Clay County Police Blotter

The Clay County Sheriff's Office in Moorhead publishes incident report summaries online and handles requests for the Clay County police blotter and other public safety records. Multiple law enforcement agencies serve the county, so knowing which one responded to a specific incident matters when you request records.

Clay County Sheriff's Office

The Clay County Sheriff's Office is at 915 9th Avenue North, Moorhead, MN 56560. The main phone number is 218-299-5151. Fax is 218-299-5228. For jail-related calls, use 218-299-5163. The Sheriff's Office covers the unincorporated areas and rural parts of Clay County. The city of Moorhead has its own police department at the same address, 915 9th Ave N.

The Sheriff's website at claysheriff.org provides access to the incident reports page, contact information, and general information about services. Records requests follow the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act under Chapter 13. The law gives the public the right to see most law enforcement data once active investigations are closed and charges are resolved.

Clay County Police Blotter and Incident Reports Online

The Clay County Sheriff publishes incident report summaries on the website at claysheriff.org/incident_report.html. These are summaries of incidents reported to the Sheriff's Office. Certain incidents may be listed individually with more detail. The page is a good starting point before making a formal records request.

For full incident reports, contact the Sheriff's Office directly. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, law enforcement must make public data available, including the nature of a complaint, the time and date, the incident number, and the agency response. Data that is restricted includes details of active investigations, juvenile information, and pending court cases. Once those matters close, more of the record typically becomes available.

Call the Sheriff at 218-299-5151 to ask about a specific report. Office hours are generally Monday through Friday during business hours. For after-hours emergencies, call 911. For non-emergency matters after hours, ask about their dispatch procedures.

Clay County Sheriff's Official Website

The Clay County Sheriff's Office homepage gives access to incident report summaries, contact information, and public safety resources for Clay County.

The Sheriff's website includes the incident reports section where summaries of calls and events handled by the Sheriff are posted. This is updated periodically and serves as the closest thing to a public police blotter that the Sheriff's Office provides online.

Local Police Departments in Clay County

Clay County has several municipal police departments in addition to the Sheriff's Office. Each department maintains its own records for incidents within city limits. To get records from a specific city incident, contact the police department for that city.

The police departments in Clay County include Barnesville Police at 101 Front St S in Barnesville, Dilworth Police at 500 Center Ave W in Dilworth, Glyndon Police at 218 Parke Ave S in Glyndon, and Hawley Police at 319 8th St in Hawley. Moorhead Police share an address with the Sheriff at 915 9th Ave N in Moorhead. For incidents in Moorhead city, contact Moorhead Police. For county road or rural incidents, contact the Sheriff.

If you are not certain which agency handled an incident, try the Sheriff's Office first. They can often direct you to the right department. Dispatch logs at the county level may show which agency was sent to a call even if a different department wrote the final report.

Jail Roster and Custody Information

The Clay County Jail is part of the Sheriff's Office complex at 915 9th Avenue North in Moorhead. The jail line is 218-299-5163 for custody-related inquiries. Booking data, including names and charges, is public once arrests are made. This data falls under Minn. Stat. § 13.82 as law enforcement data that must be disclosed to the public.

VineLink at vinelink.com is the state's victim notification system. It lets you track whether someone is in custody and alerts you when their status changes. It is free to use and updated when the jail reports booking changes. Minnesota Courts records for Clay County cases are available through mncourts.gov. The Minnesota Court Records Online system lets you search cases by name without charge.

For criminal history information beyond what the county holds, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca handles statewide record checks. The BCA is the main state agency for background information and criminal history data across all Minnesota counties.

How to Request Clay County Police Records

To request a specific report, call the Sheriff at 218-299-5151 or stop by the office in Moorhead. A written request is better than a phone call when you need a specific document. Include the date of the incident, the names of the parties involved, the location, and the type of record you are looking for. The more detail you give, the faster the office can find and process your request.

Under Minn. Stat. § 13.03, you have the right to inspect public data at reasonable times without charge. Copies cost money. Standard Minnesota rates allow up to $0.25 per page for the first 100 pages. Longer documents may be priced differently. The Sheriff's Office can tell you the cost before you commit to getting copies.

If you are denied access to a record you believe is public, you can appeal to the Minnesota Data Practices Office. That office reviews denials and can order disclosure if the agency is wrong to withhold data. Contact the Minnesota Department of Administration for information on filing a complaint. The state sheriffs association at mnsheriffs.org can also help direct you if you have questions about what Clay County or any other county is required to share.

Cities in Clay County

Clay County includes Moorhead, Barnesville, Dilworth, Hawley, and other smaller communities. None of the cities in Clay County meet the population threshold for individual city pages on this site. For city incidents, contact the police department serving that city. For incidents in rural or unincorporated parts of the county, the Sheriff's Office is your first contact.

Nearby Counties

These counties are adjacent to Clay County in northwestern Minnesota. Each has its own sheriff and records process.