Miami County Arrest, Court, and Public Records

What are Miami County Public Records?

Public records in Miami County include any books, documents, maps, pictures, recorded tapes, financial records, statistical tabulations, and other documentation materials, regardless of their physical form or features, created or received by any public official or employee of any agency. In addition, the county’s public records include data collected and stored on behalf of the government by private entities. Miami County public records commonly requested include, but are not limited to:

Statutes
Regulations
Policies
Minutes/Recordings of Open Meetings
Agency budget document

However, Kansas Open Records Act recognizes that certain records contain private or privileged information and therefore not considered public records:

Personal data of public employees
Medical treatment records
Records protected by the attorney-client privilege.
Records closed by rules of evidence.
Notes and preliminary drafts
Criminal investigation records
Records specifically exempt from disclosure under the Kansas expanded lottery act (KELA) and the Kansas parimutuel racing act.

In addition to government agencies, requestors may also obtain county public records from third-party websites. These non-government platforms come with intuitive tools that allow for extensive searches. Record seekers may opt to use these tools to search for a specific record or multiple records. Users can search third-party websites remotely for numerous documents at a time with just the name of the record subject and their last known location, including the city, county, or state. Third-party sites are not sponsored by government agencies. Because of this, record availability and results may vary.

Miami County Crime Statistics

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation publishes the crime index report for all counties in the State. This report contains information on various crime types and offenses reported by law enforcement agencies in the State, including Miami County. A total of 427 cases were registered in the county, according to the 2020 report. The following is a breakdown of the figures by crime type: 229 cases of theft, 70 burglary incidents, and aggravated assault/battery each, 48 cases of motor vehicle theft, eight rape incidents, and two robberies were investigated. A five-year analysis of the significant crime types indicated that violent crimes reduced by 2.8% between 2019 and 2020 and by 21.4% between 2018 and 2019. Violent offenses decreased by 2.7% in 2017-2018 and 9.7% in 2016-2017, respectively. In a similar vein, property crimes and offenses declined by 5.8% and 27.2%, respectively, in the years 2019-2020 and 2018-2019. Further reductions in total property crime were also recorded for 2017-2018 (4.7%) and 2016-2017 (7.8%).

Are Miami County Criminal Records Public?

Miami County criminal records are generally regarded as public records unless restricted by law. The Kansas Open Records Act ensures the rights of residents of the County and the general public to obtain criminal records unless otherwise stated by relevant laws in Kansas State. Specific criminal records may be sealed or deleted by the courts. Furthermore, criminal record information on a minor offender or that poses a security threat to law enforcement officials involved in a criminal case may be withheld from the general public. Typically, Miami County public records include the following information:

Subject’s full name and known aliases.
Physical descriptors.
Current and past addresses.
Fingerprint
Photograph or mugshot.
Current charges and past warrants.
Charges
Past arrests.

Miami County criminal records available in the public domain can be accessed through the County Sheriff’s Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and various third-party online databases. Usually, requestors need to provide the subject’s name (unless a juvenile) and last known location to access records on these repositories.

How to Obtain Miami County Police Reports and Arrest Records?

The Miami County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of Miami County Police reports and arrests records. Requestors of the county’s police reports and arrest records may submit a completed request form in person or via mail. Request for copies of reports may take up to 72 hours for a reply depending on the time of receipt and the nature of the incident. However, requestors should note that information and reports on cases still under investigation can not be released to the public. To request the county’s police reports or arrest records, requestors must fulfill the following conditions:

Provide a report number (if available), date, time, location of incident, name(s) of the person(s) involved.
If paying in person via cash, the exact amount is necessary. The Sheriff’s Record Unit does not keep money on site and can not make change.
The Sheriff’s Office does not accept credit or debit cards.
Money orders are payable to Miami County Sheriff’s Office.

After fulfilling the preceding requirements, requestors should mail the completed request form to the address below:

Miami County Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Records Division
209 South Pearl St
Paola, KS 66071

Alternatively, requestors of the county’s police reports and arrest records may conduct a criminal history record search on the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) portal. To begin, requestors must create a KanAccess user account on the KBI’s website. The portal provides an illustrated step-by-step guide on subscribing to the KanAccess service; a subscription to the service cost’s $20.00. Interested individuals can conduct a record check at any time between the hours of 4:00 am and midnight, Central Time, every day. Due to scheduled maintenance, the Kansas Central Repository is unavailable from midnight to 4:00 am daily. The KBI portal wish offers a detailed guide on how to read a rap sheet also provides specific details on how to conduct the following types of record checks:

The contact information of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is as follows:

Kansas Bureau of Investigation
1620 SW Tyler St. Topeka,
KS 66612
Phone: (785) 296-8200

How to Find Sex Offender Information in Miami County

Requestors of Miami County sex offender information can access this information by searching through the Kansas Sex Offenders Registry. This registry is maintained by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and provides the public information on registered sex offenders in the State. Interested parties can search for registered sex offenders on the website using the following criteria:

Name Search
Geographical Search
Other Search

While the name search allows interested persons to look up sex offenders' information using their first or last name, the geographical search looks for sex offenders living or attending school within a 1-, 2-, or 3- mile radius of a specified address or within a specific zip code. Other search options include searching by phone number and online identities such as Facebook and email.

Interested residents of Miami County and the general public can also register for information using the community notification system. The community notification system allows for notification via email when a registered offender registers a home, work, or school address near an address of interest to the service subscriber. For general questions on Miami County registered sex offenders, interested requestors may contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation through the address below:

Kansas Bureau of Investigation (Offenders Registration Unit)
1620 SW Tyler, Topeka,
KS 66612
Phone: (785) 296-2841

Alternatively, requestors of information on sex offenders in Miami County may choose to browse the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offenders Public Registry database. This database has a search tool that allows visitors to submit a single national query to obtain information about sex offenders or any other third-party service provider offering a similar service.

How to Find Miami County Inmate Records

Requestors of Miami County inmate records may submit a request form to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office for data on inmates. Request for inmates records do not attract any fee, but interested individuals must make the request in person, and the requestor must provide a valid photo ID. Furthermore, parties interested in Miami County inmate records can search through third-party repositories online using the inmate look-up feature on such websites.

Alternatively, Individuals interested in the county’s inmate records may search for such information using the Kansas Adult Supervised Population Repository (KASPER). The KASPER Offenders Population Search database is maintained by the Kansas Department of Corrections. Through KASPER, requestors can find the following information:

Name and KDOC Registration Number;
Physical description (date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color, body markings, including photograph);
Conviction description (crime(s) of conviction, county, case number);
Anticipated release date;
Inmate housing location (current location and facility movements, including movement dates, location of parole office maintaining supervision);
Custody or supervision level (whether an offender has been released to post-incarceration supervision (parole, conditional release, post-release supervision, compact probation or parole); and,
Institutional disciplinary record (violations for which offender was found guilty).

The addresses of the Miami County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Department of Corrections are as follows:

Miami County Sheriff’s Office
209 South Pearl St.
Paola, KS 66071
Phone: (913) 294-3232
Fax: (913) 294-9118
Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m

Kansas Department of Corrections
714 SW Jackson,
Suite 300 Topeka,
KS 66603
Phone: (785) 296-3317
(888) 317-8204 (Toll-free)
Email: KDOC_Pub@ks.gov

Miami County Court Records

Miami County court records fall under the scope of the Kansas Public Records Act (K.S.A. 75-3501 et seq.) that are available for inspecting and obtaining copies of public records by the residents of the county and the general public. Therefore, to understand how to access the county’s court records, interested parties have to know how the county’s court system works. The court system in Miami County comprises the district court and municipal courts. Qualified persons who have met the stipulated regulations for accessing the county’s court records may submit their applications to the appropriate courts, as listed below:

1. Miami County District Court
120 South Pearl Street, P.O. Box 187
Paola, KS 66071
Phone: (913) 294-3326
Fax: (913) 294-2535

2.Louisburg Municipal Court
5 South Peoria Street, Suite 101
Louisburg, KS 66053
Phone: (913) 837-5371 ext. 6

3. Osawatomie Municipal Court
509 5th Street, P.O. Box 37
Osawatomie, KS 66064
Phone: (913) 755-3695
Fax: (913) 755-3558

4. Paola Municipal Court
805 North Pearl
Paola, KS 66071
Phone: (913) 259-3630
Fax: (913) 259-3639

Are Miami County Court Records Public?

According to the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), Miami County court records are generally available to the public for viewing, inspecting, copying, or making copies upon payment of any applicable fees. KORA, on the other hand, prohibits the disclosure of the following court records:

Records expressly prohibited or restricted by federal law, state statute, or rule of the Kansas Supreme Court, or rule of the Senate Committee on Confirmation Oversight.
Records are privileged under the rule of evidence unless the privilege holder consents to the disclosure.
Information that could reveal the identity of any undercover agent or any informant reporting a specific violation of the law.
Records of agencies involved in administrative adjudication or civil litigation, compiled in the process of detecting or investigating violations of civil law or administrative rules and regulations.

How to Obtain Miami County Civil Court Case Records

The Kansas District Public Access Portal can be used to obtain Miami County civil court case records. This website provides interested parties with access to available case information without visiting the courthouse. However, only legally approved case material can be seen via the public access site via internet access. Requestors may use the public terminal at the Miami County District Courthouse to view additional case information as permitted by law. Requestors of the County's online civil court case records can access them through a secure site available exclusively at the courthouse or a public webpage accessible via any browser. All searches on the Courthouse Terminal and Public Portal Smart Search require a record (case) number or name. Through the Kansas Judicial Branch's website, interested parties can access a comprehensive guide on how to search the County's civil court case records utilizing the courthouse terminals and public portal search.

How to Obtain Miami County Criminal Court Records

Requestors of Miami County criminal court case records can access court case information through the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal. This service can be accessed remotely or from the courthouse. In other words, interested persons can look for criminal court case records in the county using any browser, or they can visit the courthouse to use the provided computer terminal to securely access available court case information.

Interested requestors should note that only court case information such as the case number, the type of case, who’s involved, name of the attorney, among others, can be obtained through the public terminal portal access. To obtain full criminal court case records, including the documents filed in legal proceedings, interested persons must request these records in writing. Consequently, requestors have to submit a completed request form to the office of the Miami County District Court Clerk at the address below:

Miami County District Courthouse
120 S Pearl St,
Paola, KS 66071
Phone: (913) 294-3326
Fax: (913) 294-2535
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m

Additionally, interested persons looking for the county’s criminal court case records may wish to explore the State Archives or use one of the third-party repositories that search online records.

Note: Criminal court records are not the same thing as criminal records. These are essentially case files generated in the court during criminal trials.

What are Miami County Vital Records?

Miami County vital records refer to government records on vital events such as births, deaths, marriages, and divorces that occurred within the county’s jurisdiction. Vital records include birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, and divorce judgments.

Divorce Records

Miami County divorce records contain all documentation pertaining to the parties’ legal separation. The Kansas Office of Vital Statistics administers Miami County divorce records from 1951 to the present. Eligible requestors can acquire the county's divorce records from 1861 to 1951 from the Miami County District Court. In contrast, divorce records for 1855-1861 are contained in the private law part of the Territorial Legislature's Session Laws. Additionally, individuals seeking Miami County divorce records may choose to consult the State Archives for information on the location, material type, and availability of historical divorce records. Individuals seeking the preceding records can contact the Office of Vital Statistics, the District Court, or the State Archives through the addresses listed below:

Office of Vital Statistics
1000 SW Jackson
Suite 120
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (785) 296-1400
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday

Miami County District Court
120 South Pearl Street, P.O. Box 187
Paola, KS 66071
Phone: (913) 294-3326
Fax: (913) 294-2535

State Archives (Kansas Historical Society)
6425 SW 6th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66615-1099
Phone: (785) 272-8681

Marriage Records

According to Kansas State Law, K.S.A. 65-2422d, Miami County marriage records are not open for public inspection, and requestors must meet eligibility requirements. Eligible requestors must be named on the record, an immediate family member, or someone who can provide legal proof the record is necessary to determine property or personal rights. Below is a list of persons who can obtain Miami County marriage records:

Parents
Current spouse
Adult children
Grandparents
Siblings
Aunts/Uncles
Niece/Nephew

In addition, requestors must be 18 years or older. Also, where legal guardianship has been established through the courts, the guardian must provide a copy of the guardianship papers. Eligible requestors of certified Miami County marriage records can obtain such documents from 1913 to the present from the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics. For the County’s marriage records before 1913, requestors can obtain these records from the Miami County District Court. Individuals searching for historical marriage records in the county may also explore the State Archives. Individuals seeking the county’s marriage records can contact the Office of Vital Statistics, the District Court, or the State Archives through the following addresses:

Office of Vital Statistics
1000 SW Jackson
Suite 120
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (785) 296-1400
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday

Miami County District Court
120 South Pearl Street, P.O. Box 187
Paola, KS 66071
Phone: (913) 294-3326
Fax: (913) 294-2535

State Archives (Kansas Historical Society)
6425 SW 6th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66615-1099
Phone: (785) 272-8681

Birth Records

Miami County birth records from July 1, 1911, to the present, can be obtained from the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics. For birth records in the County between 1885 and 1911, requestors may visit the County Clerk’s Office to search register volumes. However, not all of these records have been preserved. Therefore, requestors of the County’s birth records during this time frame (1883-1911) can search through the State Archives.

Miami County birth records from 1911 to the present are not public information. They are subject to eligibility requirements. However, requestors may access abstract copies of older birth records through the State Archives. Birth records from 1911 to the present are restricted to people named on the record, an immediate family member, or someone who can provide legal proof the record is necessary to determine personal or property rights. Individuals seeking the county’s birth records can contact the Office of Vital Statistics, the District Court, or the State Archives through the following addresses:

Office of Vital Statistics
1000 SW Jackson
Suite 120
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (785) 296-1400
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday

Miami County District Court
120 South Pearl Street, P.O. Box 187
Paola, KS 66071
Phone: (913) 294-3326
Fax: (913) 294-2535

State Archives (Kansas Historical Society)
6425 SW 6th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66615-1099
Phone: (785) 272-8681

Death Records

To order copies of Miami County death records, interested persons are advised to contact the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics, the custodian of death records, from July 1, 1911, to the present. For death records dated between 1885 and 1911, requestors may search through register volumes at the Miami County Clerk’s Office. Where these registers are not available, interested parties may search through the Government Archives. In Miami County, death certificates and related documents are only available to a select group of people named on the record, immediate family members, or someone who can provide legal proof the record is necessary to determine personal or property rights.