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 September 25, 2026.
Oneonta, New York, in Otsego County, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Oneonta is held at the county jail, run by the Otsego 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: Oneonta public records, Otsego County inmate search, Oneonta arrest records, Oneonta warrants, Oneonta criminal records, Oneonta court records, New York arrest records and New York inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Oneonta
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Oneonta is held at the county jail, run by the Otsego County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Otsego County Sheriff's Office at otsegocountyny.gov/departments/sheriff_s_office/index.php (page title: Otsego County, NY), phone 607-547-4271, 172 County Highway 33W Cooperstown, NY 13326, Monday to Friday 9am - 4:30pm., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 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 607-547-4271.
The Otsego County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 30 people on an average day, down from about 31 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 100 beds, and it ran at 31 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Otsego County has about 61,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 5 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Otsego County Jail
The Otsego County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Oneonta (filed by the FBI as Oneonta City Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Oneonta.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Otsego County: the Oneonta State University of New York Police (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Otsego County Sheriff's Office's 202 for 2025, Oneonta's 117 for 2025 and Cooperstown's 3 for 2020.
Together, the two agencies in Otsego County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 319 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 Oneonta 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 Otsego County serves the sentence in a facility of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, whose inmate locator is at nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Oneonta?
Ask the Otsego County Sheriff's Office at 607-547-4271; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at otsegocountyny.gov.
How many people are in the Otsego County jail?
About 30 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 100 beds.
What is the phone number for the Otsego County jail?
607-547-4271, the number on the page of the Otsego County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Otsego County go?
To a facility of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision; its inmate locator is at nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov.
Is this the official Oneonta 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.