Search Criminal Records in Urban Honolulu

Urban Honolulu criminal records come from several sources across the state's capital city. The Honolulu Police Department handles arrest logs and police reports, the First Circuit Court keeps case files for criminal charges, and the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center runs the statewide criminal history system. If you need to look up an arrest, check on a court case, or get a background check result for someone in Urban Honolulu, this page covers each of those paths. The process varies depending on what kind of record you need and how recent the activity was.

Honolulu Police Department Criminal Records

The Honolulu Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for Urban Honolulu. HPD handles all arrests, police reports, and daily arrest logs for the city. The Records Division is the central point for report requests and record-related inquiries. It sits at 801 South Beretania Street in downtown Honolulu and is open Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

HPD District 1 covers the core of Urban Honolulu. The District 1 area includes Downtown, Chinatown, Nuuanu, Makiki, Ala Moana, and Kakaako. These are dense, high-traffic neighborhoods, and the district sees a mix of property crimes, drug offenses, and assaults. The Chinatown Substation is located at 79 North Hotel Street, phone (808) 723-3310. For general records questions, call the Records Unit at (808) 723-3258.

You can request a police report by email at policereports@honolulupd.org or by visiting the Records Unit in person. The HPD police reports page has the current request form and instructions. Report copies cost $0.50 for the first page and $0.25 for each additional page. Payment must be cash, check, or cashier's check. No credit cards are accepted.

HPD processes requests within ten business days under the Uniform Information Practices Act. Non-conviction records are not available to the general public. Only conviction records are released through standard public channels.

HPD Arrest Logs for Urban Honolulu

HPD posts daily arrest logs on its website at no charge. These logs list recent arrests made across the city and are one of the most direct ways to find recent arrest records in Urban Honolulu. The HPD crime map and arrest dashboard lets you view activity by district, date, and offense type.

Under HPD Policy 5.08, arrest logs are posted on the HPD website and rotated out after 14 days. This means the logs are not a long-term archive. If you need records older than two weeks, you will need to contact the Records Division directly or search through the court system. The logs themselves are PDFs and require manual review. They show name, charge, and arrest date but do not include photos or case outcomes.

The HPD policies page covers arrest log procedures and outlines what information is released publicly.

HPD District 1 covers the Downtown and Chinatown areas at the core of Urban Honolulu, handling arrests and criminal activity reports for some of the city's busiest blocks.

Note: Arrest logs only cover recent activity. For older Urban Honolulu criminal records, use eCourt Kokua or contact the First Circuit Court clerk directly.

HPD Policies on Criminal Records Access

HPD follows state law and departmental policy when releasing records. The HPD policies page outlines what the public can and cannot access. Non-conviction records are generally confidential. This includes arrests that did not lead to charges, cases that were dismissed, and records that were expunged.

The HPD policies page details access rules for Urban Honolulu criminal records, including the 14-day rotation schedule for arrest logs and procedures for formal public records requests.

If you need records for official or legal purposes, you may need to submit a formal Uniform Information Practices Act request. UIPA requests go through the HPD Records Division and carry a processing timeline of up to ten business days. Third-party requestors may face additional review depending on the nature of the records sought.

First Circuit Court Criminal Records

All criminal cases in Urban Honolulu go through the First Circuit Court. The court is located at 777 Punchbowl Street in downtown Honolulu and handles felony cases, misdemeanor charges, and appeals from the district court level. The court clerk's office is your point of contact for certified copies and in-person records review.

The First Circuit Court at 777 Punchbowl Street can be reached at (808) 539-4767. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For traffic and minor criminal matters, the District Court at 1111 Alakea Street handles a large share of the lower-level criminal caseload in Urban Honolulu, reachable at (808) 538-5767.

Court records can be viewed online through eCourt Kokua, the Hawaii State Judiciary's public case search tool. Basic case information is free to view. Downloadable documents cost $3 per document (1-30 pages) with $0.10 per additional page. Certified copies are $5 per document. If you search frequently, subscription access is available at $125 per quarter or $500 per year.

Criminal History Records Through HCJDC

The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center manages criminal history records for the entire state, including Urban Honolulu. HCJDC is part of the Department of the Attorney General and sits at 465 S. King Street, Room 102, in Honolulu. It is the official source for background checks based on conviction records in Hawaii.

The HCJDC website provides information on how to request criminal history records, including the eCrim online system and in-office request procedures for Urban Honolulu residents and requestors.

The HCJDC website explains all request types and fees. Online searches through eCrim cost $5 per search and $12 for a certified result. In-office and mail-in name-based requests are $30, with an additional $20 for certified copies. Fingerprint-based requests cost $55 in-office and $35 by mail. The HCJDC-073 form is required for all in-person and mail requests.

HCJDC only returns conviction records through the public access channel. Non-convictions, pending cases, and juvenile records are not available to the general public. Results are typically processed within 3 to 10 business days depending on the method. The public access site at the HCJDC office charges $25 per printout for walk-in searches.

HCJDC office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the office closed from noon to 1:00 p.m. for lunch.

Department of Public Safety and Other Resources

The Hawaii Department of Public Safety oversees the state's corrections facilities, including those that house inmates from Urban Honolulu cases. If you need to check on someone who may be in state custody, DPS is the place to start. Inmate information can also be checked through the VINE system, which allows you to track custody status and get notifications on release.

Urban Honolulu sits within Honolulu County, which has no separate county corrections system. The state handles incarceration for all levels of offenses tried in the First Circuit. For more on how Honolulu County manages criminal records broadly, visit the Honolulu County criminal records page.

Legal aid resources in Urban Honolulu include the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, which provides assistance for those who cannot afford an attorney. The Hawaii State Bar Association also runs a lawyer referral service for residents who need help understanding their records or their rights.

Nearby Cities

These cities are also in Honolulu County or nearby on Oahu. Each has its own page with local criminal records information.

Honolulu County

Urban Honolulu is part of Honolulu County. All criminal cases filed in the city go through the county court system. For a broader look at criminal records resources across the county, visit the Honolulu County criminal records page.