Remove Arrest Records from Google & the Web (Free 2026)

Why arrest records appear on Google

Arrest records appear in Google search results for two reasons: (1) government court databases (PACER, state court portals, county clerk websites) that publish records publicly and are indexed by Google, and (2) commercial mugshot and arrest-record aggregator sites (Mugshots.com, Arrest.org, JailBase, PublicPoliceRecord.com, BustedMugshots.com) that scrape these records and republish them in SEO-optimized formats. Google indexes both types. The commercial sites are the primary target for removal because they are designed to rank prominently for name searches.

The three-track approach

Removing an arrest record from Google requires three parallel tracks: (1) removing the commercial republication sites, (2) requesting Google de-indexing of any source pages, and (3) addressing the underlying court record through expungement or sealing (the permanent fix). All three tracks are necessary, removal from one without the others results in the record reappearing.

Step-by-step: How to remove your arrest record from Google

1. Step 1: Map all appearing pages. Search your full name + "arrest" and your full name + "mugshot" on Google. List every page that appears. Note the domain, the URL, and whether the page is a government source or a commercial aggregator.
2. Step 2: Contact commercial arrest-record sites directly. For each commercial site, submit a removal request citing your state's mugshot removal law (approximately 40 states have enacted these) and providing case dismissal or expungement documentation if available. Key sites and contacts:
   • Mugshots.com: Email removal@mugshots.com
   • Arrest.org: Use the removal form on their site
   • JailBase.com: Email help@jailbase.com
   • BustedMugshots.com: Use their removal form
   • PublicPoliceRecord.com: Email their privacy team
3. Step 3: Use Google's "Results About You" tool. Once a source page is removed or returns a 404, submit the URL to Google's Outdated Content Removal tool at search.google.com/search-console/remove-outdated-content. This accelerates de-indexing from days to hours.

   💡 Tip: For pages that are still live but contain inaccurate information (e.g., charges that were dismissed but the site still shows them as active), use Google's "outdated content" removal. Google can remove individual result snippets even if the page is still live, if the snippet shows outdated/inaccurate information.

4. Step 4: Petition for expungement or record sealing. This is the permanent fix. In most US states, arrests that did not result in conviction are eligible for expungement. Once expunged, the court record is sealed and the public booking data is removed from the county database, eliminating the source that commercial sites scrape. Consult a criminal defense attorney or your state's court self-help center for eligibility and process.
5. Step 5: Submit CCPA deletion requests to data broker sites. Spokeo, BeenVerified, Radaris, and Instant Checkmate also republish arrest records in people-search profiles. Submit opt-outs to these brokers using OfflistMe to prevent re-surfacing via background-check lookups.

Timeline for arrest record removal from Google

What to do if sites refuse removal

Do not pay extortion fees. If a site demands payment for removal: file an FTC complaint at reportfraud.ftc.gov, file a complaint with your state Attorney General (especially in states with mugshot-fee laws), and contact the site's web hosting provider with a legal notice. In states with strong mugshot laws, you may have a private right of action against non-compliant sites.