Search Burien Jail Roster

The Burien jail roster lists people booked into King County jail facilities after an arrest by Burien Police. Burien is a south King County city just south of Seattle, and it does not run its own jail. Arrests in Burien go to the SCORE Jail in nearby Des Moines or to the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle. You can search the Burien jail roster online through both the King County detention site and the SCORE inmate lookup. This page shows you how to find an inmate, what the roster includes, and who to call when the online data is not enough.

How the Burien Jail Roster Works

The Burien Police Department makes arrests inside city limits. The person is then transported to one of two facilities. Many Burien bookings go to the SCORE Jail in Des Moines. SCORE stands for South Correctional Entity and it is a regional jail that serves several south King County cities including Burien, Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Renton, SeaTac, and Tukwila. Other bookings go to the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention in Seattle.

To search for someone booked after a Burien arrest, try both sites. The SCORE inmate lookup lets you search by name. The King County DAJD site also posts booking data online. A person could be at either facility depending on the charge, the time of booking, and the bed count at each jail.

If the person does not show up in either system, the booking may not be posted yet. Intake can take a few hours.

Burien Police Arrest Records

The Burien Police Department keeps its own arrest records. The police file has the incident report and the details of the stop. The jail roster is a different record from a different agency. You may need both. For a copy of a Burien police report, file a public records request with the city under RCW 42.56, the Public Records Act. The city must reply within five business days.

Some parts of a police report may be redacted. Juvenile names, witness addresses, and active investigation notes can be held back. The rest of the record comes to you as a copy or a digital file. There is no fee for the first request in most cases, though the city may charge for large volumes of pages.

Jail Register Law and Burien Bookings

Under RCW 70.48.100, every jail in Washington must keep a register that is open to the public. The law requires the jail to log the name of each person held, the hour and date of booking, the cause, and the hour, date, and manner of release. Both the SCORE Jail and the King County Correctional Facility follow this rule for Burien arrests.

The full inmate file is different. It stays sealed. Medical records, mental health data, and security plans are not part of the public register. Only criminal justice agencies, courts, and certain research groups can see the full file. The general public gets the register and nothing more.

Note: The Burien jail roster is a booking log, not a conviction record or a case outcome.

Searching the Burien Jail Roster Online

Start with the last name. Add the first name if you can. The SCORE system and the King County system both let you search by name. If the last name is common, the first name or a date of birth will help narrow results. Spelling matters. One wrong letter and the match fails.

The state also runs tools that can help. The DOC Incarcerated Search is the right place when a person has left the county jail and entered a state prison after sentencing. The DOC Search Resources page links out to state and federal tools in one spot. For a Washington criminal history, use the WATCH service from the State Patrol.

Custody Alerts for Burien Inmates

The VINE service sends free custody alerts. Sign up with a name and a phone number or email address. You get a call, text, or email when the person is booked, moved, or released. VINE covers both the SCORE Jail and King County facilities, so Burien bookings show up in the system.

VINE is not instant. A short lag can happen between the jail update and the alert. For the fastest data, call the jail booking desk. The SCORE Jail is at 20817 17th Avenue South in Des Moines, phone (206) 870-6910.

Burien Municipal Court and Jail Data

The Burien Municipal Court handles misdemeanors and city code violations tied to Burien Police arrests. If the charge is a city ordinance case, this court is the one to check. Felony and serious charges go up to King County Superior Court instead.

The Odyssey court portal lets you search Washington court cases by name or case number. A booking date from the jail roster often lines up with a first appearance the next court day. Pair the roster with the docket to see the full picture. The roster tells you where the person is. The docket says what comes next.

State Records and Burien Jail Roster

The Washington Department of Corrections runs under RCW 72.09. The DOC handles state prisons and adult supervision. A Burien arrest that ends in a prison term moves from the county roster to the DOC system. You can search by name or DOC number on the DOC site. The DOC also maintains a Public Records Office for data that is not in the online search.

Criminal history and the jail roster are two different things. The roster logs who is in jail now. Criminal history covers past convictions across the state. For conviction data, the WATCH service from the State Patrol is the official tool.

Nearby Cities and Counties

Burien is part of King County. For countywide jail data, see the King County page. You can also check the jail roster pages for nearby cities.