Beltrami County Police Blotter

The Beltrami County police blotter covers law enforcement activity logged by the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office in Bemidji. The county is one of the larger ones in northern Minnesota, covering a wide area that includes lakes, forests, and the Red Lake Nation. Sheriff's reports and arrest data appear regularly in the Bemidji Pioneer newspaper, and VineLink offers online inmate searches for the county jail. For copies of incident reports or specific blotter records, contact the Sheriff's Office directly at 613 Minnesota Ave NW in Bemidji. The Data Practices Act governs what is public and how to get it.

Beltrami County Sheriff's Office

The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement for unincorporated areas and manages the county jail. The office is at 613 Minnesota Ave NW in Bemidji, which is also the county seat. Deputies cover a wide geographic area and respond to everything from DWI arrests to disturbance calls and warrant service. All calls are logged and generate incident records that are subject to the Data Practices Act.

For police blotter records or incident reports, visit the Sheriff's Office or call (218) 333-9111. The jail can be reached at (218) 333-4189. Staff will explain what records exist for your inquiry and what data is public. Inspection of public data is free. Copies cost up to 25 cents per page under Minnesota Statutes § 13.03.

How to Request Beltrami County Police Blotter Records

Contact the Sheriff's Office to request incident reports or blotter data. Call (218) 333-9111 during business hours. You can also visit the office at 613 Minnesota Ave NW. When you come in, bring a valid photo ID and know the date and type of incident you are looking for. Staff will tell you what is available and guide you through the process.

Written requests are also accepted. Send your request to the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office with your name, contact information, and a description of the record. Include as much detail as you can, especially the date and location of the incident. The office must respond within a reasonable time. They will tell you what they found and what they can release. Under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13, they cannot require a reason for your request to access public data.

For a quicker look at recent law enforcement activity, check the Bemidji Pioneer at bemidjipioneer.com. The Pioneer regularly publishes sheriff's reports with details on DWI arrests, warrant arrests, disturbance calls, and domestic incidents. These reports are sourced from the Sheriff's Office and give a practical snapshot of blotter activity.

Note: Tribal law enforcement on the Red Lake Nation operates separately from county law enforcement. Records requests for incidents on tribal land should go to the tribal police.

What Police Blotter Data Is Public in Beltrami County

Arrest records in Beltrami County are public under Minnesota Statutes § 13.82. That covers the name, age, sex, and last known address of any adult arrested. It also includes the time, date, and location of the arrest, the charge, and the identity of the arresting officer and agency. This is the core of what you get in a police blotter entry for an arrest.

Incident reports that do not involve an arrest may have some public data too. The type of call and the general location are usually public. Victim information may be restricted, especially in sensitive cases. Ongoing investigation details are typically not public. Juvenile records are protected under state law. When a record has both public and private portions, staff will release only what is public. They will tell you what they are withholding and why.

The Bemidji Pioneer covers Beltrami County law enforcement activity regularly. DWI arrests, warrant service, and domestic incidents all appear in the paper's sheriff's reports. Looking at the paper is a good way to get a general sense of blotter activity before you submit a formal request.

Online Access to Beltrami County Blotter Data

The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office does not publish a live online police blotter. For online searches, use these resources. The Minnesota Courts website covers case records for Beltrami County District Court. If a blotter incident led to criminal charges, you can often find the case by searching a person's name or a case number. Court records update as cases move through the system.

For inmate tracking, VineLink covers the Beltrami County Jail. Search by name or offender ID. The tool shows current custody status, facility, and booking date. It is free and available any time. The statewide VineLink system is one of the most reliable ways to check on a person's custody status without calling the jail directly.

The image below is from the VineLink inmate search portal, which covers Beltrami County and many other Minnesota county jails.

VineLink is a statewide tool that lets you search current and recent jail inmates for Beltrami County and other Minnesota counties.

Beltrami County Jail and Inmate Records

The Beltrami County Jail is at 626 Minnesota Avenue NW in Bemidji. The facility has an approved capacity of 140 inmates. The jail houses adults awaiting trial, those sentenced to short terms, and people waiting for transfer to state correctional facilities. The jail phone is (218) 333-4189.

The county is currently building a new jail facility, with completion expected around 2027. The current facility is an aging structure, and the new one will replace it entirely. Until then, all bookings go through the existing jail at 626 Minnesota Ave NW. The jail offers educational programs, parenting classes, and treatment services for inmates during their stay.

Booking data is public. Use VineLink to search Beltrami County inmates by name or offender ID. For visits or other jail-related matters, call the jail at (218) 333-4189 to confirm current policies and schedules. The Minnesota Courts system shows case records for anyone charged and processed through Beltrami County District Court.

Note: Programs at the jail include GED preparation, substance abuse treatment, and parenting classes. These programs are available to eligible inmates and are separate from public records access.

Cities in Beltrami County

Beltrami County is a large northern Minnesota county. No cities in the county meet the population threshold for individual city pages. Bemidji is the county seat and the largest city. The Bemidji Police Department handles city incidents, while the Sheriff's Office covers the rest of the county including tribal and rural areas.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Beltrami County. Each maintains its own sheriff's office and police blotter records.