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 on September 23, 2026.
Cook County, Minnesota, has about 5,600 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Cook County Sheriff's Office. An arrest 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 Cook County District Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it, with the arrest counts each agency reported.
This guide covers who makes arrests, how many arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Cook County public records, Minnesota arrest records, Minnesota inmate search and Minnesota criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Cook County
The Cook County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Cook County. It reported 28 arrests for 2025.
How Many Arrests The Cook County Sheriff's Office Reports
The FBI publishes every agency's monthly arrest counts on the Crime Data Explorer. These are the full-year totals, all offenses, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026; a year with months missing or not reported is left out.
- Cook County Sheriff's Office: 28 for 2025, 18 for 2024, 30 for 2023, 55 for 2022, 43 for 2021 and 42 for 2020.
Through September 2026, Cook County Sheriff's Office reported 12 arrests, against 21 in the same months of 2025.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Cook County Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Cook County is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 0 people, down from about 1 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 15 beds, and it ran at 7 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Cook County Sheriff's Office at cookcountymn.gov/government/departments/sheriff/jail_roster.php (page title: Cook County Jail), phone 218-387-3030, 143 Gunflint Trail Grand Marais, MN 55604, Monday 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone who was booked recently; a person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Cook County
Whether someone was arrested in Cook County, and what came of it, shows up in three places: the custody page of the Cook County Sheriff's Office described above, for anyone booked into the county jail; the case index of the Cook County District Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch, phone (651) 793-2400); the County Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at cookcountymn.gov/government/departments/attorney/index.php, phone (218)387-3670).
Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Minnesota is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: the public criminal history search online is free and shows 15 years of convictions, through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. 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 Cook County
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the agency must answer promptly, within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time for requests over 100 pages.
- An arrest by the Cook County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 218-387-3030.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney, (218)387-3670, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Cook County District Court, through the court records page at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch, phone (651) 793-2400.
- Your own statewide record: a request to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Cities in Cook County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists no city in Cook County with an arrest reporting agency of its own; the counts above are the county agencies'.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the county jail and the case goes to the Cook County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Cook County each year?
The Cook County Sheriff's Office reported 28 arrests to the FBI for 2025, its latest full year.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Cook County?
Look on the custody page of the Cook County Sheriff's Office at cookcountymn.gov, or call 218-387-3030. It covers people booked into the county jail.
Where are people arrested in Cook County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Cook County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Cook County?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension: the public criminal history search online is free and shows 15 years of convictions. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Cook County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Cook County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Cook 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.