Is there a reliable and easy (pref. free) way to search police/arrest records of an individual? Nothing came up on google, but Ive heard the person had/has issues with the law.
Police arrest records are NOT public record unless the person was later convicted of a crime. To the best of my knowledge, no such databases exist for public consumption, but law enforcement personnel can generally access them for law enforcement purposes only.
Court records and conviction of a crime IS public record. They can be obtained at the court for a nominal fee, or through various private online databases for a pretty fee.
If there is a reason you must know there is usually an archive at a local newspaper of arrests in the city. You might need to know the approximate date.
You can research if he was convicted of a crime, but not arrest records. Like aries said, if it was reported in the media, you can search news databases for old stories. But the vast vast majority of arrests are never reported, unless it was for a major crime.