Find Police Blotter Records in Todd County
The Todd County Sheriff's Office in Long Prairie maintains police blotter records, incident reports, arrest data, body camera logs, and inmate information for the county under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act. This page explains what police blotter records are available, how data is classified under state law, and how to contact the right office to request a specific record.
Todd County Sheriff's Office Contact Information
The Todd County Sheriff's Office is at 115 3rd Street South, Long Prairie, MN 56347. The main phone is 320-732-2157. The office fax is 320-732-3867. For records specifically, send faxes to the records fax at 320-732-3754 or email Todd.records@co.todd.mn.us. The Records Unit handles all records created or collected during criminal and non-criminal investigations, which includes the police blotter, incident reports, accident reports, and body camera data.
Jail Administrator Scott Wright can be reached at scott.wright@co.todd.mn.us. He oversees the Todd County jail operations, including daily inmate rosters. A daily inmate roster is published as a PDF on the county website and is updated each day. The URL for the roster is https://www.toddcountymn.gov/uploads/daily_inmate_roster.pdf.
Police Blotter Data and What Minnesota Law Requires
Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act divides government data into four main categories: public, private, confidential, and protected nonpublic. Understanding which category a record falls into tells you whether you can get it and under what terms. The Todd County Sheriff's Records Unit applies these classifications to every record it holds.
For law enforcement data specifically, Minn. Stat. § 13.82 is the controlling statute. It defines what is public. Arrests, charges, call-for-service logs, and the basic facts of incidents are all public data. This forms the core of the police blotter. If you want to know what calls the Sheriff responded to on a given date, who was arrested, or what charges were filed, that data is public. The agency must give it to you on request. Active investigative data is different. While a case is open, the investigation file is classified as confidential or protected nonpublic, meaning the public cannot access it. Once charges are filed or the case is closed, portions of that file typically move into the public category.
The broader classification rules come from Minn. Stat. § 13.03. This statute sets out how agencies must handle requests, what notice they must give when they deny access, and what options a requester has to challenge a denial. If you ask for a record and the office says it is not public, ask for the specific legal authority supporting that decision.
Minnesota Government Data Practices Framework
Minnesota's data practices law is more detailed than the open records laws in many other states. Most states have a single public records law with a list of exemptions. Minnesota goes further by categorizing every piece of government data and assigning it a classification. That classification determines who can see it and under what conditions.
View Minn. Stat. § 13.03 on the Minnesota Revisor's website to read the full text of the data classification and access framework.
Section 13.03 sets the baseline rules for all government data in Minnesota, including the data classification system that police blotter records fall under and the process for requesting and challenging access to government-held information.
How to Request a Police Blotter Record or Incident Report
The Todd County Sheriff's Records Unit accepts requests in four ways. You can email Todd.records@co.todd.mn.us, fax the records office at 320-732-3754, send a letter by US mail to 115 3rd Street South, Long Prairie, MN 56347, or visit in person during business hours. For some records, you may need to show a photo ID, particularly when the record you are requesting contains private data about yourself.
Copies of public records cost $0.25 per page. Accident and crash reports are handled separately. These are requested in writing and are governed by Minn. Stat. § 169.09, which classifies crash reports as private data on individuals. That means you can only access the report if you are a party to the accident, your attorney, your insurer, or another person with a legal right to the data. Body camera footage is classified as private data while associated with an active investigation under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. Once the investigation closes, the footage may shift to a different classification under Minn. Stat. § 13.825, which governs body-worn camera data specifically.
Law Enforcement Data and the Police Blotter
The police blotter is the public face of what the Sheriff's Office does each day. It captures patrol activity, arrests, traffic stops, calls for service, and incident reports. Most people think of it as a daily or weekly log. In practice, it is a continuous record that anyone can request access to under state law.
View Minn. Stat. § 13.82 on the Minnesota Revisor's website to see exactly what law enforcement data is public in Minnesota.
Section 13.82 is the core statute for police blotter access in Minnesota. It sets out what data must be public, what can be withheld during active investigations, and how agencies must handle requests for law enforcement records.
Local Police Departments in Todd County
The Todd County Sheriff's Office is not the only law enforcement agency in the county. Several cities maintain their own police departments with separate records. If your request involves an incident handled by a city officer rather than a county deputy, you will need to contact that city's department directly.
- Bertha Police: 218-924-2100
- Clarissa Police: 218-756-2133
- Eagle Bend Police: 218-738-3492
- Long Prairie Police: 320-732-2156
- Staples Police: 218-894-1841
Each city department operates independently and maintains its own records under the same state data practices laws that apply to the Sheriff's Office.
Inmate Roster and Detention Records
Todd County publishes a daily inmate roster as a PDF at https://www.toddcountymn.gov/uploads/daily_inmate_roster.pdf. This is updated daily and reflects current custody status for individuals held in the county jail. Custody data is public under Minnesota law. The basic facts about who is in custody, on what charges, and since what date are all accessible. Detailed medical, mental health, or investigative data tied to someone in custody may be withheld.
For questions about the jail or a specific person in custody, contact Jail Administrator Scott Wright at scott.wright@co.todd.mn.us or call the main line at 320-732-2157.
Nearby Counties
If an incident involved a neighboring jurisdiction, the following counties border Todd County and maintain their own records offices.
Search Todd County Police Blotter Records
Use the search tool below to look up Todd County police blotter data and incident reports. For records not found here, email Todd.records@co.todd.mn.us or call 320-732-2157.