Search Koochiching County Booking Releases

Koochiching County booking releases are public records managed by the Koochiching County Sheriff's Office in International Falls, Minnesota. You can use VINE and other free state tools to search who is currently in custody at the county jail, view booking dates and charges, and set up notifications for release or transfer. This page explains how the system works, what the records show, and how to get the information you need.

Koochiching County Sheriff's Office

The Koochiching County Sheriff's Office operates the county jail and maintains all booking release records. The office is located at 100 4th St in International Falls, Minnesota. Staff are available around the clock for jail operations, and the administrative office is open during regular business hours.

Koochiching County sits along the Canadian border in northern Minnesota. International Falls, the county seat, is known for some of the coldest recorded temperatures in the lower 48 states. The sheriff's office serves a large, largely rural county and handles everything from road patrol to jail management.

New Jail Facility Opening in 2026

Koochiching County is building a new $20 million jail facility scheduled to open in early 2026. The current facility has operated for decades and has limited capacity, generally used for holds up to 90 days. Inmates serving longer sentences or awaiting trial for more serious charges may be housed in neighboring counties under contract arrangements.

The new facility will replace the aging structure and give the county more capacity and modern programming space. Once it opens, the booking release process will continue through the same state tools, but the jail address and capacity figures may change. Check the sheriff's website for updates on the new facility timeline.

How to Search Koochiching County Booking Releases

The primary tool for searching current Koochiching County inmates is VINE. VINE connects to the sheriff's jail management system and pulls live custody data. You can search by name at any hour and see who is currently booked. Results include the booking date, current hold status, and the charges on record at the time of booking.

VINE also has a notification system. If you are a victim or concerned family member, you can register to receive an alert when someone's custody status changes. That includes release, transfer to another facility, or bond being posted. Register at vinelink.com or call 1-877-664-8463.

The image below shows the Minnesota Court Records Online system, which you can use to track what happens in court after a booking is made in Koochiching County.

MCRO lets you search Koochiching County court cases by name or case number. It shows hearing dates, charges, and case outcomes for both open and closed cases.

What Is in a Booking Release Record

A booking release record is created each time someone is taken into custody at the Koochiching County jail. The record is public by law. Minnesota Statute 13.82 requires that certain arrest and booking data be made available to the public. The parts that must be shared include the person's name, the date and time of arrest, the charges, and the arresting agency.

Some data in a booking record is not public. Medical information, home addresses, and data tied to active investigations can be withheld. The sheriff's office determines what falls into each category based on state law. If you have a question about whether a specific piece of data is public, you can ask the office directly.

Standard public data in a Koochiching County booking release includes:

• Full name
• Date and time of booking
• Charges filed
• Arresting agency
• Bond or bail status
• Current custody status

Minnesota Statutes That Govern Booking Data

Three laws apply to booking release records in Koochiching County. The first is Minnesota Statute 13.82, the law enforcement data law. It defines which arrest records must be made public and which can stay private. All Minnesota sheriff's offices, including Koochiching, follow this statute.

The second is Minnesota Statute 13.85, which covers correctional facility data. This law governs the records kept by jails about inmates, including medical and programming data. It balances transparency with the need to protect facility security and inmate welfare.

The third is Minnesota Statute 641.05, which sets standards for county jails. It includes record-keeping requirements and defines how counties must operate their detention facilities. Koochiching County must meet these standards at both its current facility and its new jail opening in 2026.

Court Records for Koochiching County

Koochiching County is in the Ninth Judicial District. The District Court handles criminal cases, including all felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors filed in the county. You can search case records through MCRO at mncourts.gov.

MCRO shows you charges, court dates, and whether a case is open or closed. It does not show booking data directly, but it does show what happened after a booking was made. Combining VINE data with MCRO results gives you a fuller picture of someone's current legal situation in Koochiching County.

BCA Criminal History Search

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension maintains a statewide criminal history database. It covers convictions from all Minnesota counties, including Koochiching. You can search it at chs.state.mn.us. Some records are free to the public. Others require a request form and a fee depending on the purpose of the search.

The BCA database is useful when you want to look beyond the current booking roster. It shows prior convictions, case dispositions, and in some cases sex offender registration status. It is a separate system from VINE and MCRO, but all three together cover the full range of public criminal data for Koochiching County residents.

Requesting Records in Person or by Mail

If you need records that are not available online, contact the Koochiching County Sheriff's Office. You can visit the office at 100 4th St in International Falls or call (218) 283-4416. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, the office must respond to public data requests promptly. Provide the name, booking date, and type of record you are looking for to speed up the search.

Cities in Koochiching County

International Falls is the county seat and largest city in Koochiching County. Other communities include Ranier, Littlefork, Big Falls, and Northome. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page. Booking releases for all Koochiching County communities are handled through the sheriff's office in International Falls.

Nearby Counties

Koochiching County borders several other Minnesota counties, each with their own booking release records.