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 30, 2026.
Erie County, New York, has about 951,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Erie County is held at the county jail, run by the Erie 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: Erie County public records, Erie County arrest records, Erie County warrants, Erie County criminal records, Erie County court records, New York arrest records and New York inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Erie County
The county jail, run by the Erie County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Erie County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Erie County Sheriff's Office at www4.erie.gov/sheriff (page title: Erie County Sheriff's Office), phone 716-858-7755, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 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 716-858-7755.
The Erie County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 760 people on an average day, down from about 870 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,385 beds, and it ran at 56 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Erie County has about 951,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 8 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Erie County Jail
The Erie County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Buffalo, Lackawanna, Tonawanda (town), Tonawanda, Kenmore, Lancaster and five more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Erie County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Erie County: the Buffalo State College State University of New York Police and the Buffalo State University of New York Police (campus police); the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (other agency).
The Gowanda Village Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Erie County, so its arrests are not broken out for Erie County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Buffalo's 6,255 for 2025, Cheektowaga Town's 3,070 for 2025 and Amherst Town's 1,582 for 2025.
Together, the 19 agencies in Erie County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 17,041 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 Erie 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 New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision lists its inmates at nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Erie County?
Ask the Erie County Sheriff's Office at 716-858-7755; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at www4.erie.gov/sheriff.
How many people are in the Erie County jail?
About 760 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 1,385 beds.
What is the phone number for the Erie County jail?
716-858-7755, the number on the page of the Erie County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Erie 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 Erie 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.