Search Seattle Jail Roster

The Seattle jail roster is the public booking log for people arrested in Seattle and held at King County jail facilities. Seattle is the largest city in Washington and the county seat of King County, so the local jail roster handles a high volume of bookings every day. You can search the roster by name to find booking dates, charges, bail amounts, and custody status. The King County Correctional Facility sits right in downtown Seattle at 500 Fifth Avenue, and most Seattle arrests land there. This page explains how to search the Seattle jail roster, which county tools to use, and how to follow an arrest through the court system.

How the Seattle Jail Roster Works

The Seattle Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in the city. SPD runs five precincts: East, North, South, Southwest, and West. Each precinct covers a section of Seattle. The East Precinct serves Capitol Hill, the Central District, and Madrona. The North Precinct serves North Seattle. The South Precinct covers South Seattle. The Southwest Precinct handles West Seattle. The West Precinct covers downtown and the areas around it.

When an SPD officer makes an arrest, the person is transported to the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) at 500 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104. Some bookings go to the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent instead, depending on capacity and case type. Both facilities are run by the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. The jail roster for a Seattle arrest is the King County roster.

The SPD Records Unit processes requests for police reports, incident reports, and arrest records. The police file and the jail file are separate. The police have the incident report. The jail has the booking log. You may need to contact both to get the full picture of a Seattle arrest.

Searching the Seattle Jail Roster Online

Use the King County Jail Inmate Lookup Service (JILS). It is free and open to the public. Enter a name. The system shows the custody status, charges, booking date, release date if applicable, and the booking number (BA#). The BA number is the main identifier jail staff use. Write it down for any follow up calls.

JILS covers both the KCCF in Seattle and the MRJC in Kent. Those are the two main adult detention facilities in King County. If the person does not show up, the booking may still be in progress. Intake can take more than an hour for a busy facility. Try again or call the KCCF at 206-296-1234.

King County also publishes an open data portal at data.kingcounty.gov. A dataset called "Names, dates, charges" provides booking info for people brought into King County jails. It has booking data but not court case info or dispositions. The dataset is useful for research and for finding older records that are no longer on the live roster.

The Seattle Police Department page shows department info, precinct details, and links to the records desk. The screenshot below shows the SPD page.

From there you can reach the records unit for police reports and get directed to the county jail system for booking data.

Seattle Jail Roster and the Law

Under RCW 70.48.100, every Washington jail must keep a jail register that is open to the public. The register logs the name of each person held, the hour and date of booking, the cause of hold, and the hour, date, and manner of release. King County follows that law for all Seattle bookings. The register is the public part of the jail record.

The full inmate file is held in confidence. Medical records, mental health data, and security plans are exempt from public disclosure. The file is shared only with criminal justice agencies as listed in RCW 43.43.705, the courts, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, or with the written consent of the person. Booking photos can be used for criminal investigations and may be shared with other agencies.

The Public Records Act in RCW 42.56 gives anyone the right to ask for the jail register. No reason needed. The jail must respond within five business days. Some lists for commercial use are restricted, but news use and personal use are not commercial.

Seattle Police Records

The SPD Records Unit handles requests for police reports, incident reports, and arrest records from the city side. The records can be requested online through the Seattle Police Public Records Request Center. For jail records, the request goes to the county. For police reports, the request goes to SPD.

The police report has the officer name, the details of the stop, and the cause of the arrest. The jail file has the booking log, charges at intake, bail amount, and release info. Two agencies, two files. If you want both, contact both.

Court Data Tied to a Seattle Arrest

The Seattle Municipal Court handles city code violations and misdemeanors committed inside the city. The court is at 600 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104. For ongoing cases in Seattle Municipal Court, search the court portal at web6.seattle.gov/courts/ECFPortal. Go to the Defendant Search section. Enter a last name, first name, date of birth, or defendant number to find case info.

For state law charges and felonies, the case goes to King County Superior Court or District Court. Use the Odyssey court portal for those cases. Odyssey shows case numbers, hearing dates, judges, and docket entries across Washington courts.

The roster tells you where the person is. The court docket tells you what comes next. For Seattle cases, you may need two court systems depending on whether the charge is a city code violation or a state law charge.

Custody Alerts for Seattle Inmates

The VINE service sends free custody alerts for people held in King County jail. Sign up with a name and phone number. VINE sends a call, text, or email when the person is booked, moved, or released. It also covers state prison data through the DOC link. The service is confidential.

VINE has a short lag from the jail event to the alert. For the most current data on a Seattle booking, call the King County Correctional Facility at 206-296-1234 or the Maleng Regional Justice Center at 206-205-9700.

Note: VINE alerts are free and work for all Seattle jail roster bookings in King County facilities.

Statewide Tools for Seattle Lookups

When the King County roster has no match, try the state tools. The DOC Incarcerated Search covers people in state prisons after sentencing. The DOC Search Resources page links to federal locators. For conviction history data, use the WATCH service from the State Patrol.

The state DOC was set up under RCW 72.09 and runs all adult prisons in Washington. A Seattle arrest that ends in a prison sentence moves from the King County Jail to a DOC facility like Monroe Correctional Complex or the Washington State Penitentiary. The county roster drops the record and the DOC search picks it up. The DOC also runs a Public Records Office for prison and supervision data not in the online search.

Filing a Records Request in Seattle

For jail records not available online, submit a public records request to the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. Use the King County Public Records Portal, mail, or in person. For city police data, use the SPD Public Records Request Center. Key details:

• Put the request in writing
• Name the person and the dates you want
• The agency must respond within five business days
• No reason needed
• Fees may apply for copies per RCW 42.56
• Medical records go through the jail medical unit

For juvenile records, contact the King County juvenile division at 206-477-9890. Juvenile files have extra protections under state and federal law. King County interpreter services cover more than 140 languages. Call 206-477-1415 or email scinterp@kingcounty.gov if you need language help with a records request.

Nearby Cities and Counties

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