Search Berrien County Recent Bookings
Berrien County recent bookings are searchable online through the county's inmate search tool. This southwest Michigan county has about 155,000 residents with the county seat in St. Joseph. The Sheriff's Office runs the jail at 919 Port Street. Berrien County offers one of the more detailed online search portals in the state. You can look up inmates by last name and see mugshots, charges, bond amounts, and expected release dates. The county also has a public records page for FOIA requests. Call 269-983-7141 to reach the Sheriff's Office for direct help with booking questions.
Berrien County Overview
Berrien County Sheriff's Office
The Berrien County Sheriff's main office and jail are at 919 Port Street in St. Joseph. There is also a substation in Niles at 1205 North Front Street. The main phone number is 269-983-7141. For records, use extension 7219. For inmate info, try extension 7231 or 7777.
Berrien County is in the far southwest corner of Michigan along the Indiana border and Lake Michigan. With 155,000 people, it is one of the larger counties in western Michigan. The cities of St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, and Niles all fall within Berrien County. Arrests from any of these cities and the surrounding townships go through the county jail for booking.
The booking process creates a detailed record for each person. Name, date of birth, charges, bond amount, mugshot, and expected release date are all captured. These records are public. Berrien County posts this data online through their inmate search portal. That makes it one of the easier counties in Michigan for the public to check recent bookings.
Visit the Berrien County Inmate Search page for current jail population and booking details.
The inmate search tool lets you look up people by name and displays booking photographs alongside charges and bond details.
| Office | Berrien County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Main Address | 919 Port Street St. Joseph, MI 49085 |
| Niles Substation | 1205 North Front Street Niles, MI 49085 |
| Phone | 269-983-7141 |
| Records | Ext. 7219 |
| Inmate Info | Ext. 7231 or 7777 |
How to Search Berrien County Bookings
The Berrien County Inmate Search is the best starting point. Enter a last name. You can add a first name and date of birth to narrow results. The tool shows the booking date, charges, bond info, expected release date, and mugshot for each inmate. It covers people currently in custody at the Berrien County Jail.
For phone inquiries, call 269-983-7141 and ask for extension 7231 or 7777. Staff can check custody status and share basic charge and bond info. Give them the person's full name and date of birth.
Statewide search tools work too. VINELink at vinelink.com is free and tracks custody status across Michigan jails. Sign up for alerts to get notified when someone is released. ICHAT at apps.michigan.gov/ichat handles criminal history checks for $10. It covers felonies and serious misdemeanors from all 83 counties under MCL 28.241.
Berrien County Public Records Requests
Berrien County has a dedicated Public Records page for FOIA requests. You can get booking records, arrest reports, and related documents through this process. Under MCL 15.231, all persons except incarcerated individuals have the right to request public records.
The public records page explains the process for submitting FOIA requests to Berrien County departments.
Send your FOIA request to the Berrien County Administration Center at 701 Main Street, St. Joseph, MI 49085. Be specific about what records you need. The county charges $0.25 per page for standard copies. That is higher than the typical $0.10 many Michigan counties charge. The county must respond in 5 business days under MCL 15.235, with a possible 10-day extension for complex requests.
Mugshots are public. Booking records are public. The exemptions in MCL 15.243 protect medical data, mental health info, and security-related details. If your request gets denied, the response must name the specific exemption. You can appeal or file suit in circuit court within 180 days.
Note: Berrien County charges $0.25 per page for copies, which is above the state average.
Berrien County Booking Record Details
A Berrien County booking record includes the person's full name, date of birth, charges, bond amount, mugshot, booking date, and expected release date. Physical description and arresting agency are part of the file too. The online search tool displays most of this data publicly. The full paper file may contain additional details like arresting officer notes and intake screening results.
Convictions from Berrien County get reported to the state Criminal Justice Information Center under MCL 28.243. That feeds the ICHAT database. Court records go through the 2nd Circuit Court for felonies and the 5th District Court for misdemeanors. Both are open to the public under MCL 600.880. The MDOC OTIS system at michigan.gov/corrections/offender-search tracks anyone sentenced to state prison from Berrien County. The Sex Offender Registry at michigan.gov covers registered offenders in the county.
Berrien County's location on the Indiana border means some cases involve cross-state issues. But Michigan FOIA only applies to Michigan agencies. If you need records from Indiana, that falls under a different set of laws. For Berrien County records specifically, the SRMS system at michigan.gov/msp/le/srms helps local law enforcement share data with other Michigan agencies. The Criminal Justice Information Center in Lansing can be reached at 517-284-6057 for statewide criminal history questions. The Niles substation at 1205 North Front Street also processes some arrests in the southern part of the county.
Nearby Counties
Berrien County is in the far southwest corner of Michigan, bordering Indiana and Lake Michigan. These adjacent counties may handle arrests from nearby areas.