Richland County Crime Numbers
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) provides annual crime statistics for all the counties in the state. Its figures come from data supplied by the various law enforcement agencies in each county. The Division’s records show that there were 33 murders and 219 sexual batteries in Richland County in 2017, the most recent year with a complete set of crime data. Other reported incidences of violent crimes include 615 robberies and 2,184 aggravated assaults. In the same year, Richland County recorded 3,152 burglaries, 2,258 motor vehicle thefts, 13,701 larcenies, and 65 arsons.
Compared to 2013 figures, murder (32%), sexual battery (4.3%), motor vehicle theft (16.8%), and larceny (6.4%) rates increased in 2017. The five-year crime trend for Richland County also shows declining robbery (11.5%), aggravated assault (2.7%), and burglary (22.7%) rates.
Richland County Criminal Records
Residents of Richland County can request criminal history reports from the SLED CATCH (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Citizens Access to Criminal Histories) portal. This online name-based background check system allows users to view and print criminal histories for South Carolina. Using this service costs $25 plus an additional $1 convenience fee for online access. Credit and debit cards are accepted for payment. Qualifying charitable organizations pay a reduced fee of $8. This service is free for school districts requesting background checks for teachers.
SLED also accepts mail requests for criminal records checks. Download and complete a Criminal Records Check Form. Send this, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope and a money order or business, certified, or cashier’s check for $25, to:
SLED Records Department
P.O. Box 21398
Columbia, SC 29221-1398
Indicate whether you need the requested criminal record check notarized and/or certified.
Richland County Police Reports
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department provides incident and accident reports on request. Use the Incident Report Request web form to obtain an electronic copy of an offense report from the Sheriff’s Department. The PDF file of the report will be sent to your email. The Sheriff does not deliver traffic accident reports online. To obtain an accident report, visit or call the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at:
5623 Two Notch Road
Columbia, SC 29223
Phone: (803) 576-3000
Richland County Sex Offender Information
The Sheriff’s Department also provides an online search tool for locating registered sex offenders living in Richland County. Visit the county’s Offender Search page and use its search functions to find offenders by name, email address, and phone number. You can also find registered sex offenders in your neighborhood by searching the database by city, zip code, and street address. The SLED also provides a handy resource for searching the South Carolina Sex Offender Registry. Use this tool to locate offenders living, working, and attending school in Richland County as well as other parts of the state.
Richland County Inmate Search
The only correctional facility in Richland County is the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Its address is:
201 John Mark Dial Drive
Columbia, SC 29209
Use the contact information contained on the facility’s directory page to contact various officers of the detention center. To find individuals incarcerated in this facility, search using the inmate lookup tool provided on the jail’s website. A Richland County Inmate Search is typically conducted using the detainees name and related biodata.
Friends and family can deposit money in inmates’ accounts by visiting the commissary kiosk in the front lobby of the detention center. Cash and credit card deposits are accepted at this location. The kiosk opens between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. every day of the week. It is also possible to fund an inmate’s account by leaving a U.S. Postal money order at the front lobby. Alternatively, send this money order by mail to the detention center. Make sure to address the mail in this way:
(Inmate Name, Inmate Number, Housing Unit)
Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center
201 John Mark Dial Drive
Columbia, SC 29209
Write the inmate’s full name, number, and date of birth on the money order before sending or depositing it.
Richland County Court Records
The main courthouse in the county is the Richland County Judicial Center located at 1701 Main Street, Columbia. It houses a Circuit Court, a Family Court, and a Probate Court. While the Family Court hears juvenile and domestic cases, the Circuit Court handles most of the county’s civil and criminal cases. The Clerk of Court maintains the Richland County Court Records for all courts. The Probate Court administers estates, hears trust and estate cases, issues marriage licenses, and appoints guardians and conservators.
Below are the addresses and contact details of these courts:
Richland County Circuit Court
Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street, Room 205,
P.O. Box 2766,
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: (803) 576-1950
Fax: (803) 576-1785
Richland County Family Court
Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street, Room 205,
P.O. Box 2766,
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: (803) 576-3320
Fax: (803) 576-3347
Richland County Probate Court
Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street, Suite 207,
P.O. Box 192,
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 576-1961
Visit the Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit Public Index to search for the records of the Circuit court online. Use the Family Court Public Index to search for the records of that court. To ask about obtaining the records of the Circuit and Family Courts, contact:
Family Court Administrator
Janet Irvine
Contact by email: irvine.janet@richlandcountysc.gov
Phone Number: (803) 576-3320
Supervisor of Criminal Records
Teresa Cribb
Contact by email: cribb.teresa@richlandcountysc.gov
Phone Number: (803) 576-1936
Supervisors of Civil Records
Tonian Davis
Contact by email: davis.tonian@richlandcountysc.gov
Phone Number: (803) 576-3373
Tonya Hood
Contact by email: hood.tonya@richlandcountysc.gov
Phone Number: (803) 576-1942
Besides these courts, Richland County also has 13 Magistrate Courts. Find and contact these courts using the following information:
Richland County Magistrate Court - Blythewood
118A McNulty Street,
Blythewood, SC 29016
Phone: (803) 576-1580
Fax: (803) 576-1583
Richland County Magistrate Court - Bond Court
Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center
201 John Mark Dial Drive,
Columbia, SC 29209
Phone: (803) 576-3281
Fax: (803) 576-3303
Richland County Magistrate Court - Central Court
2500 Decker Boulevard,
P.O. Box 192,
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: (803) 576-2300
Fax: (803) 576-2325
Richland County Magistrate Court - Columbia
3875 Lucius Road,
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: (803) 576-2510
Fax: (803) 576-2519
Richland County Magistrate Court - Dentsville
2500 Decker Boulevard,
Columbia, SC 29206
Phone: (803) 576-2560
Fax: (803) 576-2569
Richland County Magistrate Court - Dutch Fork
1019 Beatty Road,
Columbia, SC 29210
Phone: (803) 576-2540
Fax: (803) 576-2545
Richland County Magistrate Court - Eastover
501 Main Street,
P.O. Box 762,
Eastover, SC 29044
Phone: (803) 576-2580
Fax: (803) 576-2589
Richland County Magistrate Court - Hopkins
2500 Decker Boulevard,
P.O. Box 192,
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: (803) 576-2530
Fax: (803) 576-2535
Richland County Magistrate Court - Lykesland
1403 Caroline Road,
Columbia, SC 29209
Phone: (803) 576-2500
Fax: (803) 576-2504
Richland County Magistrate Court - Olympia
1601 Shop Road, Suite B,
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: (803) 576-2550
Fax: (803) 576-2555
Richland County Magistrate Court - Pontiac
10509 Two Notch Road, Suite D,
Elgin, SC 29045
Phone: (803) 576-2521
Fax: (803) 576-2522
Richland County Magistrate Court - Upper Township
400 Northeast Drive, Suite I,
Columbia, SC 29203
Phone: (803) 576-2570
Fax: (803) 576-2579
Richland County Magistrate Court - Waverly
2712 Middleburg Drive, Suite 106,
Columbia, SC 29204
Phone: (803) 576-2590
Fax: (803) 576-2599
These courts hear criminal cases where judgements do not order more a fine of $2,000 and/or 90 days in jail. Civil cases involving injury, property damage, and landlord-tenant issues are also under their jurisdiction as long as these does not involve amounts greater than $7,500.
There are also four Municipal Courts in Richland County. These are:
Arcadia Lakes Municipal Court
6605 Arcadia Woods Road,
Columbia, SC 29206
Phone: (803) 782-2807
Fax: (803) 782-2923
Blythewood Municipal Court
10509 Two Notch Road, Suite D,
Elgin, SC 29045
Phone: (803) 788-8232
Fax: (803) 865-0889
Columbia Municipal Court
811 Washington Street,
P.O. Box 644,
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 545-3150
Forest Acres Municipal Court
5205 North Trenholm Road,
Columbia, SC 29206
Phone: (803) 790-5947
Fax: (803) 978-2857
Contact the Magistrate and Municipal Courts to ask about viewing and obtaining copies of their records.
Richland County Vital Records
The Richland County Family Court keeps court records of divorce cases. To obtain court records like divorce judgements and decrees, contact the court by calling (803) 576-3320 or visiting:
1701 Main Street
1st Floor West Wing
Columbia, SC 29201
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) issues Reports of Divorce for divorces decreed between July 1962 and December 2014. If your divorce falls within this range, you can request for this report by visiting the DHEC State Vital Records Office at 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 2920. It opens to the public between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
Bring a completed Vital Records Marriage/Divorce Application (also available in Spanish) along with the search/copy fee and a valid photo ID issued by the government, a school, or your employer. The $12 search fee includes one copy of a Report of Divorce. Each additional copy costs $3. Cash and credit/debit cards are accepted for walk-in requests.
Alternatively, you can submit this application form by mail. Include a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID and a cashier’s check or money order for search/copy fees. Make your check or money order payable to SC DHEC.
Use the same application and follow the same procedure when requesting a certified copy of a marriage certificate from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The same fees also apply.
The same fees and procedure also apply when requesting for certified copies of birth and death certificates. However, you will need a Vital Records Birth Application (Spanish) or a Vital Records Death Application (Spanish) to obtain these records.
