Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones the agency reported to the FBI, through 2021. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Martinsburg, West Virginia, in Berkeley County, has about 19,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and its arrests are reported to the FBI by an agency of its own. An arrest in the city leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the regional jail, and, if the Prosecuting Attorney files charges, a case in the Berkeley County Circuit Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it, with the arrest counts the agency reported.
This guide covers who makes arrests, how many arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
Related guides: Martinsburg public records, Berkeley County arrest records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Who Makes Arrests in Martinsburg
The FBI lists Martinsburg with an arrest reporting agency of its own, filed as Martinsburg Police Department. It reported 1,423 arrests for 2021, its latest complete year. A city is listed separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
Outside the city, the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office is the county agency. It reported 782 arrests for 2025.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Berkeley County: the State Fire Marshal in Berkeley County and the Department of Natural Resources in Berkeley County (state agency); Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force (other); the Martinsburg State Police (state police).
How Many Arrests Martinsburg Reports
Each agency reports its arrests to the FBI by month, and the FBI publishes them on the Crime Data Explorer. These are the full-year totals, all offenses, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026; a year with months missing or not reported is left out.
- Martinsburg: 1,423 for 2021, 1,477 for 2020 and 1,388 for 2019.
Martinsburg's 1,423 arrests in 2021 were down 3.7 percent from 1,477 in 2020.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Martinsburg Are Held
West Virginia closed its county jails in favor of regional jails run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, so a person held after an arrest in Martinsburg goes to the regional jail that serves Berkeley County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 290 people, down from about 300 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 285 beds, and it ran at 95 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office at berkeleywv.org/265/Sheriffs-Office (page title: Sheriff's Office | Berkeley County, WV), 510 S. Raleigh Street Martinsburg, WV 25401, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Martinsburg
For Martinsburg the place to look is the Prosecuting Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at berkeleywv.org/164/Prosecuting-Attorney, phone 304-264-1971).
West Virginia does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the West Virginia State Police goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court's own case index is the public record of an arrest that led to a charge.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Martinsburg
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer within 5 business days, and it may charge the actual cost of copying.
- An arrest by the Martinsburg police: the police department's page SearchSystems verified at cityofmartinsburg.org/government/city-departments/police-department... (page title: FAQ | City of Martinsburg, WV), phone 304-264-2100, 125 W. Race St. Martinsburg, WV 25401, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 26, 2026.
- An arrest by the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 304-264-1971, handles discovery for pending cases.
- Any county record that is not posted: the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at berkeleywv.org (page title: File a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request | Berkeley County, WV).
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
The Berkeley County guide covers every agency in the county: Berkeley County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Martinsburg each year?
Martinsburg reported 1,423 arrests to the FBI for 2021, its latest full year.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Martinsburg?
Ask the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at berkeleywv.org/265/Sheriffs-Office.
Where are people arrested in Martinsburg booked?
In the regional jail that serves Berkeley County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Martinsburg?
The court files of criminal cases in the Berkeley County Circuit Court are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the West Virginia State Police is not public; you can get your own. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Martinsburg?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Martinsburg police for its own arrests, the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office for the sheriff's. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days; the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at berkeleywv.org.
Is this the official Martinsburg website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.