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 October 2, 2026.
Albert Lea, Minnesota, in Freeborn County, has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Albert Lea is held at the county jail, run by the Freeborn 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 and common questions.
Related guides: Albert Lea public records, Freeborn County inmate search, Albert Lea arrest records, Albert Lea warrants, Albert Lea criminal records, Albert Lea court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Albert Lea
The county jail, run by the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Albert Lea, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office at freeborncountymn.gov/438/Jail-Roster (page title: Jail Roster | Freeborn County, MN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Freeborn County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 23 people, down from about 100 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 133 beds, and it ran at 77 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Freeborn County has about 30,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 8 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Freeborn County Jail
The Freeborn County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Albert Lea (filed by the FBI as Albert Lea Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Albert Lea.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Albert Lea's 653 for 2025, the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office's 176 for 2025 and Alden's 1 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Freeborn County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 830 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 Albert Lea arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Albert Lea?
Look on the custody page of the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office at freeborncountymn.gov/438/Jail-Roster. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Freeborn County jail?
About 23 on an average day in 2021, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 133 beds.
Is this the official Albert Lea 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.