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.
Longview, Washington, in Cowlitz County, has about 38,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Longview is held at the county jail, run by the Cowlitz 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: Longview public records, Cowlitz County inmate search, Longview arrest records, Longview warrants, Longview criminal records, Longview court records, Washington arrest records and Washington inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Longview
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Longview is held at the county jail, run by the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office at apps.co.cowlitz.wa.us/CCCD/custody/default/index.html (page title: Cowlitz County Jail Roster), Monday : 9:00am - 12:00pm, 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 Cowlitz County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 210 people, down from about 260 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 354 beds, and it ran at 58 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Cowlitz County has about 114,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 18 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Cowlitz County Jail
The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Longview (filed by the FBI as Longview Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Longview.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Longview's 2,474 for 2025, Kelso's 805 for 2025 and the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office's 784 for 2025.
Together, the six agencies in Cowlitz County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,358 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 Longview arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Washington State Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.wa.gov/records/incarcerated-data-search/incarcerated-search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Longview?
Look on the custody page of the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office at apps.co.cowlitz.wa.us. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Cowlitz County jail?
About 210 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 354 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Cowlitz County go?
To a facility of the Washington State Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.wa.gov.
Is this the official Longview 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.