Denver Booking Reports

Denver booking reports are public records kept by the Denver Sheriff Department. As the state capital and largest city in Colorado, Denver processes thousands of bookings each year through two jail facilities. The city and county of Denver are the same unit of government, which means the Denver Sheriff handles all bookings for arrests made by Denver Police and other agencies in the city. You can look up current inmates online for free. This page covers how to search booking reports in Denver, who to call, and what tools are available to get the records you need.

Denver Sheriff and Booking Records

Denver is unique in Colorado. The city and county share one government. So the Denver Sheriff Department acts as both the city and county jail system. There is no separate county sheriff to deal with. If someone gets arrested in Denver, the Denver Sheriff Department books them. The booking report is a public record from that point forward. Two facilities handle all Denver bookings: the Downtown Detention Center at 490 W. Colfax Ave and the Denver County Jail at 10500 E. Smith Rd. The Downtown Detention Center is the main intake point for most new arrests in the city.

You can reach the Denver Sheriff Department at 720-913-3600 for general questions. The Downtown Detention Center phone number is 720-337-0400. The Denver County Jail number is 720-913-3642. For records requests, contact the Records Unit at Denver Police Headquarters, 1331 Cherokee Street, Room 420. That office handles written records requests and can be reached at 720-913-6755. You can also email sheriff@denvergov.org with questions about Denver booking reports.

For full details on the Denver County jail system, search tools, and records request steps, see the Denver County booking reports page.

Search Denver Booking Reports Online

The Denver Sheriff Department runs a free inmate search tool. Go to denvergov.org/inmatesearch to use it. You can search by name, booking number, or gender. Results show the person's name, charges, booking date, and facility. The tool covers current inmates at both the Downtown Detention Center and Denver County Jail. It updates through the day. No account or login is needed. The search is free for anyone to use.

The inmate search shows people who are currently in custody. If the person you are looking for has been released, they may not show up in the online tool. For older Denver booking records, you need to contact the Records Unit. Call 720-913-6755 or visit Denver Police Headquarters at 1331 Cherokee Street. Under C.R.S. § 24-72-302, arrest records include the name of the person, the charges, and the date and place of arrest. Denver booking reports contain all of this data.

The Denver Sheriff Department also posts information about its facilities and programs on its main website. You can find links to inmate services, mail rules, and visitation schedules there.

Note: The online search only covers people in custody right now. Past booking data requires a records request to the Denver Sheriff.

Denver Police Department

The Denver Police Department makes arrests in the city. But booking happens at the Denver Sheriff facilities. If you want the arrest report rather than the booking report, contact Denver PD. The main number is 720-913-2000. The police department website at denvergov.org has info on how to get police reports and other records. Arrest reports and booking reports are related but different. The arrest report comes from the police officer. The booking report comes from the jail.

Denver PD is one of the largest police departments in the state. Officers patrol the entire city and county of Denver. When an officer makes an arrest, they transport the person to one of the sheriff's detention centers for booking. From that point, the Denver Sheriff Department takes over custody and creates the booking record. Both the arrest report and the booking report are public records in Colorado.

Statewide Search Tools for Denver

Two statewide systems let you search for booking and arrest data beyond just Denver. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation runs the Internet Criminal History Check at cbirecordscheck.com. This tool searches all of Colorado for arrest records tied to a name. It costs $6.00 per search. Results show arrests from any county, not just Denver. The CBI system is useful when you are not sure where someone was booked or if they have records in more than one county.

The CBI Internet Criminal History Check portal is a statewide resource for booking data across Colorado.

Results from the CBI search cover most criminal history in the state, though sealed records will not appear.

VINE is the other statewide tool. Register at vinelink.com and choose Colorado. You can search for any inmate at the Denver jail or most other county jails in the state. VINE also lets you sign up for alerts. You get a call, email, or text when the person's custody status changes. The toll-free number for VINE is 1-888-263-8463. The service is free and runs around the clock.

Colorado Laws on Denver Booking Reports

Colorado's Criminal Justice Records Act, or CCJRA, makes booking reports public. Under C.R.S. § 24-72-301 et seq., records of official actions like arrests must be open for inspection. The Denver Sheriff Department must respond to records requests within 3 working days. They can take up to 7 more days for large requests. The first hour of research and retrieval time is free. After that, the agency can charge up to $41.37 per hour. Copies cost $0.25 per page.

Booking photos in Denver are also public under C.R.S. § 24-72-305.5. But it is illegal in Colorado to post booking photos online and then charge a fee to take them down. That is a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000. This law applies to Denver mugshots the same as any other place in the state. Sealed records will not show up in any search. Colorado lets people ask a court to seal certain arrest records, and the CBI seals some records on its own when no charges are filed within a year.

The Colorado Open Records Act works alongside the CCJRA. CORA covers government records that are not criminal justice records. If the Denver Sheriff denies a request, you can challenge it in court or contact the Colorado Attorney General for guidance.

Note: You must sign a statement that you will not use the records for direct business solicitation for monetary gain when you submit a request.

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Denver. Each one has its own page with details on how to find booking reports for people arrested in that area. Click a city to see which county sheriff handles bookings there.