How We Cover Crime & Safety

Everyone is presumed innocent

An arrest or a charge is an accusation, not a conviction. We use precise language — "arrested for," "charged with," "accused of" — and we never state or imply that someone is guilty. Guilt is decided by a court, not by us.

We report from public records

Booking and incident information comes from public records — the county jail roster and reports obtained under the Virginia Open Records Act. We reproduce charges and booking details as they appear in the official record. We cite the source on every entry.

Corrections & removal are always FREE

We will never ask for or accept payment to correct or remove a record — not ever. If you've been the subject of a booking entry, you can request a free correction or removal, and we'll honor it promptly when the law or fairness calls for it, including when:

• The charges were dismissed, dropped, or you were found not guilty
• The arrest was made in error or the record is inaccurate
• The case qualifies for restriction/expungement under Virginia Code § 35-1-19
• A reasonable amount of time has passed and the harm of keeping it up outweighs the public's need to know

Beware of third-party "reputation" companies that charge to remove records — Virginia's Attorney General warns that charging for legally-required removals is unlawful. Come straight to us; it's free.

We don't build permanent scars

Booking entries are not permanently search-engine indexed, and they roll off our active feed over time. We're a community resource for staying informed — not a forever-record meant to follow someone who was never convicted.