Aleutians West Census Area Bench Warrants

Aleutians West Census Area bench warrants are court orders issued by Unalaska judges when a person fails to appear, breaks a release rule, or skips a fine in a local case. You can search Aleutians West bench warrants through the Unalaska Police Department, the Unalaska Trial Court, and the Alaska State Troopers warrant database. This page lays out where to look up an active warrant for the Aleutians West region, who to call in Dutch Harbor, and how to clear an open bench warrant tied to a case in the area.

Unalaska Police Bench Warrants

The Unalaska Police Department serves the City of Unalaska and Dutch Harbor, the largest commercial fishing port in the United States. The station is at 29 Safety Way, P.O. Box 370, Unalaska, AK 99685. The dispatch email is dispatch@unalaska.gov. The department is split into four divisions: Administrative, Police Services, Communications, and Corrections. The Corrections Division runs the only contract jail in the Aleutian Islands.

Unalaska PD holds arrest and warrant records for cases inside the city and serves Aleutians West bench warrants out across Unalaska and Amaknak Island. Warrant info is given out by the Corrections Division, but the department asks that you also confirm the open warrant with the Unalaska court clerk before acting on it. Officers work with Alaska State Troopers C Detachment on regional warrants and with federal agencies on maritime cases at the port.

The department is also known for a creative police blotter that draws press from across the state. Note: A blotter mention is not a formal warrant lookup, so always confirm an Aleutians West warrant through the court clerk or Corrections Division.

Unalaska Court and Case Records

The Unalaska Trial Court hears criminal and civil cases for the Aleutians West Census Area, including cases from Saint Paul Island and Sand Point. The Unalaska courthouse is part of the Third Judicial District. The fastest way to search Aleutians West bench warrants tied to a case is the statewide CourtView case search. Run the name as it appears on file. Open the case and read the docket lines for any warrant entry.

To get a paper copy of an Aleutians West warrant or related case file, file a request through the Alaska Trial Courts records office. Unalaska, Saint Paul Island, and Sand Point all use Form TF-311 ANCH because they fall under Anchorage records processing. The first plain copy of a court record is $5.00 and each added copy is $3.00. A certified copy is $10.00. Audio recordings of an Unalaska court hearing run $20.00 per CD. Search warrant files use Form CR-714 and stay sealed under Criminal Rule 37(e) until the warrant is named in a charging document.

Court records access is grounded in AS 40.25.110, so any member of the public can ask for an Aleutians West warrant file at the clerk's window. Note: The Unalaska court is reached only by air or boat, so plan ahead if you need to file a warrant motion in person.

AST C Detachment

The Alaska State Troopers C Detachment runs warrant operations across the Aleutians, Kodiak Island, and the western coast. Many small communities in the Aleutians West Census Area have no full-time police force, so trooper posts and Village Public Safety Officers fill the role. The statewide AST active warrants database lists open AST warrants and is updated each day. You can pull it as a PDF or CSV file and search by name.

Each entry in the AST warrant list shows the full name, age, gender code, bail amount, charge, and warrant type. Under AS 12.25.030, a peace officer can make a warrantless arrest for a crime in their presence or for a felony with cause. Most Aleutians West warrant arrests, though, are made on a signed bench warrant after a name is confirmed in the Alaska Public Safety Information Network.

Resolving an Aleutians West Bench Warrant

If your name is on an Aleutians West bench warrants list, you have a few options. Under AS 12.30.060, a bench warrant may be issued for failure to appear or for breaking the rules of release. The warrant stays open until a peace officer serves it or a judge recalls it. Time alone will not clear it.

For minor cases, surrender at the Unalaska Police on Safety Way or call the Corrections Division to set up a turn-in. For larger cases, a defense lawyer can file Form CR-330, a Motion to Quash Warrant. The Alaska Court System lists steps on its criminal self-help page. Rule 4 of the Alaska Rules of Criminal Procedure says the court must use a summons unless arrest is needed.

• Surrender at the Unalaska Police on Safety Way
• Call the Corrections Division to set up a turn-in
• File a Motion to Quash on Form CR-330
• Show up at the next hearing and ask the judge to recall
• Pay open traffic fines online for minor warrants

For state-level felony cases, the Alaska Department of Law Criminal Division handles prosecution. The Anchorage office covers the Third Judicial District, which takes in the Aleutians West Census Area. Search warrants under AS 12.35 must be served within 10 days of issue. For a wider name-based criminal record check, the DPS Records and Identification Bureau runs name checks for $20 and fingerprint checks for $35.

Unalaska Corrections Division and Community Jail

The Corrections Division is one of four branches inside the Unalaska Police Department. It runs the only contract jail in the Aleutian Islands. The jail sits at the same Safety Way complex as the main police office. When an Aleutians West bench warrant is served, the person is brought to this jail for booking and held until a bail hearing or a transport flight is set up. The jail holds both city and state prisoners under a contract with the Alaska Department of Corrections.

Booking can take place any time of day. The jail staff log the arrest, take prints, and run the name through the Alaska Public Safety Information Network. If bail is set, you can post it at the jail window. If no bail has been set by the court, you wait for a judge. Most people see a judge within 24 hours of arrest. The Unalaska court is just a short drive from the jail, so transport is fast compared to other remote parts of the state.

Because Dutch Harbor is the top commercial fishing port in the country, the jail also handles holds on people with out-of-state warrants who pass through on fishing boats. Troopers from AST C Detachment sometimes fly into Unalaska to pick up a person on a regional warrant. The Corrections Division keeps a log of all warrant bookings, and you can ask for a copy of the log entry under AS 40.25.110. The jail is small but busy during the peak crab and pollock seasons when the port swells with workers.

Nearby Boroughs

The Aleutians West Census Area sits next to a few other regions in southwest Alaska. Pick a nearby area below to look up bench warrants in that borough.