Find Fillmore County Police Records

Fillmore County police records are maintained by the Fillmore County Sheriff's Office in Preston and cover arrest data, incident reports, and law enforcement files for this southeastern Minnesota bluff country county. Records can be requested in person or by mail from the Sheriff's Office, court case information is searchable through Minnesota Court Records Online at no cost, and statewide criminal history is available through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. This page covers how to request Fillmore County police records, what Minnesota law makes publicly available, and what rights you have when making a request.

Fillmore County Sheriff's Office

The Fillmore County Sheriff's Office is in Preston, the county seat of this rural southeastern Minnesota county. The county has around 21,000 residents and is known for its bluffs, valleys, and small communities spread across the Root River region. The Sheriff patrols unincorporated areas, operates the county jail, and keeps police records for all incidents handled by county deputies.

Several cities in Fillmore County have their own police departments. Spring Valley, Chatfield, and other communities handle law enforcement within their city limits, and their records stay with those departments. If you need a record from an incident in one of these cities, confirm which agency responded before you submit a request. The Sheriff's Office can help identify the right agency if you are not sure.

The county website at co.fillmore.mn.us lists all departments including the Sheriff and Court Administration. Current phone numbers and office hours are posted there. Check the site for current details before making the trip to Preston.

How to Request Fillmore County Police Records

The Fillmore County Sheriff's Office accepts public records requests in person and by mail. Walk-in requests go to the office in Preston. Mail requests should go to the same address and be directed to the Records Division.

No special form is required. A written description of what you are looking for is all that is needed. Include a case number if you have one. A case number is the most useful detail you can provide. Without one, give the date and location of the incident and the full names of anyone involved. The clearer your request, the faster the office can find the right file and respond without asking for clarification.

Under Minn. Stat. 13.03, in-person inspection of public records is free. Paper copies cost 25 cents per page for the first 100 pages. Electronic records may carry a fee reflecting the actual cost to produce them. Any denial must come in writing and must cite the specific statute that classifies the data as nonpublic. A denial that does not name a statute does not comply with the Government Data Practices Act and is not valid.

The law sets clear response deadlines. Data subjects get 10 business days. Third parties get 30 days. If you do not receive a response within those windows, send a written follow-up referencing the statutory timelines.

What Fillmore County Police Records Are Public

Every Minnesota law enforcement agency must follow Minn. Stat. 13.82, which defines what police data must be released on request. The Fillmore County Sheriff's Office and each city police department in the county operate under these same rules.

Arrest data that is public includes the time and date of the arrest, the location, and the name, age, sex, and home address of any adult taken into custody. The charges filed, whether a weapon was used, and whether the person was held or released are all public. This data is available from the moment of arrest. No justification is required to request it.

Incident data is public as well. That means the type of incident, where it happened, and which agency responded. Booking photos are classified as public data. 911 call transcripts are public. The audio recording of a 911 call is private under Minnesota law, but the written transcript of the same call is not.

Private data includes juvenile records, victim identity in sexual assault and domestic violence cases, and information connected to active criminal investigations. After a case closes, some data that was confidential during the investigation may become releasable. If you believe a case has ended and the office is still citing active investigation status, you can ask directly whether the investigation is still ongoing. The agency must respond to that question.

Online Tools for Fillmore County Records

Two free state tools give you access to records connected to Fillmore County from any internet-connected device, without a trip to Preston or a formal request to the Sheriff.

Minnesota Court Records Online is at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us. No account is needed. Fillmore County cases are handled in the 3rd Judicial District. Search by name or case number to see charges, case status, hearing information, and dispositions. MCRO does not include the police report itself, but it gives you the court case structure and can provide a case number to use when requesting the underlying incident report from the Sheriff.

MCRO covers all Fillmore County court cases and lets you search by name or case number at no cost from any device.

The BCA handles statewide criminal history. The background checks page is at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/Pages/background-checks.aspx, and you can reach the BCA by phone at 651-793-2400, option 7. The BCA database covers all Minnesota agencies, so a search surfaces Fillmore County records alongside data from across the state. All BCA services are described at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca.

The BCA's statewide database includes arrest and criminal history data from Fillmore County and every other Minnesota county in a single search.

Data Rights Under Minnesota Law in Fillmore County

The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act governs public records access at every level of government in the state. The base rule is in Minn. Stat. 13.025: all government data is public unless a specific statute says otherwise. The Fillmore County Sheriff's Office cannot deny a records request without a valid legal reason.

Process and fee rules are in Minn. Stat. 13.03. Inspection is free. Copies are 25 cents per page up to 100 pages. Denials must be in writing and must cite the statute used to withhold the data.

Data subjects have expanded rights under Minn. Stat. 13.04. You can ask what private data a government agency holds about you, and the agency must respond. When an agency collects private data directly from you, it must give you a Tennessen Warning describing what is being collected, the purpose, who has access, and what happens if you do not provide it.

You can ask for corrections to data you believe is inaccurate. If the agency agrees, it fixes the record. If it does not, it must note your objection. Criminal history data follows separate access rules under Minn. Stat. 13.87, restricting access based on who is asking and why. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety at dps.mn.gov oversees statewide data programs and BCA services.

Other Records Sources in Fillmore County

Police reports and court records are held by different offices. The Sheriff holds police reports. The Court Administrator in Preston holds case filings and records for 3rd Judicial District cases. These are separate offices. If an arrest in Fillmore County led to charges, check MCRO first to get the case number before you call the Sheriff. A targeted request goes much faster than a general one.

City departments in Fillmore County maintain their own records and handle their own request process. For incidents within Spring Valley, Chatfield, or other incorporated areas, contact the relevant city police department directly. The Sheriff does not hold city records and cannot fulfill those requests.

For research that covers multiple subjects or spans multiple counties, the BCA is a more efficient starting point than contacting each county one by one. For a single specific incident in Fillmore County, the Sheriff or the relevant city department is where to start.

Cities in Fillmore County

Preston is the county seat of Fillmore County. Spring Valley and Chatfield are among the other notable communities in the county. No cities in Fillmore County meet the qualifying population threshold for individual city pages on this site. For police department contacts in Preston, Spring Valley, and other communities, visit the Fillmore County website.

Nearby Counties

Fillmore County shares borders with four other counties in southeastern Minnesota. Police records for those areas are on their own pages: