Arrests Submitted to the Criminal History Repository

Centralized Criminal History Repository (CCH): A fingerprint based database that contains detailed information of arrests, arrest charges, prosecution, court findings, sentences, and state correctional system admissions and releases. The database is an accumulation of information submitted by Wisconsin law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections as required by applicable state statutes.

Wisconsin Law enforcement agencies must submit documentation of all felony and a subset of misdemeanor arrests to the CCH (Wisconsin State Statute 165.83(2)). The CCH however, accepts documentation of any arrest Wisconsin law enforcement submits. Some agencies might submit all arrests irrespective of the level, while others might only submit felonies and the misdemeanors required by state statute.

The map depicts the counties in which the law enforcement agency that conducted the arrest is located.

Arrest rates are calculated using county population estimates from the United States Census Bureau by age, sex and race for each year. Estimates for 2022 and 2023 are using 2021 numbers and will be updated when the new estimates are released by the Census Bureau.

Only the arrest charges listed as a statute violation (felony/misdemeanor) are included in this dashboard; arrest charges listed as an ordinance violation (non criminal) or an unknown type are not included.

Arrest Charge(s): The specific statute(s) law enforcement listed as the reason a person was arrested, as noted on the fingerprint card at booking.

What a person is arrested for (arrest charges) might not be what they get charged with by the District Attorney's Office. In Wisconsin, law enforcement agencies have the discretion to refer an arrest and any arrest charge(s) to the district attorney's office, who in turn have the discretion to issue any criminal charges they see fit; sometimes they are not the same.

Number of Arrests: A distinct count of arrest events, based on the filters selected. An arrest event occurs when law enforcement fingerprints someone at booking and submits that information to the CCH; this contains information about the arrest charge(s) as well as details about the arrestee.

Number of Unique People Arrested: A distinct count of people arrested, based on the filters selected. A unique person is identified through the fingerprints submitted as part of the arrest event. It is possible for a unique person to be arrested multiple times (different arrest events) and have the same arrest charge(s) listed for each event; this is counted as one unique person arrested in that scenario.

Example: In a selected 2 year period, there could be 50 arrests for cocaine possession. In that same 2 year period, there could be 30 unique people arrested for cocaine possession. This means that in that 2 year period some of those 30 unique people were arrested more than once for cocaine possession. 

Person Offenses: statutes that refer to offenses committed against a person

Murder/Non-Negligent Manslaughter: statutes that refer to the willful killing of one human by another (intentional homicide; felony murder)

Negligent Manslaughter/Reckless Homicide: statutes that refer to the gross negligence of a person that results in the death of another person (reckless homicide; homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle)

Sex Offense: statutes that involve an illegal sexual component (forcible intercourse; penetration with an object; internet sex crimes)

Contact: statutes that involve an illegal sexual component where physical contact between a perpetrator and a victim occurs (sexual assault; rape; sexual exploitation)  

Non-Contact: statutes that involve an illegal sexual component where physical contact between a perpetrator and victim does not occur (possession of child pornography; indecent exposure)     

Assault: statutes that refer to a willful attempt by someone to inflict injury or harm on another person (aggravated assault, aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, felony assault)      

Robbery: statutes that refer to the unlawful taking of anything of value using force or threat of the use of force (armed robbery, unarmed robbery, aggravated robbery, car-jacking, armed burglary)   

Other Person Offense: statutes that refer to offenses committed against a person that are not included in one of the above categories (kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, intimidation, extortion, neglect or abuse) 

Property Offenses: statutes that refer to the taking of money or property and/or to the damage of property

Burglary: statutes that refer to any type of entry into a residence, business or industry with the intent to commit a felony or theft

Fraud/Forgery: statutes that refer to impersonating a person and/or the use or creation of documents in an illegal way, for financial gain (forging an official document, notes, money orders, credit cards; counterfeiting; possession of false documents; embezzlement; insurance fraud)

Larceny/Theft: statutes that refer to the unlawful taking, carrying, leading away property from another person (shoplifting, petty theft, grand theft)

Motor Vehicle Theft: statutes that refer to the unlawful taking or possession of a vehicle or the parts from a vehicle (auto theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle)

Other Property Offense: statutes that involve the illegal taking of money or property that are not included in one of the above categories (receiving or buying stolen property; vandalism, arson, possession of burglary tools)

Drug Offenses: statutes that prohibit the production, distribution and/or use of specific controlled substances and the devices or equipment used in that process   

Drug Trafficking: statutes that refer to the trafficking, sales, distribution, manufacture and smuggling of controlled substances

OWI: statutes that refer to the operation of a vehicle (car, boat, ATV, cycle) while under the influence of a controlled substance

Other Drug Offense: statutes that refer to other control substance violations not included in one of the above categories (possession of a controlled substance, prescription drug violations, possession of drug paraphernalia)

Public Order Offenses: statutes that refer any unreasonable interference to the rights that are common to all members of the public

Weapons: statutes that refer to the unlawful sale, distribution, manufacture, transportation, possession, alteration and/or use of a deadly weapon or accessory

Traffic/Vehicle Offense: statutes that refer to the illegal operation of a vehicle (driving with a suspended or revoked license; failure to register boat, driving an ATV on an unmarked trail) does not include OWI

Other Public Order Offense: statutes that refer to unreasonable interference in the rights of all members of the public that are not included in one of the above categories (obstruction of justice, flight/escape, illegal hunting, bribery, pandering, tax law violations, slander, campaign violations)

Technical Offenses: statutes that refer to the violation of official mandates or orders   

Violation of Court Order: statutes that refer to the violation of a court order that results in a new charge (failure to register as a sex offender; failure to provide a DNA sample; probation/parole violation)    

Other Technical Offense: statutes that refer to the violation of official mandates or orders that were not issued by the courts

Information (Definition, Penalty): statutes that are used for definition purposes or list out penalties for the violation of other statutes