Where Honolulu County Criminal Records Live
Honolulu County criminal records do not sit in one shared file. A single incident can create a Honolulu Police Department arrest report, a Department of the Prosecuting Attorney charging file, a District or Circuit Court case docket, a jail booking record at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center, and an official criminal history record at the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center. Each office is a separate custodian.
The Honolulu Police Department handles initial arrests and police-cellblock custody. The Hawaii State Judiciary stores case files through eCourt Kōkua. The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center compiles statewide criminal history for eCrim and CJIS-Hawaii. The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney brings charges. Each agency releases its records on its own terms.
Searching Honolulu County Criminal Court Records
Criminal court files in Honolulu County run through District Court for misdemeanors and Circuit Court for felonies. Both feed into eCourt Kōkua, which is free for the public. The portal lists case number, parties, offenses, hearings, dockets, and bail or bond status. Confidential, juvenile, and sealed cases do not show.
- Open eCourt Kōkua and accept the disclaimer.
- Pick Party Search and enter last name and first name. Phonetic Search helps with name spelling variations.
- Open the criminal case from the result list. The Offenses tab lists each charge.
- Read the Dockets tab for indictments, pleas, motions, orders, and dispositions.
- Use the Events tab to see past hearings and the next court date.
Honolulu County criminal records carry case-type codes inside the case ID. "1PC" marks a Circuit Penal Criminal case, "1DCC" marks a District Criminal Circuit case, and "1FCR" marks a Family Court criminal-related matter. Knowing the code helps spot the right case when several appear.
HPD Adult Arrest Logs
The Honolulu Police Department publishes adult arrest logs daily on its official arrest logs page. Each log is a downloadable PDF. The list rotates off the public site after fourteen days. Older logs require a written request to HPD's Records and Identification Division.
HPD policy says the adult arrest log shows date and time of arrest; the name, age, sex, and race of the arrestee; the arresting officer; the nature of the offense; and the report number. Juvenile arrest information is never made public through this log process. HPD will not search the logs for the public, so people who need a specific arrest must scan the daily PDFs themselves.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Date / Time | When the arrest happened. |
| Name | Adult arrestee name. |
| Age / Sex / Race | Basic demographic data. |
| Arresting Officer | Officer name or badge. |
| Nature of Offense | Short description of charges or holds. |
| Report Number | HPD case report number. |
HPD policy says other details, including time and manner of release, may be added to the log later. People looking for older Honolulu County arrest data should write to HPD Records and Identification Division at 801 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96813. Records questions go to (808) 723-3258.
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center screen below describes the statewide CJIS framework that backs Honolulu County criminal records.
HCJDC is the single source for statewide criminal history, AFIS fingerprints, the sex offender registry, and eCrim conviction searches that touch Honolulu County criminal records.
eCrim Criminal History for Honolulu County
eCrim is the official online criminal-history service from the Hawaii.gov eCrim portal. HCJDC partners with the state portal to deliver conviction information for Honolulu County and the rest of Hawaii. eCrim is not a free service. The official page lists a $5 fee per search and a $10 fee per record. eCrim does not replace a court docket; it is a conviction summary, not a case file.
An eCrim report covers convictions from Hawaii state courts. It does not include arrests that did not lead to conviction, sealed records, expunged records, or juvenile records. Federal convictions are also outside eCrim. For federal criminal records that touch Honolulu, the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii and the PACER system handle case access.
The official eCrim service page shown below explains how the state delivers conviction information.
The eCrim service offers conviction information directly to the public for a fee.
Charges vs Convictions in Honolulu County Criminal Records
Charges and convictions are not the same. A charge is an accusation. A conviction is a finding of guilt after a plea or verdict. A Honolulu County criminal record can show charges that did not lead to conviction, charges that were dismissed, or charges that ended in deferred adjudication.
| Element | Charge | Conviction |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Filed by prosecutor or grand jury | Entered after plea or verdict |
| Source | Complaint, information, or indictment | Judgment of conviction |
| Where to find | eCourt Kōkua Offenses tab | eCrim and eCourt Dockets tab |
| Public meaning | Allegation, not guilt | Court-confirmed result |
A person who reads a Honolulu County criminal record should always check the disposition. A charge with no disposition may still be pending. A charge marked "dismissed" or "acquitted" is not a conviction. A charge marked "judgment entered" or "convicted" is.
Sealed vs Expunged Honolulu County Records
Hawaii recognizes both sealing and expungement, and the two work differently. Sealing restricts public access to a court record but the record itself stays in the system. Expungement under HRS § 831-3.2 annuls, cancels, and rescinds an eligible arrest record.
| Element | Sealed | Expunged |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory basis | HCRR and various statutes | HRS § 831-3.2 |
| Effect | Public access restricted | Arrest record annulled |
| Court file | Remains, masked from public | Removed after 7/1/2025 process |
| Eligibility | Case-by-case court order | Nonconviction arrests, subject to exceptions |
| Where to apply | Court where case was filed | HCJDC streamlined process |
As of July 1, 2025, the Judiciary moved expungement and related court-record removal into a one-step process at HCJDC. People with a pending or older expungement matter can call the Department of the Attorney General at (808) 587-3348 for guidance.
Honolulu Prosecutor and Public Defender
The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu, brings criminal charges in Honolulu County criminal records cases. Prosecuting Attorney Steven S. Alm leads the office. Victim/Witness Kokua Services sits at 1060 Richards Street, 9th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813, phone (808) 768-7401. Victim services include orientation to the criminal justice system, crisis counseling, court accompaniment, social service referrals, and help with crime victim compensation.
The State Office of the Public Defender represents indigent defendants. The Oʻahu office sits at 1130 North Nimitz Highway, Suite A-254, Honolulu, HI 96817. District line is (808) 586-2100, Family line is (808) 586-2300, and Appeals line is (808) 586-2080. People in jail on Honolulu County criminal records cases are contacted by a Deputy Public Defender for the application process.
Honolulu County Mugshots and Arrest Photos
HPD takes booking photos of every adult arrested under state statute, county ordinance, or non-criminal custody reasons. HPD's mug-photo policy treats mug photos as public records under an Office of Information Practices ruling. The official HPD photograph release policy sends requests to the Records and Identification Division.
The same policy cites HRS § 846-1 for the definition of nonconviction data. Mug-photo release is not the same as criminal history disclosure. A mug photo may be released under HPD procedure, but ongoing dissemination of nonconviction data follows HRS Chapter 846 limits.
Restricted Honolulu County Criminal Records
Juvenile arrest information is never released through HPD adult arrest logs. Family Court juvenile delinquency files are confidential under HRS Chapter 571. Sealed and in-camera court records do not appear in eCourt Kōkua. Mental-health filings and assisted community treatment petitions are also restricted because of medical and HCRR Rule 9 protections.
The covered offender statute (HRS Chapter 846E) sets up the public sex offender and other covered offender registry, run by HCJDC. The registry is a controlled public search, not a general arrest log.
The covered offender statute page shown below sets the registry framework that ties into Honolulu County criminal records.
The registry itself sits at the HCJDC covered offender search portal and is reCAPTCHA-protected.