NB, this is argument applies even if you're trying to make the argument to a very pro-law-enforcement person who accepts the premises that only guilty people need to worry about the police and that the laws are perfect so everything that is a crime ought to be one.
Arrest records do come up in the system when a background check is run as I can vouch for personally. They also come up (in Colorado) with the initially charged crime whether or not the charge was changed or dismissed. This has never hampered my ability to obtain employment, loan, or a lease.
Getting involved with "the system" in any way, even if you're not guilty, appears to be a red flag for some employers.
It's incredibly pro-landlord, but because there's a shortage of housing supply, they can get away with it.
Only source I can remember for this offhand is behind a paywall, but I used to work in drug policy, so this is something I've witnessed many times: http://bklynr.com/arrested-developments/
Wrong.
Job application. Have you ever been arrested? No job.
Mortgage application. Have you ever been arrested? No mortgage. No house.
Rental application. Have you ever been arrested? No apartment.
These are just a few places you will have the door slammed in your face. Now, the OP was lucky, because the matter was dismissed, the arrest record evaporates. If he was convicted of even the most minor criminal offense because the judge was having a bad day too, his life is now fucked.