Crime Statistics
According to data published by the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI, Berkeley County law enforcement agencies recorded 1,030 index criminal offenses in 2016. With 667 reported incidents in the 12-month span, larceny was recorded to be the most popular criminal offense, followed by burglary which recorded 248 incidents. Aggravated assault was the county's number three crime, but the most common violent crime, accounting for 4.4% of the reported offenses, while motor vehicle theft and robbery followed behind with 37 and 16 reported incidents respectively. The county's least recorded crimes in that year were incidents of murder, arson, and rape, which, combined, constituted 2% of the total index offenses.
Criminal Records
The Berkeley County Sheriff's Department is tasked with providing law enforcement related services to the county. However, criminal records and background check requests are processed by the West Virginia State Police Department which is the chief custodian of criminal history information of West Virginia state residents.
How to Get Criminal Records
Criminal record requests are processed by the Criminal Identification Bureau of the state police department. The records provided by the Bureau include details of arrest history, in-state charges and convictions and may be used for a variety of functions including employment, licensing and personal information.
To request a criminal record from the Bureau, interested persons may contact and schedule an appointment with the approved fingerprinting vendor of the Bureau. Subjects will be fingerprinted and charged a standard fingerprinting fee and will be required to present a government-issued ID at the appointment.
Requestors other than the subject (employers and licensing agencies) will require a completed authorization form signed by the subject to access the records. This form will be submitted along with the fingerprints to the state Bureau (by the vendor), and the records sent directly to the requesting agency.
All queries relating to the process may be made to the Criminal Records Unit at (304)-746-2170
How to Find Sex Offender Information
All information pertaining to sex offenders resident in Berkeley County is housed on the State Sex Offender Registry managed by the West Virginia Police Department. County residents may view offender addresses, criminal histories, and compliance status by searching the registry by offender name, city, street name and behavior or status (whether wanted or sexually violent). Offenders may also be searched by online identifiers such as their email addresses and usernames. Information unavailable on the registry may be requested from the registry at (304) 746-2133 or registry@wvsp.gov.
Berkeley County Jail Information
All inmates within the Berkeley County jurisdiction are detained at the Martinsburg Correctional Center and Jail located at:
38 Grapevine Road,
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Information regarding the facility, staffing, housing units, visitation schedule, and driving directions may be obtained by querying Correctional Center staff in person or sending a written request to the center at the above-stated address.
Where and How to Find Inmate Information
General Inmate-related information is primarily disseminated on the West Virginia Corrections Page and by specific detention facility staff. Information regarding inmates in the Martinsburg correctional center and jail may be retrieved by querying the jail staff (304) 267-0156 or conducting an online search using the Offender Search Tool. searches may be conducted by detainee name and arrest or booking date. Details of each inmate's primary charges, arrest information, bail and bond conditions, and court information may be found using the tool. However, information unavailable on the index may be requested from the jail staff via phone, mail or in person.
Court Records
Where and How to Get Court Records
The Office of the Berkeley County Circuit Court Clerk is tasked with managing and disseminating records of court cases heard by the county courts. As per state laws, interested persons may obtain copies of non-confidential records by querying the Clerk's office in person or via mail.
Mail-in queries require the requestor to prepare a written request stating details of the record of interest i.e. the date of filing, the names of the parties involved and the case file number of the record (if known).
Requestors may also opt to self-serve using public terminals available in the Circuit Clerk's office. Searches may be conducted by the plaintiff, defendant and litigant name or the record file number. The requesting party may be charged a standard search and copy fee depending on the nature of the search and the copies required (if applicable). Court record requests may be made to:
Berkeley County Circuit Court Clerk
380 West South Street,
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 264-1918
Location of all Courts in the County
Listed below are the addresses and contact information of all the courthouses in Berkeley County, West Virginia:
Berkeley County Circuit Court
Berkeley County Judicial Center
380 West South Street,
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 264-1918
Fax: (304) 262-3139
Berkeley County Magistrate Court
Berkeley County Judicial Center
380 West South Street,
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 264-1957
Fax: (304) 267-1373
Berkeley County Family Court
Berkeley County Judicial Center
380 West South Street,
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 264-1918
Fax: (304) 262-3139
Hedgesville Municipal Court
105 Potato Hill Street,
P.O. Box 45,
Hedgesville, WV 25427
Phone: (304) 754-4827
Fax: (304) 754-8641
Martinsburg Municipal Court
232 North Queen Street,
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 264-2103
Fax: (304) 264-2137
Where and How To Get Property Records
The Berkeley County Clerk's Office serves as the county recorder and repository of documents pertaining to land and real property ownership. Interested persons may obtain copies of deeds, liens, plats, mortgages and related records by querying the office in person or via mail.
Requestors will be required to provide relevant information regarding the record such as the index/page number, recording date, and property address. Copies cost $1.50 for the first 2 pages and $1.00 for each additional page.
Property record requests may be made to:
Berkeley County Clerk
County Courthouse
100 West King Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Office: (304) 264-1927
Fax: (304) 267-1794
Vital Records
Records of vital events that occur in the State of West Virginia are recorded and maintained by the State Department of Human Resource. In compliance with state laws, the department provides copies of these records to interested and eligible persons upon request. At the county level, the Berkeley County Clerk's office is the primary custodian and issuer of birth, death and marriage records, while divorce records are issued by the Circuit Court Clerk. While the fees for accessing these records generally varies with the issuing office but eligibility requirements remain the same across the board.
Where and How to Get Divorce Records
The Berkeley County Circuit Court Clerk maintains and issues records of divorces granted by the county courts. To be eligible to access divorce records, the requesting party must be named on the record, have a legal order to obtain the record or request a notarized letter of authorization from either of the subjects. All requesters will be required to provide information regarding the divorce including the names of the spouses, the place and date of the divorce and the case file number of the record. Requestors must also present a government-issued photo ID and the applicable fees in order to access the record. Divorce record requests may be made to:
Berkeley County Circuit Court Clerk
380 West South Street,
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 264-1918
Where and How to Get Marriage Records, Birth Records and Death Records
The Berkeley County Clerk's Office maintains and issues records of births and deaths which occurred within county limits and records of marriages which it licensed. In compliance with West Virginia State laws, these records may only be accessed by persons named on the record, the direct relatives of the subject or persons legally authorized to obtain the record.
All vital record requests must be made to the Clerk's Office in person and the records each cost $5. The requesting party will be required to provide the names of the person(s) on the record (including any maiden names), the place and date of the event and details of the relationship between the requestor and the record subjects. The requesting party must also present a government-issued photo ID upon making their request. Vital record requests may be made to:
Berkeley County Clerk
County Courthouse
100 West King Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Office: (304) 264-1927
Fax: (304) 267-1794
In addition to government agencies, county public records may also be obtained from third-party websites. These non-government platforms come with intuitive tools that allow for expansive searches. Record seekers may either opt to use these tools to search for a specific record or multiple records. Users are able to search third-party websites remotely for multiple records 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.
