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 9, 2026.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, in Bernalillo County, has about 560,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Albuquerque is held at the county jail, run by the Bernalillo 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: Albuquerque public records, Bernalillo County inmate search, Albuquerque arrest records, Albuquerque warrants, Albuquerque criminal records, Albuquerque court records, New Mexico arrest records and New Mexico inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Albuquerque
The county jail, run by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Albuquerque, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office at bernco.gov/metropolitan-detention-center/arrest-list (page title: Arrest List | Metropolitan Detention Center), phone (505) 839-8700, 100 Deputy Dean Miera Dr. SW Albuquerque, NM 87151, Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 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 (505) 839-8700.
The Bernalillo County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 1,480 people, up from about 1,390 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 2,200 beds, and it ran at 70 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Bernalillo County has about 672,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 22 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Bernalillo County Jail
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Albuquerque (filed by the FBI as Albuquerque Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Albuquerque.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Bernalillo County: the University of New Mexico's Main Campus (campus police); Albuquerque Fire and Rescue (other agency).
The Rio Rancho Police Department and the Edgewood Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Bernalillo County, so their arrests are not broken out for Bernalillo County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Albuquerque's 18,629 for 2025 and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office's 3,374 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Bernalillo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 22,003 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 Albuquerque arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the New Mexico Corrections Department lists its inmates at cd.nm.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Albuquerque?
Ask the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office at (505) 839-8700; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at bernco.gov.
How many people are in the Bernalillo County jail?
About 1,480 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 2,200 beds.
What is the phone number for the Bernalillo County jail?
(505) 839-8700, the number on the page of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Bernalillo County go?
To a facility of the New Mexico Corrections Department; its inmate locator is at cd.nm.gov.
Is this the official Albuquerque 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.