Find Washington County Police Records
Washington County police records cover arrest data, incident reports, and other law enforcement activity across this east-metro Minnesota county. Residents can request records directly from the Sheriff's Office through an online portal, search court records through MCRO, or run background checks through the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Washington County Sheriff's Office
The Washington County Sheriff's Office is based in Stillwater, the county seat. It is the main law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of the county and holds records for incidents, arrests, and investigations that fall under its jurisdiction. The county seat sits along the St. Croix River and the office serves a county that has grown steadily as part of the Twin Cities metro area.
Cities in Washington County often have their own police departments. Woodbury, Forest Lake, Stillwater, and other communities maintain separate departments with their own records. If you need records from a city department, you will need to contact that department directly. The Sheriff's Office handles records tied to Sheriff's Office activity only.
The county's main website at co.washington.mn.us links to the Sheriff's Office, the County Attorney, and other departments. It is a good starting point if you are not sure which office holds the records you need. For non-law enforcement county data, the Washington County Attorney's Office Data Practices Division handles requests. You can reach them by email at WCA-Datapractices@washingtoncountymn.gov.
The Washington County homepage provides a directory of county offices and links to department-specific contacts.
The county website connects residents to Sheriff's Office services, the Data Practices Division, and other county departments that may hold relevant records.
How to Request Washington County Police Records
Washington County Sheriff's Office uses an online records request portal called NextRequest for all law enforcement data requests. This is the primary way to ask for police records, incident reports, and arrest data tied to the Sheriff's Office. The portal is separate from other county record systems. It is designed specifically for law enforcement data only.
To submit a request, go to washingtoncountysheriffmn.nextrequest.com. You can describe the records you need, attach any supporting information, and submit your request online. Once submitted, you can check back through the portal to track the status of your request. If the Sheriff's Office needs more details from you, they will communicate through the portal as well.
The Washington County Sheriff's NextRequest portal allows you to submit and track law enforcement data requests entirely online.
The NextRequest portal is the designated system for all law enforcement data requests in Washington County and keeps a record of prior requests and their responsive documents.
If you need records that are not held by the Sheriff's Office, such as county administrative records or other government data, those requests go to the Washington County Attorney's Office Data Practices Division at WCA-Datapractices@washingtoncountymn.gov. This is a separate office with a separate process. Sending a non-law enforcement request to the Sheriff's portal may result in a redirect or delay.
Copy fees follow state law. Under Minn. Stat. 13.03, inspection of records is free. Paper copies cost 25 cents per page for the first 100 pages. Any denial must be in writing and must cite the specific statute used to classify the data as not public. A response without a statutory citation does not satisfy the legal requirement.
Note: The NextRequest portal keeps a record of all prior requests submitted through it and all documents the Sheriff's Office released in response, which anyone can view.
Washington County NextRequest Online Portal
The NextRequest platform gives Washington County residents a modern way to interact with the Sheriff's Office on records matters. Instead of mailing a written request and waiting for a phone call or letter, you submit everything online and track the process in one place. This makes it easier to follow up and know exactly where your request stands.
When you use the portal, you can describe the records you are looking for, specify a date range or incident if you have one, and attach any documents that would help identify what you need. The Sheriff's Office reviews the request and may respond with questions or with the records themselves. All communication happens through the portal, so you have a full record of what was asked and what was provided.
One useful feature is that past requests and responsive documents are visible to the public through the portal. If someone else already asked for a record similar to what you need, the documents they received may already be available. This can save time and eliminate the need to submit a duplicate request. The portal address is washingtoncountysheriffmn.nextrequest.com.
This portal covers law enforcement data only. Court records, property records, and other government data are not part of this system. For court records, see the MCRO section below. For other county data, use the Data Practices Division email noted above.
What Washington County Police Records Include
Minnesota law defines what police records are public. The key statute is Minn. Stat. 13.82, which applies to all law enforcement agencies in the state, including the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Under this law, certain data must be made available to anyone who asks.
Public arrest data includes the time, date, and place of arrest. It includes the name, age, and sex of adults who are arrested. It covers the charges brought, whether a weapon was involved, and whether the person was taken into custody or released. Incident data is also public. That means the nature of the incident, its location, and the agency that responded are all accessible. Booking photos fall under public data as well.
Some records are not public. Juvenile records are protected under separate provisions. The names of victims in sexual assault cases are shielded. Data gathered during an active investigation is private until the investigation becomes inactive. A case becomes inactive when the agency determines it is no longer open. After that point, data that was withheld during the investigation may be releasable on request.
Active investigations are the most common reason a request gets denied. If you receive a denial based on active investigation status and you believe the case has since closed, you can submit a new request and ask the agency to confirm the current status of the investigation.
Search Washington County Court Records Online
Minnesota Court Records Online, known as MCRO, is a free public tool for searching court case data. Washington County is served by the 10th Judicial District, and all court activity in the county is accessible through MCRO. You can search by person name or case number and find criminal, civil, and family court records.
MCRO shows you case identifiers, charges, hearing dates, and outcomes. It does not provide the full case file, but it tells you whether a case was filed and what happened with it. For Washington County criminal cases, this can confirm whether charges were brought after an arrest, which supplements the arrest data available from the Sheriff's Office.
Access MCRO at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us. No account is required and there is no fee for basic searches. Some sealed records or records involving juveniles will not appear in search results.
The Minnesota Court Records Online system provides free public access to court case data for all Minnesota counties, including Washington.
MCRO covers all district courts in Minnesota and is an effective tool for finding court case data connected to Washington County police records and arrests.
Criminal History and Data Access Rights
For statewide criminal history data, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is the main state resource. The BCA maintains a database of arrests and charges that goes beyond what individual county sheriff offices hold. A name-based public criminal history search is available online through the BCA at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/Pages/background-checks.aspx. You can also reach the BCA at 651-793-2400, option 7. The BCA falls under the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, found at dps.mn.gov.
Criminal history data has its own classification rules under Minn. Stat. 13.87. Not everything in the BCA's criminal history files is open to the public. Access depends on the purpose of the request and who is asking. The BCA website explains the different search types and who is eligible for each.
Under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act, all government data is presumed public unless classified otherwise. This rule comes from Minn. Stat. 13.025. It means agencies cannot keep data private just because they prefer to. There must be a specific legal basis for withholding information. Minn. Stat. 13.03 sets response timeframes and establishes that denial must cite specific statutory authority.
If you are the subject of the data, your rights go further. Minn. Stat. 13.04 gives data subjects the right to know what data an agency holds about them, the right to a response within 10 days, and the right to request corrections to inaccurate private data. When an agency collects private data from you, they must provide a Tennessen Warning explaining how that data will be used. Third-party requesters have 30 days to receive a response rather than 10.
Note: If you believe a denial of your records request was improper, you can contact the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings or seek advice from a legal aid organization serving Washington County.
Cities in Washington County
Washington County includes several cities with their own police departments. For records tied to those departments, contact the city directly. The following qualifying city has a dedicated page on this site:
Other communities in Washington County, including Stillwater, Forest Lake, Oakdale, and Cottage Grove, have local law enforcement but do not have individual pages here. Contact information for those departments is available through the Washington County website.
Nearby Counties
Washington County borders several other Minnesota counties. Records searches covering adjacent areas may involve these jurisdictions: