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.
Forest Grove, Oregon, in Washington County, has about 27,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Forest Grove 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: Forest Grove public records, Washington County inmate search, Forest Grove arrest records, Forest Grove warrants, Forest Grove criminal records, Forest Grove court records, Oregon arrest records and Oregon inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Forest Grove
The county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Forest Grove, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at washingtoncountyor.gov/sheriff/jail (page title: Jail Division | Washington County, OR), phone 503-846-6374, 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 503-846-6374.
The Washington County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 420 people, down from about 560 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 572 beds, and it ran at 98 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Washington County has about 611,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 7 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 Forest Grove (filed by the FBI as Forest Grove Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Forest Grove.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Washington County: the Washington County Liquor Commission (state agency); the Hillsboro School District (other agency); the Washington County State Police (state police).
The Portland Police Department and the Lake Oswego Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Washington County, so their arrests are not broken out for Washington County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Washington County Sheriff's Office's 6,159 for 2025, Hillsboro's 4,866 for 2025 and Beaverton's 4,028 for 2025.
Together, the 12 agencies in Washington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 18,060 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 Forest Grove arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Oregon Department of Corrections lists its inmates at oregon.gov/doc/victim-services/pages/offender-search.aspx.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Forest Grove?
Ask the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 503-846-6374; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at washingtoncountyor.gov/sheriff/jail.
How many people are in the Washington County jail?
About 420 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 572 beds.
What is the phone number for the Washington County jail?
503-846-6374, 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 Oregon Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at oregon.gov.
Is this the official Forest Grove 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.