Reviewed and updated October 8, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
St. Louis City, Missouri, has about 280,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in St. Louis City is held at the city jail, run by the St. Louis City Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: St. Louis City public records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in St. Louis City
A person kept in custody after an arrest in St. Louis City is held at the city jail, run by the St. Louis City Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the St. Louis City Sheriff's Office at stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/public-safety/corrections/stl... (page title: Locate a St. Louis City Inmate), phone 314-241-8339, 200 S. Tucker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63102, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone booked recently. A person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
The St. Louis City Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 590 people, down from about 1,060 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2021, the last year with a capacity figure, was 883 beds, and it ran at 70 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
St. Louis City has about 280,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 21 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the St. Louis City Jail
The St. Louis City Sheriff's Office makes the arrests that end in a booking in St. Louis City.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were St. Louis's 9,082 for 2025, Maryland Heights's 1,258 for 2025 and Chesterfield's 1,257 for 2025.
Together, the 42 agencies in St. Louis City with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 23,803 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the city jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in St. Louis City serves the sentence in a facility of the Missouri Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in St. Louis City?
Look on the custody page of the St. Louis City Sheriff's Office at stlouis-mo.gov, or call 314-241-8339. It covers people booked into the city jail.
How many people are in the St. Louis City jail?
About 590 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 883 beds.
What is the phone number for the St. Louis City jail?
314-241-8339, the number on the page of the St. Louis City Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in St. Louis City go?
To a facility of the Missouri Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb.
Is this the official St. Louis City website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.