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 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Manhattan, Kansas, in Riley County, has about 55,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Manhattan is held at the county jail, run by the Riley County Police Department, 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: Manhattan public records, Riley County inmate search, Manhattan arrest records, Manhattan warrants, Manhattan property records, Kansas arrest records and Kansas inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Manhattan
The county jail, run by the Riley County Police Department, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Manhattan, from every agency.
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.
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 785-537-2112.
The Riley County Jail by the Numbers
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.
Riley County has about 73,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 9 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Riley County Jail
The Riley County Police Department makes the arrests that end in a booking in and around Manhattan.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Riley County: Kansas State University (campus police).
The Riley County Police Department reported 1,694 arrests to the FBI for 2025. 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 Manhattan arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Kansas Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.ks.gov/@@search?SearchableText=inmate+search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate 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.
How many people are in the Riley County jail?
About 66 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 147 beds.
What is the phone number for the Riley County jail?
785-537-2112, the number on the page of the Riley County Police Department SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Riley County go?
To a facility of the Kansas Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.ks.gov.
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.