Conduct a free Washington probation search now to check any offender’s supervision status.
Understanding the difference between probation and parole is important. Probation is granted either as a substitute for incarceration or at the end of a jail term when the inmate has an exemplary record; parole is an early release from prison to the community with supervision.
Probation information is part of public records in Washington that are made available for viewing and copying through databases or agency offices.
This concise resource covers how to search for probation records, find the parole status of an offender, and track down the name and contact details of their parole officer.
How To Conduct a Washington Probation Search Seamlessly
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S. Code § 552) allows the public to request records from federal, state and local government agencies.1
Washington provides its Public Records Act (PRA) (RCW 42.56), allowing citizens to request records from state and local government agencies.2 It’s the right of every American citizen to expect government transparency of public records as part of their civil liberties and to maintain democracy.
The Washington State Department of Corrections provides an inmate search tool, the facility where they’re incarcerated and their Department of Corrections identification number, DOC.3, 4 The six-digit ID number allows inquirers to perform a focused search for an inmate or when requesting criminal records such as probation information.
The inmate search form has fields for the inmate’s DOC number or name. If searching by name, only the last name is required.
Once searchers perform an inmate search and have the DOC number, they can complete a public records request with the offender’s ID number. The Washington State’s DOC provides several ways the public can request information from a probation search. The easiest is to complete its online public records request form.
Users must register before completing the form. Registration offers the ability to keep track of records requests and receive emails from the agency. The registration form requires the following fields.
- Email address
- First name
- Last name
The requestor’s address, DOC number (of the requestor), phone number, fax number and business information fields are available but not required. The public records request brings up a page with three options: public records, health records or substance abuse records. The public records request includes fields as below:
- Customer email (prefilled)
- Date range start and end
- DOC number
- Describe the record(s) requested: a text box for the requestor to detail the records they need, such as probation records
- Preferred method to receive records: This is required and includes electronic, inspect-on-site, pick-up copies or regular mail
The DOC also provides additional information for those who need more details about probation, parole or other activities. Written requests must include the name of the person requesting the record, their contact information, be dated with the request date and detail the records desired.
Citizens searching for probation records can specify copies of an offender’s supervision conditions and date of release or parole. The letter can be mailed to the DOC Public Records Office or delivered in person at the addresses below:
Washington Department of Corrections
7345 Linderson Way Southwest
Tumwater, WA 98501-6504
Phone: 360-725-8213
Mailing Address:
Washington DOC
Public Records Officer
PO Box 41118
Olympia, WA 98504-1118
The DOC includes fees for copies of records as follows:
- Printed records – $0.15 per page, including photocopies or prints of scanned electronic records
- Electronically scanned – $0.10 per page
- Digital storage media or devices such as a CD, DVD or USB flash drive – Fee is the cost of the device
- Mail delivery charges – Cost of packaging and postage
- Electronic delivery charges – $0.05 for every four electronic files or attachments attached to an email or uploaded for cloud delivery
The Washington VINE page (Victim Information & Notification Everyday) provides registered users the option to sign up for notifications when an offender’s location and custody status change, such as being released on probation or parole. VINE gathers information from jail booking systems, prisons and mental health facilities throughout Washington.
Track Down Probationer Records Through Municipal or County Agencies in Washington
Another convenient option for running a probation search in Washington is to seek this information at the local level.
Counties and municipalities keep public records, such as probation reports, for their own territories. County governments, sheriff’s departments and city police departments are the more common agencies where public records can be requested. The counties below are some of the largest in Washington and provide several ways to find probation records:
The King County Superior Court Clerk’s office provides information and assistance for citizens wanting to perform a local probation search. Those interested in learning more about accessing superior court records or having records delivered in languages other than English should look to the court’s records access page.5
For simple requests, there’s an online Department of Judicial Administration form that people can print and complete for mailing or bringing to the King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office in person and an online search option called the KC Script Portal.
King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office
Department of Judicial Administration
201 South Jackson Street, 2nd Floor
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-263-2957
The Case Search Portal provides numerous search options, including criminal, civil, warrant information and other records.6 Choosing the criminal case search provides an input form only requiring an ID number or last name.
The King County Superior Court Criminal Department also maintains adult criminal records for cases within the superior court.8
The department has an online database of inmates with the option to view subjects booked in the past 24 hours, in-custody subjects, subjects released in the past 24 hours and subjects in custody from the past year. Searchers can also use the fields above the database listing if they have specific information about the offender.
Viewing or copying records from the database is free. However, records needing to be copied or distributed electronically incur fees as per the Superior Court & Clerk’s Office. The fee schedule is located on the Clerk’s Office KC Script Portal information page; click on the “Fee Table” to learn more.
The Pierce County Legal Information Network Exchange (LINX) is an online database where searchers can find information about specific superior court cases and their resolutions. For specific records, the Pierce County public records request portal is a general public records request platform allowing users to specify the records they need, such as probation reports.
Pierce County
930 Tacoma Avenue South
Tacoma, WA 98402
LINX help desk: 253-798-7757
Phone: 360-805-6781
The Snohomish County District Court Probation Division maintains the public records portal where people can request public records after creating an account.
The Washington State Archives, digital archives lets people search for criminal offender case numbers in Snohomish County, and the Snohomish County Superior Court, judgment audit report provides criminal offender status.9, 10
Snohomish County District Court Probation Division
3000 Rockefeller Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
People can request records via the Spokane County Court Clerk either in person or by mail.11 Fees may apply. The court viewer, court date and case information search lets people search online for court date and case information. For information around current inmates, recent bookings and recent releases, use the Spokane County Jail inmate roster.
Spokane County Court Clerk
1116 West Broadway Avenue, Room 300
Spokane, WA 99260
Phone: 509-477-2211
The Spokane County court viewer provides links for criminal record searches in the District and Superior Court.12 Records can also be requested in the clerk’s office in room 300 in person or by calling the clerk at the above number to request by phone.
The Clark County District Court lets people request court records online or via a printable PDF. For information around specific probation officers, the Clark County District Court Probation Services Division lists them with their contact information.
The information provided by Clark County includes criminal records such as police reports, court records and probation information. The fillable form can be submitted online or by emailing it to the clerk at district.courtrecords@clark.wa.gov, faxing it to 564-397-6044 or mailing it to:
Clark County District Court
PO Box 9806
Vancouver, WA 98666-8806
Clark County District Court
Clark County Courthouse, Ground Floor
1200 Franklin Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
Phone: 564-397-2424
Cities in Washington maintain and distribute their public records through municipal courts or the local police departments. The following municipalities have large populations and offer methods for the public to perform a probation search in Washington.
The Seattle Municipal Court Probation Services provides a list of probation officers and how to contact them, and it offers a lot of general information around general probation.13
For case information and criminal records, people can contact the Seattle Municipal Court directly. The Seattle Police Department Records Request Center lets people create an account to access records online.
Seattle Municipal Court Probation Services
600 5th Avenue, 8th Floor
Seattle, WA, 98104
Phone: 206-684-7840
The Office of the Spokane City Clerk has a lets searchers submit requests online or download a form to be mailed in.
Tacoma Police Department
3701 South Pine Street
Tacoma, WA 98409
Phone: 253-287-4455
Office of the Spokane City Clerk
808 West Spokane Falls Boulevard
Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: 509-755-2489
The Tacoma Police Department lets people request records through its online South Sound 911 portal.
The Vancouver Police Department has a records request form online that can be faxed or emailed in for copies of public records. For online access, searchers can go to the City of Vancouver online public records request portal, which requires registration. There’s also a form that can be printed out and sent to the City of Vancouver.
Inquiries can be mailed to:
PO Box 1995
Vancouver, WA 98668
Fax: 360-487-8483
Email: citypdr@cityofvancouver.us.
Vancouver Police Department
2800 Northeast Stapleton Road
Vancouver, WA 98661
Phone: 360-487-7400
The Bellevue Police Department maintains a database of various police public records. To make a request, searchers can fill out the City of Bellevue public records online request form.
Bellevue Police Department
450 110th Avenue Northeast
Bellevue, WA 98009
Phone: 425-452-6917
How To Look Up Washington Probation Violations & Officer Contact Details
In the state, if an offender violates the conditions of their community placement or custody, the Secretary of the Washington Department of Correction (DOC) will issue a warrant, based on the RCW 72.04A.090.14
Once the warrant is issued, law enforcement or corrections officers can apprehend the offender and incarcerate them until the alleged violation is resolved.
Citizens can search for secretary’s warrants to learn which offenders are out on parole or probation and have violated their conditions by using the DOC’s warrant search tool.15 The top of the page includes a search form using either the defendant’s name or DOC number. Below the form is a listing of current secretary’s warrants that can be sorted by the column headers.
To report parole violation or contact a supervision officer, individuals may contact the local probation department.
For instance, in King County, searchers should contact the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s Community Corrections Division at the below address:
King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue, Room E-334
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-296-1240
Fax: 206-296-1587
How To View Details of Parolees Throughout Washington
Washington State did not abolish parole in 1984, the state adopted a determinate sentencing system under the jurisdiction of the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB). Convicted offenders now serve indeterminate sentences.16
Most offenders in the State of Washington are not on parole, instead, they serve fixed sentences and are released without supervision. The judge sets the maximum sentence, while the ISRB sets the minimum.
To view details about the individual under the ISRB, the Washington State Department of Corrections offers an Offender Search Tool.3, 4 To begin with the search, it is best to have specific information about the offender such as DOC no. (Department of Correction) or offender’s first and last name.
Search results show the offenders details including their DOC no., full name, age and the facility that they are in custody. The location field shows whether they are under the jurisdiction of IRSB.
It is important to note that this search tool only provides offender details under the custody of ISRB or DOC, not those individuals who have completed their sentence.
For more information, contact the Washington State Department of Corrections by phone at (360)725-8213 or visit the department in person in the below address:
Washington State Department of Corrections
7345 Linderson Way SW
Tumwater, WA 98501-6504
The office is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.
Utilize the resources stated in this article to find out if someone you know is under supervision. Conducting a Washington probation search has several avenues for obtaining these records – online searches, phone inquiries or in-person visits.
References
1U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy (OIP). (2022, January 21). The Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://www.justice.gov/oip/freedom-information-act-5-usc-552>
2Washington State Legislature. (n.d.). Chapter 42.56 RCW: Public Records Act. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.56>
3Washington State Department of Corrections. (n.d.). Supervision in the Community. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://www.doc.wa.gov/corrections/community/supervision.htm>
4Washington State Department of Corrections. (2024). Inmate Search. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://www.doc.wa.gov/information/inmate-search/default.aspx>
5King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Accessing Superior Court Records. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dja/courts-jails-legal-system/case-records/records-access>
6King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Case Search. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://dja-prd-ecexap1.kingcounty.gov/?q=node/501>
7King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Criminal (1), Civil (2), Domestic/Family (3), Probate/Guardianship (4). Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://dja-prd-ecexap1.kingcounty.gov/?q=node/411&199355=911110>
8King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Criminal cases – Superior Court. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://kingcounty.gov/en/court/superior-court/courts-jails-legal-system/criminal>
9Washington State Archives. (2024). Snohomish County Superior Court Case Files, 1950-2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/1836>
10Snohomish County Superior Court Clerk. (2024). Daily Reports. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5516/Daily-New-Case-and-Judgment-Audit-Report>
11Spokane County Clerk’s Office. (n.d.). Obtain Copies of Documents. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://www.spokanecounty.org/194/Obtain-Copies-of-Documents>
12Spokane County District Court. (2024). District Court Case Information by Name – Criminal, Infraction, and Protection Orders. Spokane County Court Viewer. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://cp.spokanecounty.org/courtdocumentviewer/PublicViewer/DCAllCasesByName.aspx?ct=c>
13Seattle Municipal Court. (n.d.). Probation Services. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://www.seattle.gov/courts/programs-and-services/probation-services>
14Washington State Legislature. (n.d.). RCW 72.04A.090: Violations of parole or probation—Revision of parole conditions—Detention. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=72.04A.090>
15Washington State Department of Corrections. (2024). Warrant Search. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://www.doc.wa.gov/information/warrants/default.aspx>
16Washington State Legislature. (n.d.). Chapter 9.95 RCW: Intermediate Sentences. Retrieved April 3, 2024, from <https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.95&full=true>