Rice County Police Blotter Search
The Rice County Police Blotter is maintained by the Rice County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Jesse Thomas and Chief Deputy Joe Yetzer at the Rice County Public Safety Center in Faribault, Minnesota. The office handles incident reports, arrest data, and a range of public safety services for this south-central Minnesota county. Access to Police Blotter records is governed by Minn. Stat. § 13.82, which sets out what data law enforcement must make available to the public.
Rice County Sheriff's Office
The Public Safety Center is at 50 East View Drive, Faribault, MN 55021. The main phone is 1-507-334-4391. For investigations, call 1-507-332-6024. The fax is 1-507-334-0268. For general county information, dial 1-507-332-6000. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for records requests. Insurance companies must provide a signed authorization from the subject of the report before a copy can be released.
The screenshot below shows the Rice County website, a starting point for locating the Sheriff's Office and its services.
The source for this image is Rice County website.
The Rice County Sheriff's Office page at ricecountymn.gov provides contact details, division information, and forms related to records requests and permits.
How to Request Police Blotter Records
Records requests can be submitted in person at the Faribault Public Safety Center during regular hours. You can also call the main number to ask about the process and what information you need to provide. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, the Sheriff's Office must release basic data about arrests and incidents, including the date, time, location, nature of the call, and the name of anyone arrested. Requests involving ongoing investigations may see some data withheld until the case is closed.
The screenshot below shows the Rice County Sheriff's Office page with contact and service details.
The source for this image is Rice County Sheriff's Office.
For frequently asked questions about records, fees, and services, the Sheriff's FAQs page at ricecountymn.gov/430/Sheriff-FAQs covers common situations. The screenshot below shows that page.
The source for this image is Rice County Sheriff's Office FAQs.
Fingerprinting Services
The Sheriff's Office offers fingerprinting services on a set schedule. Sessions are held on Tuesdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The fee is $25 per person. Exact cash is required. This service is commonly used for background checks, professional licensing, adoption proceedings, and other purposes that require a formal fingerprint card.
Permit to Carry
Rice County processes Permit to Carry (PTC) applications. The fee for a new permit is $100 in exact cash. Renewals cost $75 if filed within 90 days of expiration, and late renewals within 30 days cost an additional $10. Applicants must be at least 21 years old and meet all state requirements. For more details on the application process, call the main office number or check the Sheriff's FAQs page online.
Anonymous Tips and Crime Stoppers
Rice County participates in Crime Stoppers, an anonymous tip line for reporting criminal activity. You can call 1-800-222-8477 or visit CrimeStoppersMN.org to submit a tip. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for tips that lead to arrests. Your identity is protected. Tips submitted through this program often result in arrests that appear in the Rice County Police Blotter, but the tip itself is not a public record.
Drug Task Force
Rice County participates in the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, a joint operation shared with Le Sueur County. The task force focuses on drug trafficking, violent crime, and gang activity in the region. Arrests made by the task force may appear in the Police Blotter for either Rice or Le Sueur County, depending on where the arrest occurred. For records tied to task force investigations, contact the Rice County Sheriff's Office and ask how to proceed.
Data Practices and Access Rights
Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act at Minn. Stat. § 13.03 makes government records public by default. You do not need to explain why you want a record. You do not need a lawyer to request one. The Sheriff's Office must respond to your request without unreasonable delay. If a record or part of a record is withheld, the office must cite the specific statute that justifies the withholding. If you believe a record is being improperly denied, you can seek guidance from the Minnesota Department of Administration's Data Practices Office.
Law enforcement data specifically falls under § 13.82. This section creates detailed rules for what must be public and what may be restricted. Basic arrest data is almost always public. Records from active investigations, juvenile records, and victim identities in certain case types are more often restricted. The Sheriff's Office can walk you through what applies to a specific record.
State-Level Resources
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) handles statewide criminal history records. These draw from arrest and disposition data submitted by agencies across the state. For a broader view of someone's criminal history across multiple counties, the BCA is the right resource. The Minnesota Courts website at mncourts.gov lets you search public court case records. Arrests from the Rice County Police Blotter that led to charges can often be found there, along with hearing dates and case outcomes.
Nearby Counties
Rice County borders four counties in the south-central part of the state. Each maintains its own Sheriff's Office and records program.