Allegan County Booking Records

Allegan County recent bookings come through the Sheriff's Office and Corrections Center in the city of Allegan. This western Michigan county has about 120,000 residents and a jail that processes a steady flow of arrests. The county offers an online inmate lookup tool where you can search by name or booking number. Mugshots are posted with booking results. You can also call the jail at 269-673-0446 or file a FOIA request to get detailed booking records. The Sheriff's main line is 269-673-0500. This page covers all the ways to search for recent bookings in Allegan County.

Allegan County Sheriff's Office

The Allegan County Sheriff's Office handles all arrests and bookings for the county. The jail and corrections center are at 640 River Street in Allegan. You can reach the main office at 269-673-0500 and the jail directly at 269-673-0446. The office serves a county of roughly 120,000 people in west Michigan, just east of Lake Michigan and south of Grand Rapids.

When someone is arrested in Allegan County, they go through booking at the corrections center. The process creates a record that includes the person's name, charges, bond amount, mugshot, and custody status. These records are public under Michigan law. The jail also handles visitation and inmate communication services for people being held before trial or serving short sentences.

Visitation at the Allegan County Jail runs on a set schedule. Non-contact visits happen through glass partitions. Monday through Friday hours are 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Weekends run 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Each person gets two 30-minute visits per week. You must be on the approved visitor list.

Search Allegan County Recent Bookings

Allegan County has an online inmate lookup tool. Go to the Allegan County Inmate Lookup page and enter a last name and first name, or use a booking number. The system pulls up current inmates with their mugshot, charges, bond info, and custody status. This is the fastest way to check who is in the Allegan County Jail right now.

If the online lookup is down or you need more detail, call the jail at 269-673-0446. Staff can search by name or booking number and share what they find over the phone. For money deposits, you can send funds online or by money order. Call the jail for current deposit instructions.

Statewide tools work for Allegan County too. The ICHAT system at apps.michigan.gov/ichat pulls conviction records for $10 per search. VINELink at vinelink.com tracks custody status for free. The MDOC OTIS portal at michigan.gov/corrections/offender-search covers state prison inmates only.

VINELink covers all Michigan county jails and lets you register for status change alerts.

Allegan County Records Requests

The Michigan FOIA law under MCL 15.231 gives you the right to request booking records from the Allegan County Sheriff. Email your request to sheriff@allegancounty.org or mail it to 640 River Street, Allegan, MI 49010. Describe the records you need with as much detail as you can. Names, dates, and types of records help the staff find what you want faster.

The county must respond in 5 business days. Copy fees are typically $0.10 per page. Labor may be billed extra for large requests. Mugshots are public records in Michigan, as the court established in Patterson v. Allegan County Sheriff (502 N.W.2d 368). That case actually came from this very county. It set the precedent that booking photos of arrested and charged people must be released under FOIA.

Some records are exempt from release. Medical and mental health data cannot be shared. Information that could compromise jail security is also protected under MCL 15.243. Ongoing investigation details may be withheld too. If your request is denied in whole or part, the response must state which exemption applies.

The 2022 Michigan Supreme Court ruling in the Calhoun County case further confirmed that jail records held on behalf of federal agencies are still subject to state FOIA. This applies to all Michigan counties including Allegan.

Note: The Patterson v. Allegan County Sheriff ruling remains a key Michigan precedent for public access to mugshots.

Allegan County Booking Record Details

Booking records from Allegan County include the standard set of information you would expect. The person's full name, date of birth, physical description, and address. The charges filed against them. Bond amount and conditions. The arresting agency and date of arrest. Mugshots are part of the record and are available online through the inmate lookup tool.

If the person was convicted, that data feeds into the statewide ICHAT system under MCL 28.241. Felonies and misdemeanors carrying more than 93 days of jail time get reported by all 83 Michigan counties to the Criminal Justice Information Center. Local misdemeanors with shorter sentences may not show up in ICHAT but will still be in the county court records.

Court records for Allegan County cases go through the 48th Circuit Court for felonies and the 57th District Court for misdemeanors. Both are open to the public under MCL 600.880. You can contact the court clerk for copies. The Sex Offender Registry at michigan.gov is free and shows registered offenders in Allegan County. The Statewide Records Management System at michigan.gov/msp/le/srms helps local law enforcement share data, though the public cannot access it directly.

Nearby Counties

Allegan County borders several other west Michigan counties. People arrested near county lines may be booked in a neighboring jurisdiction depending on which agency made the arrest.