Grant County Police Blotter Lookup
The Grant County police blotter covers arrest logs, warrant information, and incident reports from the Grant County Sheriff's Office in Elbow Lake and local police departments in the county. Online access is limited, so most records requests are handled in person or by mail at the Sheriff's Office. Arrest records are public under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act, and the county follows the same rules as every other jurisdiction in the state.
Grant County Overview
Grant County Sheriff's Office
The Grant County Sheriff's Office is at 10 2nd St NE, Elbow Lake, MN 56531. The main phone is (218) 685-8280. An alternate number is (218) 685-5303. The fax line is (218) 685-5319. For county staff email, the format is firstname.lastname@grantcountymn.gov. This email format was updated on September 1, 2024, so older contact details may be outdated.
Grant County is a small, rural county in west-central Minnesota. Online public records access is limited. In-person and written requests are the preferred methods for getting police blotter data. The Sheriff's Office handles patrol for unincorporated areas and coordinates with local police in Elbow Lake and Herman. The county courthouse is also at 10 Second Street N.E., Elbow Lake, MN 56531-4400.
Records are governed by Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13. Arrest data is public under Minnesota Statutes § 13.82. Court records for cases that proceed to prosecution are searchable through the Minnesota Courts portal.
| Agency | Grant County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 10 2nd St NE, Elbow Lake, MN 56531 |
| Main Phone | (218) 685-8280 |
| Alternate Phone | (218) 685-5303 |
| Fax | (218) 685-5319 |
| Email Format | firstname.lastname@grantcountymn.gov |
The screenshot below shows information about Grant County arrest records from the Minnesota arrest records portal, which outlines what data is public and how to access it.
Minnesota Arrest Records - Grant County
The page covers what arrest records contain, what is redacted, and how to submit a request to the Grant County Sheriff's Office for public data.
What Grant County Police Blotter Records Contain
Arrest records in Grant County are public under Minnesota Statutes § 13.82. A full arrest record includes the name, date of birth, address, and physical descriptors of the person arrested. It also includes the arrest details, charges, and when available, mugshots and fingerprints. Bail information is included when set by a court.
Not everything in an arrest record is public. Several categories are redacted by law. Juvenile records are sealed and not available to the public. Sexual assault victim information is protected. Undercover officer identities are withheld. Confidential informant data is private. Details from active investigations that could compromise ongoing law enforcement work are also held back. The agency must still give you the public portions even if a file has private sections mixed in.
Warrant data is public too. Grant County warrant information includes the warrant number, date of birth, warrant date, offense level, and charges. To check on a warrant or verify one is still active, call (218) 685-8280. Do not act on warrant information from third-party sites without verifying it with the Sheriff's Office first.
How to Get Grant County Police Blotter Records
Visit the Grant County Sheriff's Office at 10 2nd St NE, Elbow Lake in person. Bring a valid photo ID. Ask for the data request form and describe the record you need. Staff will pull available public data and let you review it at no cost. Under Minnesota Statutes § 13.03, inspection of public records is free. Copies are typically 25 cents per page.
Written requests also work for Grant County. Mail your request to the Sheriff's Office address with the person's full name, date of birth, approximate incident date, and type of record. Allow extra time for mail compared to in-person visits. The preferred method, given limited online access, is in-person or written contact. Call (218) 685-8280 or (218) 685-5303 to ask about a record before making the trip.
Grant County has two local police departments you may also need to contact depending on where the incident occurred:
- Elbow Lake Police Department: 117 Central Ave, Elbow Lake, MN 56531, (218) 685-5323
- Herman Police Department: 310 Main St N, Herman, MN 56248, (320) 677-2244
For incidents inside Elbow Lake or Herman city limits, contact those departments directly. The Sheriff covers unincorporated areas of the county.
Statewide Police Blotter and Records Tools
Grant County does not publish a daily online police blotter. For online access to related records, use statewide tools. The Minnesota Courts public portal lets you search case records by name or case number. If an arrest in Grant County led to charges, the case will appear there once it is filed with the court.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension handles criminal history background checks at the state level. This is separate from the local blotter but relevant when you need a broader record of someone's criminal history in Minnesota. For inmate lookup, use VineLink. VineLink covers Grant County jail records and allows name or offender ID searches for current custody information.
Cities in Grant County
Grant County includes Elbow Lake, Herman, Wendell, and other small communities. For incidents inside city limits, contact the city police department for police blotter records.
None of the cities in Grant County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Elbow Lake is the county seat. Contact the Grant County Sheriff's Office at (218) 685-8280 for records on incidents in unincorporated areas of the county.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Grant County. Each has its own records process and sheriff's office.