Otero County Booking Reports

Otero County booking reports are on file at the sheriff's office in La Junta, a small city along the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado. The county has a population of around 18,000 and includes the communities of La Junta, Rocky Ford, Manzanola, and Fowler. Every arrest in Otero County leads to a booking at the county detention facility. The resulting report is a public record that documents the arrest details, charges filed, and personal information about the person booked. You can access these records by calling the sheriff or by using Colorado's statewide search tools.

Otero County Sheriff's Office

All booking records in Otero County are managed by the sheriff's office. Their phone number is 719-384-5941. The office and jail are in La Junta. The sheriff's deputies handle law enforcement across the county, while La Junta has its own police department covering the city. Rocky Ford also has a small police force. No matter which agency makes the arrest, the booking happens at the Otero County jail and the report goes on file with the sheriff.

There is no online inmate search for Otero County. You cannot look up who is in the jail from a website. Instead, call the jail at 719-384-5941 and ask. Staff can confirm if a person is currently in custody. Provide the person's full name. Having a date of birth ready makes the search faster. For a written copy of the booking report, you will need to put in a formal request.

Search Otero County Records Statewide

Two statewide tools let you search for booking information that includes Otero County data. The first is the VINE system, which is free. Go to the site, choose Colorado, and search for an inmate by name. VINE shows custody status across all Colorado jails. If someone is at the Otero County detention facility, it will show up in VINE. You can also register for alerts that tell you when the person is released or moved. The toll-free VINE phone number is 1-888-263-8463.

The second is the CBI Internet Criminal History Check. This costs $6.85 per search and goes beyond just current jail status. The CBI check searches arrest records from across the entire state. Enter a name and date of birth and you get back any matching records from all 64 counties. If the person was booked in Otero County, that record should appear in the results. The CBI also shows charges and case outcomes when they are available in the database.

The Colorado Attorney General's office explains records access rules under CORA at coag.gov. The page shown below covers your rights when requesting public records.

These statewide tools cover Otero County and every other county, so you do not have to rely solely on the phone.

Otero County Booking Record Laws

Booking reports are public records under the Criminal Justice Records Act. The CCJRA at C.R.S. § 24-72-301 requires that records of official actions be open to the public. An arrest and booking is an official action. Under § 24-72-302, the arrest record must show the name of the person, the charges, and the arresting agency. Otero County cannot hold back this information from a booking report when you make a valid request.

You get a response within 3 business days. Extensions of up to 7 days are possible but unusual for simple requests. The fee structure is the same across the state. The first hour of staff time is free. After that, up to $41.37 per hour can be charged. Copies run $0.25 per page. You must agree not to use the records for direct business solicitation for profit. This is a standard part of the process in Colorado.

Note: If the sheriff's office denies your request, you can challenge it through the courts or contact the Attorney General's office.

Booking Photos and Prison Lookups

Mugshots from the Otero County jail are public records that you can request. Colorado's law at § 24-72-305.5 makes it illegal to publish a booking photo online and then charge for its removal. This is a class 3 misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000. The law does not stop the sheriff from releasing booking photos to the public through the regular request process. If you want a mugshot from an Otero County booking, include it in your records request.

For people who were convicted and sent to state prison, the Colorado Department of Corrections has an offender search tool at doc.state.co.us/oss. This free tool shows inmates currently in the state prison system. It includes their facility location, sentence details, and parole information. The CDOC search is separate from the county booking report. The booking report stays with the Otero County Sheriff. The prison record is maintained by the state.

Sealed Records in Otero County

Colorado allows sealing of certain arrest records. If charges were dropped or never filed, a person can ask the court to seal the record. Once a record is sealed in Otero County, it disappears from public searches. The CBI removes it from their database. VINE will not show it. The sheriff's office will not release it. Sealed records are treated as if they do not exist for public access purposes. Juvenile records are also generally not accessible to the public in Colorado.

Nearby Counties

Otero County is in southeastern Colorado along the Arkansas River. Its neighboring counties each handle their own booking reports.