Chesapeake Busted Mugshots and Arrest Records

Chesapeake busted mugshots and arrest records are held by the Chesapeake Police Department, the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office, and the Chesapeake Circuit Court. Chesapeake is a large independent city in southeastern Virginia with a population of over 240,000. It operates its own police department, correctional center, and court system separate from any surrounding county. If you want to find arrest records or booking photos from Chesapeake, this page walks you through each source and how to access them.

Chesapeake Police Department Arrest Records

The Chesapeake Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the city. The department maintains arrest records, incident reports, and accident reports. The Central Records Unit handles all records requests and can be reached at 757-382-6387. The police department is located at 304 Albemarle Drive. FOIA requests can be submitted to FOIA@cityofchesapeake.net or by contacting FOIA Manager Monica Wilburn at 757-382-6166.

Under Virginia Code §2.2-3706, adult booking photos taken during initial arrest intake are mandatory public records. Chesapeake mugshots must be released upon request. The department can only withhold a photo if releasing it would hurt an active felony investigation. Once that investigation ends, the photo must be provided. Juvenile arrest records are protected under Virginia law and are not released.

Chesapeake is one of Virginia's largest cities by both area and population. The police department handles a significant volume of arrests each year. Incident reports, arrest reports, and mugshots are all part of the records the Central Records Unit maintains. Fees apply for copies of reports. When making a request, have the full name of the person, the approximate date of arrest, and any report number you have available. That helps staff find the records faster.

Active investigation materials are exempt from FOIA under Virginia law. Background investigations and internal affairs records are discretionary releases. That means the department can choose whether to release them. Standard arrest records and booking photos, however, are not discretionary. They are mandatory releases for adults once the booking is complete.

The statewide Virginia Arrests database aggregates recent arrest records from Chesapeake and other Virginia jurisdictions. It can be a fast way to check recent bookings without going directly to the police department. Keep in mind it is a third-party site and may not have every record.

Chesapeake Sheriff's Office and Correctional Center

The Chesapeake Sheriff's Office operates the Chesapeake Correctional Center. The Sheriff's Office phone number is 757-382-6556. The correctional center is where most Chesapeake arrestees are booked and held. Booking records, including mugshots, are maintained by the Sheriff's Office. You can request these records through a FOIA submission. The office is required to respond within five working days.

The Chesapeake Correctional Center provides inmate services including mail, phone, commissary, and medical and mental health care. Visitation procedures are set by the facility and may change from time to time. If you need current visitation information, contact the Sheriff's Office directly at 757-382-6556. Inmate mail and communication services help maintain contact between inmates and their families during the booking and detention period.

To check whether someone is currently in custody at the Chesapeake Correctional Center, use VINE. VINE is the official statewide custody notification service for Virginia. You can search by name or offender ID and get current custody status. VINE also lets you register for automatic notifications when someone's status changes. The service is free and available online or by phone 24 hours a day.

Release dates for Chesapeake inmates are tracked by the Sheriff's Office. If someone has been transferred to a state facility, use the Virginia Department of Corrections Offender Locator to find their current location and status. VADOC's tool includes offender photos and is searchable at no charge. Searches require the full last name and at least the first letter of the first name.

Chesapeake Circuit Court Criminal Records

The Chesapeake Circuit Court Clerk maintains criminal case records for felony offenses in the city. Court files include arrest information, charges, case status, court dates, and final dispositions. These records are public and can be accessed through the Clerk's office. The courthouse is located in Chesapeake's civic center area.

The Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information System (OCIS) provides online access to Chesapeake circuit court criminal records. You can search by name, case number, or hearing date. The system shows active and closed cases, charges, and hearing information. It does not show booking photos, but it documents the criminal case tied to an arrest. For full case documents or certified copies, you need to go to the Clerk's office in person or submit a written request.

Misdemeanor cases in Chesapeake go through the General District Court. Contact information for the court is available at vacourts.gov. The General District Court handles most misdemeanor criminal matters and creates records that begin with the arrest. Both courts are in Chesapeake and operate separately from any county court system.

Certified copies of court records from the Chesapeake Circuit Court are available for a per-page fee plus a certification charge. If you need official documents for legal or personal purposes, contact the Clerk's office with the case number and the specific documents you need. Staff can also look up cases by party name if you don't have a case number.

State Resources for Chesapeake Arrest Records

The Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange is the official statewide repository for criminal history, including all Chesapeake arrests. Name-based searches cost $15 using the SP-167 form and take about 15 days. Payments must be by certified check, money order, business check, or credit card. The CCRE is the sole criminal recordkeeping agency for Virginia and collects records from all local agencies including Chesapeake.

Virginia's sex offender registry at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov includes photographs of registered offenders from Chesapeake. The registry is free to search online by name, city, or zip code. Under Virginia Code §19.2-390.1, the registry is updated every business day. This is one of the few places where you can see booking-style photos for registered offenders without submitting a formal records request.

The Virginia FOIA Advisory Council provides free guidance on public records requests. If you have trouble getting Chesapeake records, the council can help. Contact them at foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov or (804) 698-1810. The council publishes opinions on specific FOIA issues and can advise on mandatory versus discretionary releases under Virginia Code §2.2-3706.

Virginia's Code Title 19.2, Chapter 23 governs the Central Criminal Records Exchange. Section 19.2-392 requires fingerprints and photographs be taken by police authorities for all arrests. Under this law, all Chesapeake arrests result in records that are submitted to the state. The CCRE then maintains those records as part of the statewide criminal history database. Expungements under §19.2-392.2 remove eligible records from public access after a court order is issued.

The Office of the City Manager is located at 306 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, Virginia 23322 and can direct you to the right office if you are unsure where to submit a records request. For FOIA-specific questions, the city has its own FOIA coordinator who can be reached through the contact information listed on the police department's website.

Virginia Statewide Arrest Resources

The Virginia Arrests statewide database aggregates recent mugshots and arrest records from Chesapeake and other Virginia jurisdictions, providing a searchable public interface for recent bookings.

Virginia.arrests.org aggregates booking photos and arrest records from Chesapeake and other Virginia cities, providing a centralized search point for recent mugshots across the state.

The VINE statewide custody notification system lets you search for Chesapeake inmates by name and receive alerts when custody status changes at the Chesapeake Correctional Center or other facilities.

VINE provides free, real-time custody status information for the Chesapeake Correctional Center and all other participating Virginia jails, with notification options for release alerts sent by phone, text, or email.

Nearby Cities

These Virginia cities are near Chesapeake in the Hampton Roads region. Each is an independent city with its own law enforcement and arrest records.