Pennington County Police Blotter Search

Pennington County Police Blotter records are held by the Pennington County Sheriff's Office in Thief River Falls, a full-service law enforcement agency in northwestern Minnesota that handles patrol, jail operations, dispatch, and records for this county of about 14,000 people. The records division is open Monday through Friday and requires a photo ID for anyone visiting in person to access records, and calling ahead is strongly recommended before making the trip.

Pennington County Sheriff's Office

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office is located at 102 1st Street West in Thief River Falls. The main line is 218-681-6161. This is a well-staffed office for a county its size, with seven full-time deputies, one part-time deputy, one investigator, a chief deputy, and the sheriff. The jail has 12 full-time and 5 part-time corrections officers plus 5 sergeants. Dispatch runs with five full-time and three part-time 911 dispatchers. The records division is handled by four clerical and records staff.

The Sheriff's Office serves the communities of Goodridge, St. Hilaire, and Thief River Falls. If you are looking for Police Blotter records from any of these communities, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office is the right agency to contact. The county government portal at co.pennington.mn.us provides additional context about county services and departments.

Pennington County Sheriff's Office website is shown below.

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office website provides contact details, records request information, and department overview.

Requesting Police Blotter Records

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office has a dedicated records request page on its website. Records are available for public inspection during office hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. A photo ID is required when visiting in person. The Sheriff's Office recommends calling ahead before visiting to make sure staff can help with your request when you arrive.

Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, law enforcement agencies must make certain data available to the public, including arrest data, incident data, and call logs. Minn. Stat. § 13.03 governs the broader data practices rules that apply to all government agencies in Minnesota, setting out how requests must be handled and what the timeline for response is. The Sheriff's Office will not release records for cases that are still under active investigation.

When submitting a request, be specific about what you need. Include the type of incident, the date or date range, and any other details that can help narrow the search. If you are unsure what to ask for, the records staff can help clarify what types of data exist and which might fit your needs.

Pennington County Records Request page is shown below.

The Pennington County records request page on the Sheriff's Office website explains the process for accessing Police Blotter data.

County Government Portal

The Pennington County government portal provides a broader look at county services. The Sheriff's Office is one of several departments listed, and the portal can be useful for finding links to the right page if you are not sure where to start.

Pennington County Government Portal is shown below.

The Pennington County government portal links to the Sheriff's Office and other county departments.

Sentence to Serve Program

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office participates in Minnesota's Sentence to Serve (STS) program, which provides community service work crews for people serving certain types of sentences. The STS program can be reached at 218-683-7001. While this is not directly related to Police Blotter access, it is part of the broader set of services the Sheriff's Office coordinates alongside its law enforcement functions.

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) maintains statewide criminal history records and handles background checks for individuals and third parties. If you need records that go beyond Pennington County or want a full Minnesota criminal history check, the BCA is the right agency to contact. Their website explains how to submit a request and what fees apply.

Minnesota Courts

Court records for Pennington County are accessible through the Minnesota Courts website. Pennington County is part of the Ninth Judicial District. If an arrest from the Police Blotter led to criminal charges, case information is often searchable online by name or case number. Some records are sealed or restricted, and court staff can help identify what is available.

Nearby Counties

Pennington County is in the far northwest corner of Minnesota and borders several other counties in the region.

• Marshall County
• Kittson County
• Red Lake County
• Polk County