Traverse County Police Blotter
The Traverse County Sheriff's Office in Wheaton is responsible for law enforcement and police blotter records across the county, covering patrol activity, incident logs, arrests, jail data, and civil process for all townships and the cities of Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley. This page explains what records are available to the public, how Minnesota law governs access to police blotter data, and how to contact the right office to request a specific record.
Traverse County Sheriff's Office
The Traverse County Sheriff's Office is located at the Court House, Box 826, 203 5th St N, Wheaton, MN 56296. The main phone is 320-563-4244. The fax is 320-563-8700. The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer for the county, elected to a four-year term, and holds the duty to keep and preserve the peace of the county. The office provides full law enforcement coverage for all of Traverse County, including general patrol, criminal investigations, boat and water safety enforcement, court security, and civil process.
The Traverse County Law Enforcement Center and jail opened in July 2007. The facility has a capacity of up to 11 inmates. Jail operations run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, staffed by a Jail Administrator and six full-time and four part-time communications and corrections officers. Mary Theisen serves as Jail Administrator and can be reached at mary.theisen@co.traverse.mn.us. The Sheriff's Office also operates a complete 911 dispatch center for the county.
What the Police Blotter Covers
The Traverse County police blotter is a running record of law enforcement activity. It captures calls for service, arrests, traffic stops, accident investigations, reports of criminal incidents, and patrol activity across the county. Each entry typically notes the date, time, general location, and nature of the call or incident. Arrest entries include the name of the person taken into custody and the charges filed against them.
The blotter is not a complete case file. It provides a summary of what happened, not the full details of an investigation. Some incidents may generate additional records, such as a written report, witness statements, or evidence logs, that are separate from the blotter entry. Requesting those additional records requires a separate inquiry and may be subject to different access rules depending on whether the investigation is still active.
Minnesota Law and Police Blotter Access
State law sets clear rules for what the Sheriff's Office must disclose. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, law enforcement agencies must make certain data public. This includes the time and date of calls for service, the location and nature of each incident, the names of individuals arrested, and the charges filed. These are not discretionary releases. The agency is required to make this data available to any member of the public who asks.
Active investigative data operates under a different rule. While a criminal investigation is open, the data collected during that investigation is classified as confidential. It is not available to the public. This classification is not permanent. Once charges are filed and the case moves into court, or once the investigation closes without charges, much of that data shifts into the public category under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. The broader framework for how Minnesota classifies all government data, including the rules agencies must follow when someone requests access, is in Minn. Stat. § 13.03. If you are denied access to a record you believe is public, that statute gives you the right to request a written explanation and challenge the decision.
How to Request Records
The Traverse County Sheriff's Office does not operate a dedicated online records portal. To request police blotter data, incident reports, or other law enforcement records, contact the office directly at 320-563-4244. You can also visit in person at the Court House, 203 5th St N, Wheaton, or send a written request by mail to Box 826, Wheaton, MN 56296.
When you make a request, be specific. Include the date and location of the incident you are asking about, and any case number you already have. This helps staff locate the right record faster. For records involving Wheaton City Police, contact them at 320-563-4214. City police records are separate from county sheriff records, and the city department maintains its own files under the same state data practices laws.
For inmate status, use the VINE system at vinelink.com to check custody status across Minnesota jails.
Sheriff's Office Operations and Staffing
The Traverse County Sheriff's Office has five full-time deputies and one Chief Administrative Deputy who handle patrol, investigations, and civil process across the county. The office serves all townships within Traverse County, plus the cities of Dumont, Tintah, and Browns Valley. This geographic coverage means deputies respond to a wide variety of calls, from traffic incidents and property crimes to welfare checks and civil disputes.
Visit the Traverse County Sheriff's Office website for department contact information and public records resources.
The Sheriff's Office website provides contact details, information about county law enforcement services, and resources for residents who need to access police blotter or other public records.
Data Classifications That Affect Police Blotter Records
Minnesota's data classification system shapes what you can and cannot get from a police blotter request. Public data is available to anyone with no justification required. Private data is available only to the person it is about, or someone with a legal interest in it. Confidential data is shielded from both the public and the subject of the data, typically because disclosure would endanger an investigation or a person's safety. Protected nonpublic data is similar in scope but applies to records in non-criminal contexts.
When you request a police blotter record, most of what you receive will be public. The basic facts of who was arrested, what for, and when are public under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. You will not get the investigator's notes or witness statements from an open case. You may or may not get narrative report details depending on how the agency has classified the specific document. If you get a partial response and want to know what was withheld and why, ask the agency for the specific statutory basis for each withholding.
Burn Permits and Other Services
The Traverse County Sheriff's Office offers some services beyond law enforcement. Burn permits are available at the Sheriff's Office anytime. For inmate status inquiries, vinelink.com is the recommended tool. These services reflect the broad role the Sheriff's Office plays in a rural county where it may be the primary or only point of contact for residents who need government services.
View Minn. Stat. § 13.82 on the Minnesota Revisor's website for the full text of the law governing police blotter and law enforcement data access.
Section 13.82 is the primary statute governing what law enforcement agencies must disclose as public data, including the police blotter information that Traverse County residents can request from the Sheriff's Office.
Nearby Counties
Traverse County borders several other counties in western Minnesota. For incidents involving neighboring jurisdictions, contact those county sheriff's offices directly.
Search Traverse County Police Blotter Records
Use the search tool below to look up Traverse County police blotter data. For records not found here, call the Sheriff's Office at 320-563-4244 or write to Box 826, Court House, Wheaton, MN 56296.