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.
Washington County, Nebraska, has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Washington County 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, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Washington County public records, Washington County arrest records, Washington County warrants, Washington County criminal records, Washington County court records, Nebraska arrest records and Nebraska inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Washington County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Washington County is held at the county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at washcountysheriff.org/the-justice-center (page title: The Justice Center | Washington County Sheriff), phone 402-426-6868, 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 402-426-6868.
The Washington County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 8 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 13 beds, and it ran at 59 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Washington County has about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 4 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 Blair make the arrests that end in a booking in Washington County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Washington County: the State Patrol in Washington County (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Washington County Sheriff's Office's 176 for 2025 and Blair's 167 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Washington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 343 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 Washington County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services lists its inmates at dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov/Corrections/COR_input.jsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Washington County?
Ask the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 402-426-6868; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at washcountysheriff.org/the-justice-center.
How many people are in the Washington County jail?
About 8 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 13 beds.
What is the phone number for the Washington County jail?
402-426-6868, the number on the page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Washington 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 Washington 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.