Find Alpena County Recent Bookings
Alpena County recent bookings are posted on the Sheriff's Office website with mugshots and charge details. This northeast Michigan county has around 28,000 residents and a jail with 94 beds in the newer facility. Sheriff Erik Smith runs the department. The online inmate list lets you search by name, booking number, or first name. Each result shows the person's photo, height, weight, age, address, charges, and bond amount. You can also call the jail at 989-354-9830 for live updates on who is in custody. This page walks through every way to look up Alpena County booking records.
Alpena County Overview
Alpena County Sheriff's Office
The Alpena County Sheriff's Office and jail are at 4900 M-32 West in Alpena. Sheriff Erik Smith leads the department. The jail used to hold 68 inmates in the older building. A newer facility brought the capacity up to 94 beds. That is a solid increase for a county this size. The jail processes bookings around the clock and posts current inmate info on the Sheriff's website.
Alpena sits on the shore of Lake Huron in the northeast Lower Peninsula. The county covers a mix of the city of Alpena and rural townships. Most arrests in the area are handled by the Sheriff's Office or the Alpena City Police. Both agencies book people into the county jail. Call 989-354-9830 to reach the jail for any questions about current inmates or booking procedures.
The Alpena County Sheriff's website has a current inmates section with search tools and booking details.
The site displays inmate photos alongside charges, bond amounts, and physical descriptions for each person currently in custody.
| Office | Alpena County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 4900 M-32 W Alpena, MI 49707 |
| Phone | 989-354-9830 |
| Sheriff | Erik Smith |
Searching Alpena County Bookings Online
The Alpena County Sheriff posts current inmates on their website. Go to alpenasheriff.com and look for the Current Inmates section. You can search by booking number, last name, or first name. Each listing includes a mugshot, height, weight, eye color, age, home address, charges, and bond amount. This is one of the better small-county inmate lookup tools in Michigan.
For criminal history searches beyond the current jail roster, ICHAT from the Michigan State Police is the go-to tool. It covers convictions from all 83 counties under the reporting rules in MCL 28.241. A search costs $10 at apps.michigan.gov/ichat. You get results right away showing felonies and misdemeanors over 93 days.
VINELink at vinelink.com is free and tracks offender custody status statewide. Register for alerts if you want to know when someone gets released from the Alpena County Jail. The MDOC OTIS system at michigan.gov/corrections/offender-search covers state prison inmates but not county jail holds.
Alpena County Booking Record Requests
You have the right to request booking records under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231. Send a written FOIA request to the Alpena County Sheriff's Office at 4900 M-32 W, Alpena, MI 49707. Spell out exactly what you need. Include names, date ranges, and the type of records you want. The more detail you give, the faster staff can pull your records.
Michigan law requires a response within 5 business days. The county can extend that by up to 10 more days if the request is complex. Copy fees run about $0.10 per page. Labor charges may apply for requests that take a lot of time to process. People with low income can file an indigency affidavit to have the first $20 in fees waived.
Booking photos from Alpena County are public records. The Michigan court ruling in Patterson v. Allegan County Sheriff confirmed that mugshots of arrested and charged people fall under FOIA. Medical records, mental health info, and security-sensitive details are exempt under MCL 15.243. If any part of your request is denied, the county must tell you which exemption they are citing and how to appeal.
Note: Alpena County already posts mugshots online, so FOIA may only be needed for older records or additional booking details not shown on the website.
What Alpena County Bookings Include
Each booking record from Alpena County contains the person's full name, date of birth, physical description, and home address. Charges are listed with the statute numbers. Bond amount and conditions appear too. The arresting agency is noted, whether that is the Sheriff, city police, or Michigan State Police. The booking date and time round out the basic facts.
Because Alpena County posts mugshots online, you can see a current photo of each inmate. Height, weight, and eye color are listed alongside the image. This level of detail is more than many small Michigan counties provide. Court records tied to Alpena County bookings go through the 26th Circuit Court for felonies and the 88th District Court for misdemeanors. Under MCL 600.880, these court records are generally open to the public as well.
The Michigan Statewide Records Management System at michigan.gov/msp/le/srms is used by law enforcement across the state for data sharing. This system has over 35 modules and connects agencies like the Alpena County Sheriff with state-level databases. The public cannot search SRMS directly, but records within it can be obtained through FOIA. The Criminal Justice Information Center in Lansing at 517-284-6057 handles questions about criminal history access under MCL 28.243. The Sex Offender Registry at michigan.gov is a free public tool for checking registered offenders in Alpena County.
Nearby Counties
Alpena County shares borders with several northeast Michigan counties. Arrests near county lines could result in a booking in an adjacent jurisdiction.