the most arrests since they draw the most visitors, especially in summer months when the island population swells.

The daily log is not the same as a full booking report, but it gives you the core facts. For more detail, you would file a public records request with that specific department. The law says they have to give you the log. There is no charge to view it in person in Dukes County.

State Resources for Dukes County Booking Reports

Massachusetts has a state agency that handles criminal record checks. The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services runs the CORI system. CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information. It tracks arrests and court outcomes statewide, which includes Dukes County. A CORI check can show if someone was booked and what happened in court after that.

The public can run a CORI check through the iCORI online system. It costs $25 per search. You need the person's full name and date of birth. The results show convictions and some pending cases. iCORI does not show full booking reports, but it confirms whether an arrest in Dukes County led to a charge and what the court did with it. This is useful when local records are hard to get.

CORI rules come from M.G.L. c. 6 §§ 167-178B. These sections spell out who can see what and when records get sealed. Not all booking data shows up in CORI. Some old cases or minor charges may have been sealed under the law. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security oversees the whole system. They set the rules that apply to Dukes County and every other county in the state.

Note: An iCORI check shows court outcomes, not raw booking reports, so you may still need to contact the Dukes County Sheriff or local police for the full booking record.

How to Request Dukes County Booking Reports

The public records law in Massachusetts gives you the right to ask for booking reports. M.G.L. c. 66 § 10 says any person can request public records from a government body. Booking reports fall under this law. You put your request in writing and send it to the agency that has the record. In Dukes County, that means the sheriff or the town police department that made the arrest.

Your request should say what you want as clearly as you can. Give names, dates, or any other details that help the office find the right records. The agency has ten business days to respond. They can charge for copies. The Public Records Guide from the Secretary of the Commonwealth has the full rules on fees. Most small requests cost very little or nothing at all in Dukes County.

If an agency denies your request or takes too long, you can appeal to the Public Records Division. They handle disputes between requesters and government offices. This applies to all public records requests in Dukes County. The process is free to use.

Sealing Booking Records in Dukes County

Massachusetts law allows people to seal certain criminal records. This includes booking reports tied to those cases. Under M.G.L. c. 276 §§ 100A-100U, a person can ask the court to seal records after a waiting period. Misdemeanors can be sealed three years after the case ends. Felonies take seven years. Once sealed, the booking report in Dukes County will not show up in most record searchs.

Sealing does not destroy the record. It just limits who can see it. Law enforcement can still view sealed records. Employers and landlords generally cannot. If you were arrested in Dukes County and the case was dismissed or you were found not guilty, you can ask to seal it right away. There is no waiting period for those outcomes. You file the request with the court that handled the case, which for Dukes County is usually Edgartown District Court or Dukes County Superior Court.

The Reporters Committee Open Government Guide has details on how sealing affects public access to booking reports in Massachusetts. Sealed records will not turn up in a standard public records request in Dukes County.

Note: Sealing a record in Dukes County does not remove it from news articles or third-party websites that may have already published the booking information.

Dukes County Court Booking Records

After an arrest in Dukes County, the case moves to court. Edgartown District Court handles most criminal matters on Martha's Vineyard. More serious cases go to Dukes County Superior Court. Both courts keep records that tie to the original booking report. The arraignment record shows the charges, plea, and bail decision. These court records are separate from the booking report but often get requested together.

You can look up court cases through the Massachusetts Trial Court system. The Massachusetts State Police also keep records of arrests made by troopers on the island. State police have a barracks presence in parts of the Cape and Islands region. If a state trooper made the arrest, the booking report will be with the state police, not the local Dukes County department.

Court records and booking reports serve different purposes. The booking report is about the arrest itself. The court record is about what happened after. Both are public unless sealed. If you want the full story of a case in Dukes County, request both.

Dukes County Booking Reports and DCJIS

The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services plays a big role in how booking reports work across Massachusetts. DCJIS sets the standards for how arrest data gets recorded and stored. Every booking report created in Dukes County follows these state rules. The agency also manages the master criminal history database that pulls from booking reports statewide.

DCJIS does not handle individual records requests from the public. You still need to go through the local agency in Dukes County or use iCORI. But the standards DCJIS sets affect what goes into a booking report and how long it stays in the system. If you have questions about the process, the DCJIS website has guides and contact information.

Towns in Dukes County

Dukes County is made up of six towns on Martha's Vineyard: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. The mainland town of Gosnold is also part of Dukes County. None of these towns are large enough to have their own city page, but all booking reports from their police departments can be requested under the same state public records law. Each town police department keeps its own daily arrest log.

Nearby Counties

Dukes County sits off the southern coast of Cape Cod. The nearest counties by geography are listed below. If you need booking reports from beyond Dukes County, these are the closest options.