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.
Forest Lake, Minnesota, in Washington County, has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Forest Lake is held at the county jail, run by the Washington 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: Forest Lake public records, Washington County inmate search, Forest Lake arrest records, Forest Lake warrants, Forest Lake criminal records, Forest Lake court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Forest Lake
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Forest Lake is held at the county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at washingtoncountymn.gov/3220/Daily-Jail-Booking-Report (page title: Daily Jail Booking Report | Washington County, MN), phone 651-430-7900, 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 Washington County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 190 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 229 beds, and it ran at 84 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Washington County has about 284,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 7 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Washington County Jail
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Forest Lake (filed by the FBI as Forest Lake Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Forest Lake.
The Hastings Police Department and the White Bear Lake Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Washington County, so their arrests are not broken out for Washington County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Woodbury's 1,249 for 2025, the Washington County Sheriff's Office's 772 for 2025 and Cottage Grove's 651 for 2025.
Together, the nine agencies in Washington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,944 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 Forest Lake arrest records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Forest Lake?
Look on the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at washingtoncountymn.gov, or call 651-430-7900. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Washington County jail?
About 190 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 229 beds.
What is the phone number for the Washington County jail?
651-430-7900, the number on the page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Is this the official Forest Lake 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.