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 4, 2026.
Harlan County, Nebraska, has about 3,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Harlan County is held at the county jail, run by the Harlan 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, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Harlan County public records, Harlan County arrest records, Harlan County warrants, Harlan County criminal records, Harlan County court records, Nebraska arrest records and Nebraska inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Harlan County
The county jail, run by the Harlan County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Harlan County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Harlan County Sheriff's Office at harlancounty.ne.gov/sheriff-office (page title: Sheriff Office | Harlan County), phone (308) 928-2147, 68920, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 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 (308) 928-2147.
The Harlan County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 3 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 4 beds, and it ran at 75 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Harlan County has about 3,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 10 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Harlan County Jail
The Harlan County Sheriff's Office makes the arrests that end in a booking in Harlan County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Harlan County: the State Patrol in Harlan County (state police).
The Harlan County Sheriff's Office reported 34 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 Harlan County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Harlan County serves the sentence in a facility of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, whose inmate locator is at dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov/Corrections/COR_input.jsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Harlan County?
Ask the Harlan County Sheriff's Office at (308) 928-2147; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at harlancounty.ne.gov/sheriff-office.
How many people are in the Harlan County jail?
About 3 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 4 beds.
What is the phone number for the Harlan County jail?
(308) 928-2147, the number on the page of the Harlan County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Harlan County go?
To a facility of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services; its inmate locator is at dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov.
Is this the official Harlan 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.