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 October 2, 2026.
Onondaga County, New York, has about 470,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Onondaga County is held at the county jail, run by the Onondaga 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: Onondaga County public records, Onondaga County arrest records, Onondaga County warrants, Onondaga County criminal records, Onondaga County court records, New York arrest records and New York inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Onondaga County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Onondaga County is held at the county jail, run by the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office at sheriff.ongov.net/custody/booking-section (page title: Booking Section | Onondaga County Sheriff's Office), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Onondaga County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 560 people on an average day, down from about 770 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 1,143 beds, and it ran at 45 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Onondaga County has about 470,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 12 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Onondaga County Jail
The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Syracuse, Baldwinsville, North Syracuse, Solvay, Manlius, Skaneateles and four more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Onondaga County.
The FBI's agency list also places two other agencies and two campus police departments in Onondaga County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Syracuse's 7,237 for 2025, the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office's 2,498 for 2025 and Dewitt Town's 1,879 for 2025.
Together, the 14 agencies in Onondaga County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,331 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 Onondaga 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 Onondaga 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 Onondaga County?
Look on the custody page of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office at sheriff.ongov.net/custody/booking-section. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Onondaga County jail?
About 560 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 1,143 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Onondaga 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 Onondaga 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.