Search Sherburne County Police Blotter
Sherburne County is a fast-growing county northwest of the Twin Cities, with Elk River as the county seat. The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Joel Brott, maintains the police blotter for the county and operates one of the more accessible records systems in the region. The office provides several ways to access public data, including an online jail roster, a downloadable records request form, and direct email access to the Records Division. This page explains how to find and request Sherburne County police blotter records under Minnesota's data practices laws.
Sherburne County Sheriff's Office
The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office is located at 13880 Business Center Drive NW, Suite 100, in Elk River, MN 55330. The main phone number is (763) 765-3500. A toll-free line is available at (800) 433-5245. For records requests, you can email the Records Division directly at records@co.sherburne.mn.us. For general inquiries, the main email is sheriff@co.sherburne.mn.us. The Government Center main line is (763) 765-3000.
The office runs a large number of divisions that go well beyond standard patrol. Sherburne County Sheriff's Office divisions include Administration, Arrest Warrants, Civil Process, Communications (which handles 911 dispatch for seven municipalities), Corrections, Court Security covering five courtrooms, a Dive Team, Emergency Management, an Emergency Response Unit, Gun Permits, Investigations, Patrol, Records, Reserves, and Recreational Enforcement for 83 lakes in the county. This broad scope generates a substantial volume of records each year.
Online Jail Roster and Inmate Lookup
Sherburne County makes its jail roster available online at no cost. This is one of the most useful public tools the Sheriff's Office provides. The jail roster is updated regularly and shows who is currently in custody. You can access it through the county jail page. For those who need to check custody status outside of the online roster, VINE is also available. VINE, the Victim Information and Notification Everyday system at vinelink.com, allows name-based inmate searches and offers free alerts if a person's custody status changes.
The Sherburne County Jail page provides the online inmate roster, booking information, and links to custody-related services for the county.
Sherburne County Jail is where you can find the online jail roster, current custody information, and inmate search tools for Sherburne County.
The jail page also includes information about the corrections facility, visitation, and how to contact staff about a person in custody.
Booking data is part of the public police blotter under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. The name of anyone booked into the Sherburne County jail, the date and time of booking, and the charges are all public. This data must be made available to anyone who requests it, with no requirement to explain why you want it.
What Minn. Stat. § 13.82 Requires
Minnesota law is specific about what goes in the public police blotter. Under § 13.82, arrest data must be treated as public government data. This includes the name and address of a person arrested, the time and place of the arrest, the charge, and the identity of the arresting officer. These data points are open to everyone. The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office is required to make this information available to any member of the public who asks, without requiring a formal legal proceeding or a showing of interest.
Beyond arrest data, § 13.82 also covers certain investigative data. The existence of an investigation, the subject of a felony investigation, and the general nature of the offense being investigated are all public once the case reaches certain stages. However, data collected during an active investigation is protected to avoid compromising the case. Once an investigation is closed, more of the file typically becomes public. The Records Division can tell you what is available for a specific case and at what stage it currently sits.
How to Request Sherburne County Records
The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office offers three main ways to request records. First, download the Sherburne County Data Request Form from the county website and email it to records@co.sherburne.mn.us. Second, visit the Records Division in person at the Elk River office during business hours. Third, mail your completed form to the office address. Phone requests are accepted for basic questions about availability, but formal requests for copies should be submitted in writing.
When preparing a request, include the date and approximate time of the incident, the location, the names of any people involved, and any case or incident numbers you already have. The more specific your request, the faster the office can locate and process it. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.03, the office must respond within ten business days. For large or complex requests, they may notify you that more time is needed, but that initial response is required within the ten-day window.
Criminal records from the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office are public documents in most cases. The main exceptions are juvenile cases, records that have been sealed or expunged by a court, data tied to an active investigation, and information about victims and witnesses. If any part of a record is redacted, the office must tell you which legal exception applies. You have the right to appeal a denial to the state's Office of Administrative Hearings.
Free Access Options
Not everything requires a formal request or a fee. Sherburne County provides several free access points for public records. In-person inspection during business hours is free. You can review any public record at the office without paying a fee, though you will pay for copies if you want them. The online jail roster is also free. Basic case information through the Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) system is free for court records. Public Access Terminals are available at the Sherburne County Government Center and at county libraries, giving residents a way to access records without coming to the Sheriff's Office directly.
Records Retention Periods
The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office follows specific retention schedules for different types of records. Felony arrest records are kept for 15 years. Misdemeanor arrest records are kept for 10 years. Juvenile arrest records are kept until the subject turns 19. For case files, the retention period is longer. Felony case files are kept for 50 years. Gross misdemeanor case files are kept for 25 years. Misdemeanor case files are kept for 10 years. Jail booking records are kept for 7 years after the person's release.
These retention schedules matter if you are looking for older records. If a record has passed its retention period, it may no longer exist. The Records Division can tell you whether records from a specific time period are still on file before you submit a formal request.
Sheriff's Office Divisions and Records Overlap
Several of the Sheriff's Office divisions generate records that feed into the police blotter or are otherwise available to the public. The Arrest Warrants Division maintains active warrant data. The Civil Process Division handles service of legal papers, restraining orders, and other civil matters, all of which generate public records. The Investigations Division, which handles narcotics cases through a multi-jurisdictional drug task force with Elk River PD and Princeton PD, generates investigative records that become partially public once cases are resolved.
The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office Divisions page explains the scope of each division, what it does, and how its operations contribute to the county's law enforcement records.
Sherburne County Sheriff's Office Divisions provides an overview of all operational units within the Sheriff's Office, including the Records Division and how it fits into the broader department structure.
Understanding which division handles a particular type of record can help you direct your request to the right unit and get a faster response.
Recreational Enforcement and Lake Records
Sherburne County has 83 lakes, and the Sheriff's Office runs a Recreational Enforcement unit that patrols these waterways. Incidents on the lakes, including boating under the influence, accidents, and other violations, generate records that are subject to the same public data rules as land-based law enforcement records. If you are looking for records from a watercraft incident, the Sheriff's Office Records Division handles those requests the same way it handles other police blotter records.
Nearby Counties
Sherburne County borders several other central Minnesota counties. If you need police blotter records from a neighboring area, check the pages for those counties directly.
Search Sherburne County Police Blotter Records
Use the search tool below to look up Sherburne County police blotter records, arrest data, and incident information. For direct access, contact the Records Division at records@co.sherburne.mn.us or call (763) 765-3500. The office is located at 13880 Business Center Drive NW, Suite 100, in Elk River and is open during regular business hours Monday through Friday.