The Kenton County Detention Center sits at 3000 Decker Crane Lane, Covington, KY 41017, in the southern part of Covington, and its main line is 859-363-2400. It also houses state and federal prisoners alongside local arrests. Callers should spell out the name, offer a birth date, and request the booking number, which you will need for postcards and deposits.

Start with the online roster, which lists people currently booked. VINELink shows custody status too and can alert you by text or voice call about a release or move. Once a case is filed, KYeCourts public access shows the charges and the next court date.

Pay the circuit clerk at the Justice Center on weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 859-292-6521. Weekdays after 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, pay at the jail. Cash, Kentucky property or a Treasury-approved surety company are accepted. Our bail guide explains the bond types.

Crossing into Boone, Campbell or Grant changes things, because officers there book arrests locally, far from Decker Crane Lane. Should our roster draw a blank, ring these facilities:

• Try the Boone County Jail in Burlington at 859-334-2143.
• In Newport, the Campbell County Detention Center can be reached at 859-431-4611.
• The Grant County Detention Center in Williamstown answers at 859-824-5191.
• The Bourbon County Regional Detention Center, in Paris, takes calls at 859-987-2137.

Schedule online at least 24 hours ahead. For most dorms, onsite video visits are Wednesday and Friday, 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Remote visits run daily 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10:40 p.m. Dorms 102, 104 and 107 have Saturday onsite visits and remote visits from 6 to 9 p.m. Bring photo ID; see our visitation guide.

Buy phone time in the jail lobby in $5, $10 or $20 amounts, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and during weekend visit hours, or online. The time works only at this jail, and unused time is not refunded. Our phone guide and messaging guide have the details.

Since August 15, 2025, only pre-stamped postal postcards are accepted, not letters. Write the inmate's name and ID plus your return address, and send to: inmate name and ID, PO Box 76550, Highland Heights, KY 41076. Up to 5 photos on photo paper may come in an envelope. Legal mail goes to 3000 Decker Crane Lane, Covington, KY 41017. See our mail guide.

Money on the account pays for snacks, hygiene items and phone time. Never put cash or checks in an envelope; it will be destroyed. Call 859-363-2400 for the current ways to make a deposit, and see our money guide and commissary guide for a step-by-step walk-through.

The judge asks at the first hearing whether the person can pay for counsel. Those who qualify get the Covington Trial Office of the public defender (333 Scott Street, Suite 400, Covington, KY 41011; 833-385-6054). Family members can call that office with a case number to find out which lawyer was assigned. Our court guide lays out each step from arrest to sentence.

Yes, and in northern Kentucky a second case from Boone, Campbell or across the river is common. The sheriff's office at 859-392-1800 can check its own warrants, and its warrants list shows many of them. The courts' free guest records search lists open cases statewide, and Ohio's courts cover Cincinnati cases.

For a warrant that is still open at release, counsel can arrange for the person to report to the Kenton County Detention Center and ask for bond on the spot. The circuit clerk at 230 Madison Ave., Covington, KY 41011, answers at 859-292-6521.

Youths are kept apart from adults. A detained child must have a hearing within 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays (KRS 610.265). The Department of Juvenile Justice, 502-573-2738, decides where a youth is placed while the case is pending in District Court.

Look at the roster first, since a mugshot may appear with the booking entry. News media outlets can request unposted booking images from the sheriff's office. To get ICE photos, use the ICE records request form. Federal mugshots are withheld from the public, with one exception: the Marshals can publish a photo while hunting a fugitive.

Federal arrests from Northern Kentucky go before a magistrate judge at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 35 West Fifth Street, Covington, KY 41011, 859-392-7925. Within roughly three to five days of that first appearance, a detention hearing may decide custody. Since the U.S. Marshals pick where federal detainees stay and Decker Crane Lane holds federal prisoners, the person may never leave the county; check its roster first. Questions about a federal prisoner's housing or transport go to the Marshals' Covington office, 859-392-7918. After sentencing, use the federal prison locator.

The Kenton County Detention Center (859-363-2400) first receives the Form I-247A detainer, and ICE handles northern Kentucky from ERO Louisville, phone 502-625-6202. Then, at the point the person would walk out, ICE may ask Covington staff under 8 CFR 287.7(d) to keep them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. ICE takes custody within that window, or the person is released. Officers who pick the person up bring them to an immigration holding site. Search the ICE finder by A-number, or by name with country of birth.

A person sentenced to state prison is sent to a reception center for testing and classification, then moved to a prison that fits their security level. Lower-level Class D inmates sometimes remain in local jails. Find the current location in the KOOL lookup, and read our prisons in Kentucky.

1. Find the person on the roster and note the booking number.
2. Look up the case in KYeCourts public access to see the current charge and the first court date.
3. Ask the circuit clerk, 859-292-6521, what bond was set, or the jail after hours.
4. Post bond as the bail guide describes, or wait for the first appearance if no bond is set yet.
5. Buy phone time or add funds only after you know the person will stay in.

Misdemeanors and the early stage of felony cases are handled by the Kenton County Attorney, 859-491-0600. Felonies that go to the grand jury are prosecuted by the Commonwealth's Attorney for the 16th Circuit, 859-292-6580. Victims and witnesses can call those offices; relatives of the accused should go through the defense lawyer.

Bond posted in cash is returned through the circuit clerk once the case closes, though a judge may keep part of it to cover what the defendant owes the court or a victim. The clerk's counter at the Justice Center handles refunds on weekdays until 3:30 p.m. A check paid on a Circuit Court bond is held 10 days before it can be refunded. Paid parking is in the garage off Madison Avenue.

Yes. A property bond must be backed by Kentucky real estate worth at least 110 percent of the bond amount, and the owner signs the paperwork at the clerk's office. If the person misses court, the court can move against the property, so owners should understand the risk before they sign.

Covington Police are at 20 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 (859-292-2220), with a city police office at 859-292-2160. Erlanger Police work from 505 Commonwealth Avenue, Erlanger, KY 41018 (859-727-7585), and their police clerk is at 859-727-7599. Independence Police answer at 859-356-2697, with the city office at 859-356-5302.

Several smaller cities have their own departments too. Bromley Police can be reached at 859-491-1331, Crestview Hills Police at 859-331-5368, Elsmere Police at 859-342-7344, Lakeside Park Police at 859-331-5368, Ludlow Police at 859-261-8186, Park Hills Police at 859-360-3009 and Villa Hills Police at 859-341-3535. Crescent Springs (859-341-3017), Edgewood (859-331-5910), Fort Mitchell (859-331-1212), Fort Wright (859-331-1700) and Taylor Mill (859-581-3234) are reached through their city halls.

Crittenden, which crosses into Kenton County from Grant County, has no police department, so residents call the Grant County Sheriff at 859-824-3333 or Kentucky State Police Post 6 at 859-428-1212. The Kenton County Sheriff's Office (859-392-1800) and Post 6, at 4265 U.S. Highway 25, Dry Ridge, KY 41035, patrol outside the cities, including Fairview, Kenton Vale and Ryland Heights.