How To Locate Your Loved Ones

People arrested by the NYPD are taken for initial processing to the precinct in which the arrest occurred. Within 4 to 6 hours they are then taken for further processing to Central Booking, located at the criminal court in the county of arrest. Once all processing and paperwork is complete, they await an appearance before a judge, called an arraignment. Arraignment usually happens within 24 hours of the arrest, and will probably be the first time you will be able to see your friend or loved-one following an arrest.

The following is a how-to for finding the specific information about where and when someone will be arraigned, including a borough-by-borough listing of the phone numbers and locations of the court houses, and subway and bus information for each county’s criminal court ( for more travel information and directions call the NYC Transit Information Line (718) 330-1234):

1. To find out approximate time and courtroom of the arraignment, call Central Booking in the county of arrest and ask for the person’s Arrest Number.

2. Once you have obtained the Arrest Number (or if there is none available), call the Criminal Court Arraignment Clerk to find out when and in what courtroom the person will be arraigned.

Manhattan:
Central Booking (212) 374-5818
New York County ( Manhattan) Criminal Court (212) 374-5880
100 Centre Street (one block north of Worth Street, three blocks south of Canal Street).

Directions:
No. 4 or 5 train to Brooklyn Bridge Station; No. 6 train, N, R or C train to Canal Street; No. 1 train to Franklin Street; M1, M6 and M15 bus lines are nearby.

Brooklyn:
Central Booking (718) 935-9210
Kings County ( Brooklyn) Criminal Court (718) 643-5675
120 Schermerhorn Street (between Adams and Smith Street)

Directions:
N, R or M train to Lawrence Street Station; G train to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street Station; A, F or C train to Jay Street Station; 2, 3, 4 or 5 trains to Borough Hall Station. B67, B41 and B45 bus lines stop near Livingston Street and Smith Street; B63 and B65 bus lines stop near Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street.

Queens:
Central Booking (718) 268-4523
Queens County Criminal Court (718) 520-1985
125-01 Queens Blvd (near Hoover Avenue and 82nd Avenue)  

Directions:
E or F train to Union Turnpike Station. Q60, Q37, Q74 and Q46 buses all have stops in close proximity to Courthouse.

Staten Island:
Central Booking (718) 876-8493
Richmond County ( Staten Island) Criminal Court (718) 390-8400
Note: On weekends, call the Brooklyn Arraignment Office (718) 643-5675
67 Targee Street (between Frean and Purroy Streets)  

Directions:
From Ferry Terminal take S74 bus to Broad Street and Gordon Street or S78 bus to Broad Street and Thompkins Avenue; Courthouse is approximately four blocks from either stop.

Nassau County:
Police Headquarters (516) 573-7100
Arraignments – District Court (516) 572-2199
Criminal Court – 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, New York 11501
(516) 571-2800

Directions:
Northern State Parkway to Exit 25 toward Lakeville Rd/New Hyde Park/Great Neck. Turn left onto Marcus Avenue. Go straight onto Denton Avenue. Turn slight left back onto Marcus Avenue. Turn slight left onto Jericho Turnpike/NY-25. Turn right onto Herricks Road. Slight right onto Old Country Road.

IMPORTANT:
If you are unable to get through to the Arraignment Clerk, you can go directly to the courthouse and consult the list of names of people awaiting arraignment, posted outside the Arraignment Clerk’s Office. The name usually appears on the list a few hours before the person sees the judge. The list will tell you which courtroom has the case if there is more than one.