One roster covers both downtown jail buildings. Because it updates hourly, a Friday night arrest can show up before Saturday breakfast.

1. Open the Sheriff's roster in a web browser.
2. Search the name. If that fails, try nicknames, middle names, hyphenated surnames or a second family name.
3. Tap the listing to see each charge, its bail and the next hearing.
4. Jot down any case number. The bail window downtown asks for a case or warrant number.
5. Still blank? Check back in an hour. A listing that says the person left within the past week means they are already out.

When the roster site is down, ring the jail at 612-348-5112 or try VINELink. People who were sentenced to Plymouth live in the ACF resident lookup instead.

Early on, a missing name is normal. The most likely causes:

• Booking takes a while. Fingerprinting, mug photos and paperwork all happen first.
• The arresting officer hasn't arrived yet. A Minneapolis or suburban officer may keep someone briefly before heading downtown. Ask that department where the person went.
• A ticket ended it. Minor misdemeanor arrests often wrap up with paperwork naming a hearing day, after which the person heads home (Minn. R. Crim. P. 6.01).
• A sentence moved them. Local sentences are served in Plymouth. Try the ACF resident lookup or call 612-596-0001.
• The arrest was over the county line. Then the neighboring county's jail has them. Our Minnesota jail directory links to every one.
• Under 18. Teens are held at the county's youth detention center, which keeps its own records.

For a straight answer, phone 612-348-5112 with the legal name and birth date.

Adults in county custody are split between two systems run by two offices. Who goes where depends on whether the case is still open.

• Adult Detention Center, the Sheriff's jail, for adults waiting on trial. It fills two buildings facing each other downtown: the Public Safety Facility, 401 South 4th Avenue, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55415, and Minneapolis City Hall, 350 South 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Capacity is 843, and roughly 40,000 bookings pass through each year. Information: 612-348-5112.
• Adult Corrections Facility, men's section, 1145 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth, MN 55447. County corrections, not the Sheriff, operates it. Men serve sentences of up to one year here for felonies, gross misdemeanors and misdemeanors, and some go out daily on work release or school release. All new residents check in at this building's central intake desk, 612-596-0003.
• Adult Corrections Facility, women's section, 1355 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth, MN 55447, 612-596-0150. Women serving local time, including those on work or school release, are housed here.

Plymouth has 399 beds for men and 78 for women. Its switchboard is 612-596-0001.

Yes, in most cases. Minnesota's data practices law makes booking photos, or mugshots, public. Release can be delayed while it might harm an open investigation (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 26). Arrest records, including the charge and custody status, are also public at the arresting agency (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 2).

Copies come from whichever agency did the arresting. If a deputy made it, call Sheriff's Administration, 612-348-3744. If city officers made it, call that city's department.

• Photos ICE took come out only by request through its FOIA records portal.
• Federal booking photos generally stay sealed. The U.S. Marshals Service sometimes releases one, for instance when searching for a fugitive.

The state's public safety department offers Minnesota VINE, which tracks custody changes in county jails. Registered users get word when that person is let go or moved.

1. Look up the name on VINELink, or dial 877-664-8463.
2. Pick the right listing and follow the steps to register.

The Sheriff's roster keeps released people visible for a week, which helps too. State prisoners are covered by the DOC's Minnesota Haven notices rather than VINE.

Certain charges have a top bail amount before any hearing, under a standing order from the court's chief judge. Everyone else waits for a District Court judge, often in the courtrooms built into the Public Safety Facility.

• Deadlines. Someone arrested without a warrant must appear in court within 36 hours. This deadline ignores the arrest day itself, plus Sundays and legal holidays (Minn. R. Crim. P. 4.02, subd. 5). A judge must also sign off on probable cause in under 48 hours (Rule 4.03).
• The judge's order. Minnesota rules lean toward freeing the person once they sign a promise to appear, attaching no more conditions than truly needed. The judge also has to state a plain cash figure, so most orders carry two numbers. The smaller one comes with conditions (Rule 6.02).
• Paying at the jail. The records window in the Public Safety Facility, 401 South 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415, accepts bail 24 hours a day. Bring exact cash plus the case or warrant number. The window takes no checks or cards, makes no change and has no ATM.
• Whose money it is. Under Minn. Stat. 629.53, cash bail counts as the defendant's, whoever paid. Fines can come out of it first. Leftover money returns to the defendant, or to you if the defendant fills out court form CRM602 to assign it.
• Bondsmen. Licensed agents charge the insurer's approved rate, never under $100, and that fee is theirs to keep (Minn. Stat. 60M.02). They may not pitch their services inside the jail. Jail staff won't recommend one.

Questions about an amount go to 612-348-5112. Pretrial staff who write bail reports for judges sit in suite 110 of the same building, 612-348-7001. Step-by-step help is in our county bail guide, with background on Minnesota bail laws.

Each charge appears on the roster right after booking. It may shift once a prosecutor files the formal complaint.

• Search filed cases free on Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO). Some youth records are kept off it.
• The District Court's Criminal and Traffic Division is in the Government Center, 300 South 6th Street, C-11, Minneapolis, MN 55487, 612-348-6000, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Felonies are charged by the County Attorney, Government Center, A-1200, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487, 612-348-5550.
• Lower-level cases are usually brought by the attorney for the city where the arrest happened.

The level sets the stakes. Misdemeanors top out at 90 days and $1,000. Gross misdemeanors reach 364 days and $3,000. Under Minn. Stat. 609.02, a felony can bring prison time of a year or longer.

If money is tight, the court can appoint a public defender. That covers felony charges, gross misdemeanors, and lesser cases that could end with time behind bars. The judge looks at a short financial form. People getting means-tested public benefits are assumed to be eligible (Minn. Stat. 611.17).

• Raise the request at the first hearing. Defenders are usually present in the jail courtrooms that day.
• This district's office is the Public Defender, Fourth Judicial District, 701 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 1400, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-348-7530.
• No word from the assigned lawyer before the next date? Call that office.

Hiring your own lawyer is always allowed. To start looking, try the law library in C-2451 Government Center, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487, 612-348-3022.

Downtown jail. Visiting is by video screen, at no cost, in room 235 of the Public Safety Facility, 401 South 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415.

• Open daily in three blocks: 7:00 to 11:30 a.m., 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. A session lasts 20 minutes.
• Create a Securus Friends & Family profile, get approved by detention staff, and reserve a slot 24 hours or more ahead.
• Each detainee gets one visit a day, three per week.
• Adults 18 and up need photo ID. An adult may bring as many as three kids.
• Show up 10 minutes before your slot, since late time is lost. Leave food, drinks and vapes behind, dress modestly, and expect recording.

Downtown questions: 612-348-5112.

Adult Corrections Facility. Every visit is by video, lasts 25 minutes, and is free on site. Visits from home are offered too.

• Reserve on Securus or at a lobby kiosk, between two weeks and one day ahead.
• Times: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., plus Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.
• For the men's side, use Entrance D, 1145 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth, MN 55447. For the women's side, use Entrance A, 1355 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth, MN 55447.
• Carry valid ID. No more than two adults per visit. Parents show a child's birth certificate, and guardians show court papers.
• Phones and cameras stay out, and so do tank tops, shorts and see-through tops.

Plymouth line: 612-596-0001. Securus support: 877-578-3658. Our visitation guide adds general tips.

Downtown jail. Every deposit needs the name spelled exactly and the detainee's PAK, which is a personal ID number. Each lobby posts a fresh list daily.

• Kiosk in the Public Safety Facility front lobby, any hour.
• Kiosk in the City Hall public visiting area, Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Web deposits through Access Corrections. Select the Adult Detention Center. A fee is added.
• Postal deposits: a money order payable to the detainee, mailed to 401 S. 4th Ave., Suite #100, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Staff may hold it to verify it.

Withdrawals cost 10%, capped at $10. Opening deposits, final payouts and bail deposits are free.

Adult Corrections Facility. Web and phone deposits ask for the resident's name, booking number and housing site, all found in the resident lookup.

• Cash kiosks stand in the men's and women's lobbies.
• Access Corrections works online or by phone, 866-345-1884.
• MoneyGram payments go to SSC Inmate Funding, receive code 7950, Facility ID MSP.
• A weekly care pack can be ordered at MyCarePack.com, 866-643-9557.

Plymouth returns any cash or checks that arrive by post. The inmate deposit guide and commissary guide go deeper.

Downtown jail. Detainees can dial out, but outside callers can't reach them. Securus handles the phone system, and Correctional Billing Services, a Securus unit, manages collect billing and call blocks.

• Home video uses Securus Video Connect. The detainee starts it from a housing-unit kiosk, and it rings your Friends & Family account.
• Each call runs up to 20 minutes at $0.17 a minute, prepaid through Securus Advance Connect.
• Limits are one a day and three a week. The week starts over on Saturday, and leftovers vanish.

To find out about tablets or messaging, call 612-348-5112.

Adult Corrections Facility. Staff won't relay messages by phone. Residents call out on Securus lines, collect or prepaid. Open an account at 800-844-6591.

Assume every call can be recorded. Discuss what happened during the arrest only with the defense attorney. See the inmate phone guide and inmate email guide too.

Downtown jail. Put the detainee's full name on top, followed by:

Hennepin County Public Safety Facility, 401 South 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415

• A name alone is fine. Letters need no booking number.
• Books and parcels must ship directly from a publisher, a mail-order bookseller, an attorney or a court official.
• Relatives may send only things needed for court or release, clothing for example.

Adult Corrections Facility. Both sections share one mailing address: Resident Name, c/o ACF, 1145 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth, MN 55447.

• Skip the cell number.
• Every piece is opened and inspected.
• Papers and magazines must ship from the publisher.
• Hand-delivered letters and items are turned away.

Our jail mail guide lays out typical do's and don'ts. Send money only the ways the deposit answer above lists.

Personal property is released from the property room in the Public Safety Facility, 401 South 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Hours are daily, 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. and again 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

1. The detainee must sign a release form first. Without it, nothing leaves.
2. Bring current government photo ID, state or federal. You must be an adult.
3. Walk through weapons screening on the way in.
4. Cash from the detainee's account is handed out during those same hours.

Bringing clothes for a felony trial? One outfit only. Other property questions downtown: 612-348-5112. For Plymouth, dial 612-596-0001.

Jail Health Services treats everyone held downtown around the clock. If you know of an illness, injury or prescription, phone 612-348-5112. Give the drug, dose and prescriber's number. The detainee can also ask staff how to request care in writing.

• Threats of sexual assault against a detainee can be reported at 612-348-8318 or by calling 911.
• Plymouth has its own medical and mental health team, addiction treatment and social workers. Some services there carry a fee. Raise concerns at 612-596-0001.
• Anyone reporting to Plymouth to start a sentence brings prescriptions in their original bottles.

Life-threatening emergency? Dial 911 and mention any mental health crisis at once.

The Sheriff's Warrants Office works out of the Public Safety Facility, 401 South 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-348-2000. Check the Sheriff's warrants page and Most Wanted list, plus the Corrections Department's Wanted Fugitives list. MCRO shows filed cases rather than warrants. Before resolving one, talk to a lawyer. Next, phone the court's Warrant Helpline, 612-540-6485, on a weekday. Certain warrants, like one for a missed trial, require surrender at the Public Safety Facility. Court administration: Government Center, 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487, 612-348-6000.

Each roster listing shows the next hearing. Dates can also be found on the free MCRO hearing search by typing a name. The Criminal and Traffic Division line, 612-348-6000, answers weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Downtown Minneapolis: the Government Center, 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487, and courtrooms in the jail building, 401 4th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415. All felonies land here, along with lower cases from Minneapolis, Bloomington, Richfield, Fort Snelling and the airport.
• Brookdale: 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430, for lower cases from Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale and nearby towns.
• Ridgedale: 12601 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55305, for lower cases from Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Wayzata and nearby towns.

Release papers name the courtroom. Felony cases normally reach the omnibus hearing, where evidence issues are argued, inside six weeks (Rule 11.01). Missing a felony court date counts as its own offense. Still, Minn. Stat. 609.49 lets that count go away for someone who surrenders on their own within two days. The county court guide walks through every stage.

Federal crimes are tried in Minnesota's one federal district court. Its Minneapolis courthouse is a few blocks from the county jail.

1. Courthouse: Diana E. Murphy U.S. Courthouse, 300 South Fourth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Clerk's office: 612-664-5000.
2. Detention hearing: the judge weighs locking the person up against letting them out before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
3. Housing: the U.S. Marshals Service decides where federal prisoners stay. Its district office is at 300 South 4th Street, Suite 402, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-664-5900. Elk River's Sherburne County Jail holds many of them. Reach its Sheriff's Office at 13880 Business Center Drive NW, Suite 100, Elk River, MN 55330, 763-765-3500.
4. Appointed counsel: Federal Public Defender, 300 South Fourth Street, Room 107, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-664-5858.
5. Once sentenced: the BOP inmate locator finds them by name or by federal register number.

Immigration holds on downtown detainees generally move through five stages:

1. Officers from ICE send the downtown jail a Form I-247A. With this detainer, they ask for a hold lasting up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. Minnesota's Attorney General looked at this question in a February 6, 2025 opinion. That opinion reads state law as giving a jail no authority to stretch custody on a detainer by itself once the release date arrives.
3. Once ICE has the person, its ERO St. Paul Field Office takes over: 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600.
4. Detainees may be housed in county jails that work with ICE. One is Elk River's Sherburne County Jail. Contact the Sherburne Sheriff's Office, 13880 Business Center Drive NW, Suite 100, Elk River, MN 55330, 763-765-3500.
5. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Type in the A-number printed on the person's immigration papers. No A-number? Pair the full legal name with the person's birth nation. If it turns up empty, phone the field office.

A felony prison sentence puts the person under the state Department of Corrections (DOC). Until transport day, they remain downtown, and deputies then carry out the move. At the DOC's intake unit, staff sort out where the sentence will be served.

• Check the state's DOC Offender Locator. A brand-new arrival can take several business days to appear.
• Our Minnesota prison pages explain visits and mail for each facility.
• Most prisoners finish their last third outside the walls, reporting to DOC agents on supervised release.

Terms of a year or under usually stay local, at the Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth. Confirm at 612-596-0001.

Every Minnesotan under 18 is legally a child, and those cases go on the juvenile calendar of District Court (Minn. Stat. 260B.007). Usually a parent takes the child home. Secure custody is saved for a child seen as a danger, or one judged unlikely to return to court (Minn. Stat. 260B.176).

• Held youth stay at the Juvenile Detention Center, 510 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-348-8122. Admissions desk: 612-348-5868. It has 87 beds for ages 13 through 17.
• Without a petition and a judge's decision, a child can't be kept in secure detention more than 36 hours, weekends and holidays aside. Across the Twin Cities metro, six hours is the ceiling for holding a youth inside adult jail cells or a police lockup.
• Visitors are limited to parents and legal guardians. A face-to-face visit is allowed during the first 24 hours. Later visit times follow the first letter of the youth's last name, and guardians may book 30-minute weekend video visits.
• Serious felony charges against someone 14 to 17 can lead to certification as an adult, or to an EJJ (extended jurisdiction juvenile) prosecution.

Court questions go to the County Attorney's juvenile prosecution unit, 612-348-7916.

Not sure who arrested them? Put that question to the jail at 612-348-5112. Use 911 only for emergencies. The numbers below are for everyday questions.

Minneapolis Police: within city limits, dial 311. Precinct desks: First 612-673-5701, Second 612-673-5702, Third 612-673-5703, Fourth 612-673-5704, Fifth 612-673-5705.

Suburban police, Bloomington through Maple Grove:

• Bloomington 952-563-4900
• Brooklyn Center 763-569-3333
• Brooklyn Park 763-493-8222
• Champlin 763-421-2971
• Corcoran 763-420-8966
• Crystal 763-531-1014
• Dayton 763-427-2017
• Deephaven, which also serves Woodland, 952-474-7555
• Eden Prairie 952-949-6200
• Edina 952-826-1610
• Golden Valley 763-593-8079
• Hopkins 952-938-8885
• Maple Grove 763-494-6100

Suburban police, Medina through St. Louis Park:

• Medina, which also serves Loretto, 763-473-9209
• Minnetonka 952-939-8500
• Minnetrista, which also serves St. Bonifacius, 952-446-1131
• New Hope 763-531-5170
• Orono, which also serves Minnetonka Beach, Mound and Spring Park, 952-249-4700
• Osseo 763-424-5444
• Plymouth 763-509-5160
• Richfield 612-861-9800
• Robbinsdale 763-531-1220
• Rogers 763-428-3450
• St. Anthony 612-782-3350
• St. Louis Park 952-924-2600

Departments shared by lake towns:

• South Lake Minnetonka Police (Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood, Tonka Bay) 952-474-3261
• West Hennepin Public Safety (Independence, Maple Plain), 1918 County Road 90, Independence, MN 55359, 763-479-0500
• Wayzata Police (Wayzata, Long Lake), 600 Rice Street E, Wayzata, MN 55391. Its non-emergency calls route to county dispatch, shown with the Sheriff below.

Sheriff's Office: deputies cover Fort Snelling, Greenfield, Hanover, Medicine Lake and Rockford from patrol headquarters, 1345 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth, MN 55447, 612-596-9800. County dispatch answers non-emergency calls at all hours, 952-258-5321.

Transit, airport, parks and campus: Metro Transit Police 612-349-7200; MSP Airport Police 612-726-5115; Minneapolis Park Police 612-230-6550; University of Minnesota Police 612-624-2677.

Minnesota State Patrol: the county is split between two districts. West Metro, District 2500: 2005 North Lilac Drive, Golden Valley, MN 55422, 763-591-4680. East Metro, District 2400: 3489 Hadley Avenue North, Oakdale, MN 55128, 651-779-5900.