McLeod County Jail Bookings and Inmate Search
McLeod County recent bookings are processed by the McLeod County Sheriff's Office in Glencoe, which sits in the south-central part of the state between the Twin Cities metro and the Minnesota River valley. The jail holds people arrested in McLeod County while they await court appearances or other disposition. Booking records are governed by Minnesota's public data laws, which require key arrest details to be available to the public. This page explains how to search McLeod County jail records, what information the law requires to be disclosed, and which other resources can fill in the gaps when you need more complete information about a person's case or custody status.
McLeod County Jail Overview
McLeod County Jail Roster and Recent Bookings
The McLeod County Sheriff's Office runs the jail in Glencoe. The facility holds people who have been arrested and booked pending a court date or other legal process. The jail roster is the public-facing record of who is currently in custody and who has been recently processed through the facility. Booking records are created for every person who passes through the intake process, and those records are subject to disclosure under Minnesota law.
Minnesota Statute 13.82 classifies arrest and booking data as public government data. That classification is part of the Government Data Practices Act, which sets rules for what Minnesota agencies must share and what they can keep private. Under section 13.82, the name of the person arrested, the charges at the time of booking, the date and time of arrest, and the arresting agency are all public. Bail information, when set by the court, is also part of the public record.
To check the McLeod County roster, start with the McLeod County website. If an online inmate search tool is available, you will find a link under the Sheriff's Office section. If the county does not currently run a real-time public roster online, calling the jail at 320-864-5551 is the direct route to finding out about a recent booking by name.
Booking records reflect the charges at the time of arrest. They do not show what happened to the case later. Charges can be dropped, reduced, or amended after the initial booking, so the booking record is a snapshot, not a final verdict.
What McLeod County Booking Records Show
Each booking record in McLeod County includes the full name of the person booked, the date and time they were processed, the charges listed at intake, and the agency that made the arrest. When bail has been set, that amount is listed as well. These are the fields required to be public under section 13.82.
Not all data is open. Home address, date of birth, and similar personal details are not part of the general public record. Juvenile records carry additional restrictions. If you need more detailed information for a legal or official purpose, a formal data practices request to the Sheriff's Office is the proper channel.
Court records are a separate system. Once formal charges are filed, Minnesota Courts maintains a case record through the public access system. That shows case status, upcoming hearings, and outcomes. Booking data and court data can differ because charges may change after the initial arrest, and the two systems update independently.
For people currently in state prison or on supervised release following a sentence, the Minnesota Department of Corrections offender search is the tool to use. County jail records and DOC records are separate, and a person who was booked locally may end up in state custody if convicted on a felony charge.
How to Search McLeod County Bookings
Check the McLeod County website first. Look for the Sheriff's Office page, which may include a link to an online inmate search or recent bookings roster. If an online tool is available, you can search by name and see current or recent custody status. If the county site does not have a live roster, a call to 320-864-5551 is the most direct approach.
For a statewide search, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension criminal history portal covers records from all 87 counties. It requires a name and date of birth, and there is a fee per search. This is useful when you need to go beyond recent bookings and look at broader criminal history.
For victim notification, VINELink lets you register to receive alerts when a specific person's custody status changes. This works for both county jails and state correctional facilities. The service is free and covers releases, transfers, and other changes tied to the person you are watching. It is a practical option when you need to stay informed without having to call the jail repeatedly.
The Minnesota State Records site aggregates public records from multiple agencies and can be a useful secondary check when you are pulling together information from different sources about a McLeod County case.
McLeod County Sheriff's Office
The McLeod County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county and runs all jail operations out of Glencoe. Questions about recent bookings, inmate status, or record requests should go to the Sheriff's Office directly. The office is at 830 11th St. E. in Glencoe and can be reached by phone at the number below. The county website has additional department contacts and links to services.
| Office | McLeod County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 830 11th St. E. Glencoe, MN 55336 |
| Phone | 320-864-5551 |
| County Website | co.mcleod.mn.us |
Note: The McLeod County Sheriff's Office will not call you asking for payment over the phone for bail or fines. If you get a call like that, hang up and report it as a scam.
Retention Rules, Fees, and Expungement in McLeod County
Minnesota law sets rules for how long booking records must be kept. Under Statute 138.17, government records follow retention schedules that the state establishes. For law enforcement files, those schedules require records to be kept for defined periods that depend on the type of record and the nature of the case. The McLeod County Sheriff's Office holds booking records according to those rules, which means files stay in the system long after a person leaves the jail.
A booking fee is charged when someone is processed into the McLeod County jail. This is authorized under Minnesota Statute 641.12, which gives county jails the right to collect a fee as part of the intake process. The fee is assessed at booking and does not depend on whether charges move forward or get dismissed. It covers the administrative cost of processing the arrest.
People who want to seal a booking or arrest record can pursue expungement under Minnesota Statute 609A. Expungement does not delete a record. It seals it so most employers and the general public can no longer access it through official channels. Whether someone qualifies depends on the type of charge, the outcome of the case, and the time that has passed since the conviction or arrest. Not all records are eligible.
LawHelpMN has plain-language guides on the expungement process in Minnesota. These guides walk through eligibility, what to expect in court, and how the process works from petition to final order. It is a good starting point if you want to understand your options before deciding whether to file. Keep in mind that sealing court records does not force private websites to remove data they already published.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is the state agency that manages statewide criminal history records, which complement local booking data from counties like McLeod.
The BCA works with sheriff's offices and local agencies across Minnesota to maintain a comprehensive criminal history database that covers arrests, charges, and dispositions from all 87 counties.
Nearby Counties
McLeod County borders several counties in central and south-central Minnesota. Arrests near county lines may be booked in a neighboring county, so check the adjacent counties below if you cannot find a record in McLeod.