Reviewed and updated October 9, 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 between September 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Otero County, Colorado, has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Otero County is held at the county jail, run by the Otero County 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: Otero County public records, Otero County arrest records, Otero County warrants, Otero County criminal records, Otero County court records, Colorado arrest records and Colorado inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Otero County
The county jail, run by the Otero County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Otero County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Otero County Sheriff's Office at oterocounty.colorado.gov/otero-county-jail (page title: Otero County Detention Center | Otero County), phone 888-984-1903, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 888-984-1903.
The Otero County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 43 people, up from about 35 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 36 beds, and it ran at 119 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Otero County has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 24 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Otero County Jail
The Otero County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for La Junta, Rocky Ford, Fowler and Manzanola make the arrests that end in a booking in Otero County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Manzanola's 1,185 for 2025, La Junta's 490 for 2024 and Rocky Ford's 205 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Otero County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,490 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Otero County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Colorado Department of Corrections lists its inmates at cdoc.colorado.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Otero County?
Ask the Otero County Sheriff's Office at 888-984-1903; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at oterocounty.colorado.gov/otero-county-jail.
How many people are in the Otero County jail?
About 43 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 36 beds.
What is the phone number for the Otero County jail?
888-984-1903, the number on the page of the Otero County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Otero County go?
To a facility of the Colorado Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at cdoc.colorado.gov.
Is this the official Otero County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.