St. Louis County Police Blotter and Jail Roster

The St. Louis County police blotter covers arrest and incident data logged by the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, based in Duluth in northeastern Minnesota. St. Louis County is the largest county in Minnesota by land area, spanning more than 6,000 square miles and including the city of Duluth, the Iron Range communities of Hibbing and Virginia, and thousands of square miles of forests, lakes, and rural townships. The Sheriff's Office publishes a live jail roster updated every hour, which is one of the most useful police blotter tools offered by any Minnesota county. All arrest data is governed by the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, and most of it is public under state law.

St. Louis County Sheriff's Office

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office sits at 100 North 5th Ave. West in Duluth. Sheriff Gordon Ramsay leads the agency, which employs 290 staff across all divisions. The office covers law enforcement for the unincorporated county, manages three jail facilities, and works alongside city police departments throughout one of the most geographically large counties in the upper Midwest.

The Sheriff's Office runs a wide range of divisions. These include Administration, Patrol, Investigations, Civil, Warrants, and Court Security. Beyond those core functions, the office also runs a Boat and Water Safety unit, a Homeland Security and Emergency Management division, a Rescue Squad, Law Enforcement Services, Emergency Communications, and Radio Maintenance. That range reflects the county's size and the variety of terrain it covers, from the urban port city of Duluth to remote lake country near the Canadian border.

The county website is stlouiscountymn.gov, and the Sheriff's Office has its own section at the link below. That page lists division contacts, jail information, and records guidance for the public.

The Sheriff's Office main page at stlouiscountymn.gov is where you can find division listings, blotter access links, and records contacts. The screenshot below shows that page as it appeared during a recent visit.

The Sheriff's Office page shows all major divisions and links to public-facing services, including the live jail roster and records request contacts.

St. Louis County Live Jail Roster

St. Louis County publishes a live jail roster that refreshes every hour. This is one of the most useful police blotter tools offered by any Minnesota county sheriff's office. The roster is public under Minnesota Statutes § 13.82, which requires law enforcement agencies to make arrest data available. The live roster lets you look up who is currently in custody without calling the jail or filing a formal records request.

Each entry on the roster includes the inmate's name and booking photo, the charges they face, and bail or bond information. That is a strong level of detail. Most county jail rosters in Minnesota list names and charges but do not include photos or bond amounts in real time. St. Louis County's roster goes further, which makes it one of the more complete online blotter resources in the state. The data comes from the jail's booking system and reflects current population as of the most recent hourly update.

If someone was booked in the last hour, they may not appear yet. For time-sensitive inquiries, call the jail directly at (218) 726-2345. The roster covers inmates held at the main Duluth facility. Inmates at the satellite lockups in Hibbing and Virginia are typically held for 72 hours or less before transfer or release, so they may or may not appear on the main roster depending on their status and where they are in the booking process.

The screenshot below was taken from the live jail roster page at stlouiscountymn.gov. It shows the current inmate list and the booking data that is publicly available under state statute.

The live jail roster at stlouiscountymn.gov updates every hour and includes booking photos, charges, and bail amounts for all current inmates at the St. Louis County Jail in Duluth.

St. Louis County Jail Facilities

St. Louis County runs three jail facilities. The main jail in Duluth holds up to 197 inmates. Two satellite lockups handle short-term holds in other parts of the county. The Hibbing lockup has 8 beds and can hold inmates for up to 72 hours. The Virginia lockup has 12 beds, also with a 72-hour limit. The satellite facilities serve Iron Range communities in the northern and central parts of the county and reduce the need to transport everyone to Duluth for brief holds.

Visiting hours at the jail are on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. Call the jail before you go to confirm current rules, as policies can change. Visits happen at the Duluth facility unless the inmate is at one of the satellite lockups, in which case call ahead to check access options. For questions about visits, inmate accounts, or any other jail matters, call (218) 726-2345 or email Jail Administrator Robyn Wojciechowski at wojor@stlouiscountymn.gov.

Inmate mail goes to a separate address handled by a mail processing service. As of March 1, 2025, all mail for St. Louis County Jail inmates should be sent to: P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Include the inmate's full legal name and their LID number on the envelope. Mail sent without the LID number may be delayed or returned. Do not send mail to the Duluth jail address for inmates. The About Jail page at stlouiscountymn.gov has more on programs, rules, and services for inmates and families.

How to Request St. Louis County Police Blotter Records

To get police blotter or incident report records from St. Louis County, contact the Sheriff's Office directly. You can call (218) 726-2341, visit in person at 100 North 5th Ave. West in Duluth, or send a written request by mail. Include your name, contact information, the date and type of incident, and any case number you have. Staff can tell you what data is available and help you narrow the request if needed.

Under Minnesota Statutes § 13.03, government agencies must respond to public data requests without unnecessary delay and in the most cost-effective way. Inspection of public data is free. Paper copies cost up to 25 cents per page. The Sheriff's Office cannot require you to explain why you want public data or what you plan to do with it. That rule applies to anyone who makes a request, not just St. Louis County residents. If a request is denied in whole or in part, the agency must give you a written explanation citing the specific law that makes the data private.

If an incident was handled by a city police department, such as the Duluth Police Department, contact that department directly for their records. City departments maintain separate files. The Sheriff's Office handles calls in unincorporated areas and under contract with some smaller communities, but city incidents go to city agencies. If you are not sure which agency handled a call, the Sheriff's Office can help you figure that out.

There is no online records request portal on the county's site at this time. All data requests go through the Sheriff's Office by phone, mail, or in-person visit. For jail-specific records, the jail administrator can also assist with requests tied to booking or custody data.

What Police Blotter Data Is Public in St. Louis County

Arrest data in St. Louis County is public under Minnesota Statutes § 13.82. The law sets out exactly what must be shared. Public arrest data includes the name, age, sex, and last known address of any adult who is arrested. The date, time, and location of the arrest are also public. The charge or probable cause for the arrest, the identity of the arresting officer, and the name of the arresting agency are all part of the public record.

Beyond arrest data, § 13.82 also covers response call data. Agencies must make public the time and nature of each call for service, the general location of the response, and the known outcome. This means you can request a log of calls the Sheriff's Office responded to across a given time period, not just a list of arrests. That is the core of what most people mean when they ask for a police blotter.

Some data stays private. Victim addresses and contact details are protected. Ongoing investigation notes may be withheld if releasing them would harm the investigation. Confidential informant identities are not public. Juvenile records are handled under a separate set of rules and are not part of the public blotter. When a record mixes public and private data, staff must separate them and give you only the public portions. Under § 13.03, they must also tell you in writing what was withheld and which law allows that.

The live jail roster falls under § 13.82 and § 13.85, along with Minnesota Statute 641.05, which governs county jail operations and records. These statutes together are what makes the hourly-updated public roster a legal requirement, not just a courtesy the county extends.

State-Level Resources for St. Louis County Records

If you need records beyond what the Sheriff's Office holds, several state tools can help. The Minnesota Courts website lets you search St. Louis County District Court records by name or case number. St. Louis County is part of the Sixth Judicial District. If an arrest from the blotter led to criminal charges, the case will appear in the court system. Court records show charges filed, hearing dates, and the final outcome of each case.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, part of the Department of Public Safety, handles statewide criminal history data. If you need a background check or want to see a person's full criminal record across all Minnesota counties, the BCA is the right agency. They handle both personal record requests and third-party requests, each with its own rules and fees. The BCA does not replace the county-level blotter, but it gives a broader view of someone's record across the state.

For inmate tracking that goes beyond St. Louis County's own roster, VineLink covers Minnesota counties and lets you search by name or offender ID. It also sends automated alerts when an inmate's custody status changes, which is useful if you need to track a specific case over time. These tools work alongside the county's live roster rather than replacing it.

Cities in St. Louis County

Duluth is the county seat and the largest city in St. Louis County. The Duluth Police Department handles incidents within city limits and keeps its own records separately from the Sheriff's Office. If you need blotter data for incidents inside Duluth, contact the Duluth Police Department directly in addition to checking the county's resources. The Sheriff's Office and the Duluth department coordinate on cases that cross jurisdictions, but each agency holds its own files.

Other communities in St. Louis County include Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth, and many smaller towns and townships on the Iron Range and in the lake country to the north and east. The Sheriff's Office covers law enforcement in unincorporated areas and under contract with some smaller communities. For incidents outside Duluth city limits, the Sheriff's Office is typically the right agency to contact for blotter records.

Nearby Counties

These counties border or lie near St. Louis County. Each has its own sheriff's office and records process.