Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. 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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Manhattan, Kansas, in Riley County, has about 55,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An arrest in the city leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the County Attorney files charges, a case in the Riley County District Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies and common questions.
Related guides: Manhattan public records, Riley County arrest records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Who Makes Arrests in Manhattan
The FBI lists no arrest reporting agency under the name of Manhattan. In Riley County the county agency that reports arrests is the Riley County Police Department.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Riley County: Kansas State University (campus police).
Booking: Where People Arrested in Manhattan Are Held
The county jail is where a person arrested in Manhattan and kept in custody ends up, whichever agency made the arrest, though a city department may hold someone in its own cells first and a person cited and released at the scene is never booked. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and once the person is released or sentenced the record continues in the court file.
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 66 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 147 beds, and it ran at 45 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Riley County Police Department at rileycountypolice.org/342/Riley-County-Jail (page title: Riley County Jail | Riley County Police Department, KS), phone 785-537-2112, 1001 S Seth Child Road Manhattan, KS 66502, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the Kansas Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.ks.gov/@@search?SearchableText=inmate+search.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Manhattan
An arrest in Manhattan can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: Kansas District Court Public Access Portal, the Kansas courts' statewide case search, which shows whether charges were filed; the County Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at rileycountyks.gov/61/County-Attorney, phone 785-537-6390).
Kansas is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: anyone can order a name-based criminal history record check online, through the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. That record shows what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Manhattan
An arrest report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court or the jail. Under the Kansas Open Records Act the agency must answer within 3 business days, and it may charge staff time and copying.
- An arrest by the Manhattan police: the police department's page SearchSystems verified at manhattanks.gov/2825/Connect-with-Us (page title: Connect with Us | Manhattan, KS), phone (785) 587-2480, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 26, 2026.
- An arrest by the Riley County Police Department: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 785-537-2112.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, 785-537-6390, handles discovery for pending cases.
- Your own statewide record: the same request described above, for your own name.
The Riley County guide covers every agency in the county: Riley County arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Manhattan?
Ask the Riley County Police Department at 785-537-2112; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at rileycountypolice.org/342/Riley-County-Jail.
Where are people arrested in Manhattan booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Riley County Police Department; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Manhattan?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation: anyone can order a name-based criminal history record check online. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Kansas Open Records Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Manhattan?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Riley County Police Department for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Kansas Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 business days.
Is this the official Manhattan website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.