Find Police Records in Hennepin County
Hennepin County police records include arrest data, incident reports, criminal history information, and booking photos maintained by the Sheriff's Office and accessible through state and local online tools. This page explains how to search and request Hennepin County police records, what information is public, and where to go for official copies.
Hennepin County Overview
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Police Records
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is the largest sheriff operation in Minnesota. It serves the Minneapolis metro area, providing law enforcement services across dozens of cities and unincorporated areas throughout the county. The Sheriff's Office handles records requests for incidents under its jurisdiction. Not every police agency in the county routes records through the Sheriff, but the Sheriff maintains its own set of arrest data, incident reports, and jail records.
The Sheriff's Office main location sits in downtown Minneapolis at 350 South 5th Street. This address also serves as the county jail. Records staff can help you with requests during regular business hours. If you are looking for a report tied to a specific city like Bloomington or Eden Prairie, you may need to contact that city's police department directly since each agency keeps its own files.
| Office | Hennepin County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 350 South 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415 |
| Phone | (612) 348-3744 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | hennepin.us |
The Hennepin County website has contact information, online services, and links to records-related pages. It is worth checking there before you make a trip downtown, as some request types can be handled by mail or online form.
Lead-in: The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office homepage provides access to department services, contact details, and online records tools.
This page is the starting point for requests tied to the Sheriff's jurisdiction across the Minneapolis metro area.
How to Request Hennepin County Police Records
You have three main ways to request Hennepin County police records: in person at the Sheriff's Office, by mail, or through online tools. In-person visits work well if you need a quick turnaround or want to review documents on-site before ordering copies. The office is at 350 South 5th Street in Minneapolis, open weekdays from 8 AM to 4:30 PM.
For mail requests, write to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office at the same 350 South 5th Street address and include the full name of the subject, date of birth, the approximate date of the incident, and a case number if you have one. A case number speeds up the search significantly. Without it, staff search by name and date range, which takes more time. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment for copying costs. The standard copy fee under state law is $0.25 per page for up to 100 pages, with actual cost for anything beyond that threshold.
Active investigations are not public. Staff will not release records while a case is still open, even if you provide all the right information. Once an investigation closes, data that falls under Minn. Stat. 13.82 becomes public. That includes basic arrest details, incident summaries, and booking photos.
Note: If your records request covers an incident handled by a city police department, contact that city directly since the Sheriff's Office only releases records from its own cases.
What Hennepin County Police Records Include
Minnesota law spells out what police records are public. Under Minn. Stat. 13.82, arrest data is public from the moment of arrest. The public portion includes the time and date of arrest, the place where it happened, the name, age, sex, and address of the adult who was arrested, the charges, whether weapons were involved, and whether the person was held in custody. Incident data and request-for-service data follow similar rules. Booking photos are public. Transcripts of 911 calls are also public, though the audio recordings are not.
Some data stays private or confidential. Information about juvenile subjects is generally not public. Data that could reveal the identity of an undercover officer is protected. Investigative techniques, active case details, and information that could jeopardize someone's safety are withheld. Once a case closes, more of the file becomes accessible, but some portions may remain classified under specific statutes. Domestic abuse records may have additional restrictions.
Criminal history records fall under Minn. Stat. 13.87, which classifies that data separately from raw arrest data. Criminal history is not freely available through the Sheriff's Office the same way an arrest report is. For full criminal history, you go through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Search Hennepin County Police Records Online
Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) is the state's free public case search tool. It covers the Hennepin County District Court, which is the 4th Judicial District. You can search by name or case number. The system shows case type, party names, docket entries, and status. Not every detail from the court file appears in MCRO, but it gives you enough to confirm whether a case exists and find the case number you need for a certified copy request.
Visit publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us to use the free MCRO search. No registration is needed. The site covers citation lookups, name searches, and case number searches across all Minnesota district courts. Hennepin County has a high volume of cases, so name searches may return many results. Adding a date of birth or approximate filing year helps narrow things down.
Lead-in: The Minnesota Court Records Online portal lets you search Hennepin County District Court cases at no cost by name, citation, or case number.
MCRO is the fastest free way to confirm case details before making a formal records request at the courthouse or Sheriff's Office.
For court records that are not in MCRO or for certified copies of judgments and criminal case documents, contact the Hennepin County District Court directly at 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis, phone (612) 348-6161. Court staff can help with searches by case number and can produce certified copies for a per-page fee.
Hennepin County Criminal History and Background Checks
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) maintains the state's centralized criminal history system. It draws data from courts, law enforcement agencies, and corrections statewide. Hennepin County records feed into the BCA system the same as every other county. If you need a statewide criminal history report rather than records from a single incident, the BCA is the right source.
To request a criminal history background check from the BCA, call 651-793-2400 and select option 7. The BCA's background check page at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/Pages/background-checks.aspx explains the process, fees, and forms needed. Background checks are available for individuals requesting their own record as well as for authorized entities with a permissible purpose under state law. The BCA does not provide records for individual incidents. It provides compiled criminal history that covers arrests, charges, and dispositions statewide.
Lead-in: The BCA background checks page explains how to request a statewide criminal history report that includes Hennepin County arrest and conviction data.
The BCA processes statewide criminal history requests and is separate from the local Sheriff's Office records process.
Note: The BCA's statewide system covers convictions and formal charges but may not reflect the most recent status of a pending case until the court submits updated data.
Data Access Rights for Hennepin County Police Records
Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act, found at Minn. Stat. 13.025, sets the default rule: all government data is public unless a specific law classifies it otherwise. This presumption of openness is strong. Police records in Hennepin County follow this framework. You do not need a reason to ask for public data. You do not need to be a party to a case. Any person can walk in and request data that falls in the public category.
Under Minn. Stat. 13.03, inspection of public data is free. If you want copies, the fee is $0.25 per page for up to 100 pages. Beyond 100 pages, the agency can charge actual cost. If an agency denies your request, they must give you a written citation of the specific statute that classifies the data as private or confidential. A vague denial with no legal basis is not allowed.
If you are the subject of data, your rights are stronger. Minn. Stat. 13.04 gives data subjects the right to know what data exists about them, to see it, and to contest it if it is wrong. You have 30 days to contest inaccurate data once you learn of it, and 60 days to appeal a denial. If an agency collects data from you, they must provide a Tennessen Warning that explains why they are collecting it and what they will do with it.
Cities in Hennepin County
Hennepin County covers Minneapolis and many surrounding cities. Each city has its own police department that keeps records for incidents within its boundaries. For arrests at the county jail or incidents handled by the Sheriff, contact the Sheriff's Office. For city-specific police reports, contact the city's department directly.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Hennepin County. If you are not sure which jurisdiction handled a specific incident, check the address. Each county has its own sheriff and court system for records requests.