Chippewa County Jail Mugshots
Chippewa County jail mugshots and inmate booking records are managed by the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office in Montevideo, Minnesota. The county jail holds people who are in custody awaiting court hearings or serving short sentences. You can search current inmates through the county's online custody list, which shows booking photos, charges, and bail information in real time. This page explains how to find Chippewa County jail mugshots, what the online system shows, and how to request records if you need official copies.
Chippewa County Overview
Chippewa County Sheriff's Office and Jail
The Chippewa County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail at 629 N 11th Street in Montevideo. The Law Enforcement Center sits at the same address. Staff there handle custody inquiries, records requests, and any questions you might have about someone in the jail. The Sheriff's Office phone is 320-269-2121. Regular office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
The facility holds people charged with crimes ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. It also handles courtesy detention for tribal courts, including cases that come from the Kickapoo Tribal Court. If someone you know is in Chippewa County custody, the online system is the fastest way to check. For anything you can't find online, call the office directly during business hours.
| Address | 629 N 11th Street, Montevideo, MN 56265 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 320-269-2121 |
| Hours | Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM |
| County Website | chippewa.mn |
| Sheriff's Office | chippewa.mn/departments/sheriff |
The county's Law Enforcement Technology Gateway system is the platform used to publish custody data publicly. It runs separately from the main county website. You can reach it at letg.chippewa.mn, which serves as the central hub for the custody list and related search tools.
Search Chippewa County Jail Mugshots Online
Chippewa County offers a real-time online custody list through its Law Enforcement Technology Gateway system. This is one of the more complete roster systems in outstate Minnesota. The list updates as bookings happen, so what you see reflects current custody status. You can access it directly at letg.chippewa.mn/custody.html.
The custody list shows a lot of detail for each inmate. You get the person's booking photo right in the results table. Other data includes the MNI number (that's the state-issued Minnesota identification number), the full name, sex, age, booking number, intake date, charges filed, bail amount, and whether bail has been received. That's a solid amount of information for a county this size, and it's all accessible without logging in.
To search, enter a first name, last name, or both. You can also filter by date of birth or booking number if you have that info. An intake date range search lets you pull records from a specific window of time. If you just want to browse everyone currently in custody, you can leave the fields blank and view the full list.
The Chippewa County online system also pulls in the VINE inmate notification service. The VINE inmate locator lets family members sign up for alerts when someone's custody status changes. That's a useful tool on top of the direct roster search. For state prison inmates who may have been transferred out of the county jail, check the MNDOC Offender Locator.
Note: The online roster reflects real-time data but contact the Sheriff's Office at 320-269-2121 to confirm custody status for urgent matters.
How to Request Booking Photos from Chippewa County
Booking photos taken at the Chippewa County jail are public data under Minnesota law. Most of the time you can see the mugshot right on the online custody list without making a formal request. But if you need an official copy or a photo from a past booking that's no longer on the live roster, you'll need to contact the Sheriff's Administration Office.
Under Minnesota Statute 13.82, arrest and booking data is classified as public. That includes booking photos in most circumstances. You have the right to ask for these records. Call 320-269-2121 or go in person to 629 N 11th Street, Montevideo, MN 56265. A formal written request may be required under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
The standard copy fee in Minnesota is $0.25 per page for paper documents. Digital records may be handled differently. The state requires government agencies to respond to data requests within 10 business days under Minnesota Statute 13.03. The Minnesota Department of Administration's Information Policy Division can help if you have trouble getting a response.
What the Chippewa County Custody List Shows
The Chippewa County online custody list via the LETG system is more detailed than many rural counties. The roster includes the following data fields for each person in custody:
- Photo (mugshot displayed inline)
- MNI number (Minnesota state ID)
- Full name, sex, and age
- Booking number and intake date
- Current charges with statute numbers
- Bail or bond amount and payment status
Having charges listed with statute numbers is helpful. You can look up what the statute covers using the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes website. This gives you full context on what someone is being held for rather than just a vague charge description. The bail status column also tells you whether a bond has been posted, which affects whether someone is still in custody.
Note: Charges shown on the custody list are initial booking charges. They may be amended or dropped as the case moves through the court system.
Legal Framework for Chippewa County Jail Records
Minnesota has a strong public records framework for jail data. Minnesota Statute 13.82 makes arrest and booking data public. This includes names, dates, charges, booking numbers, and photos. The law applies to all county jails in the state, including Chippewa County. The county cannot withhold this information without a specific legal reason to do so.
County jails operate under Minnesota Statute 641.05, which requires sheriffs to maintain a jail register documenting every person committed to custody. That register is a public record. Minnesota Statute 641.08 sets out what the public can access. These two statutes define the minimum level of transparency required from county jails across Minnesota.
Sentenced offender records fall under Minnesota Statute 13.85, which covers correctional data. That section has tighter restrictions on some data. For court records related to Chippewa County cases, the Minnesota Trial Court Public Access system lets you search case filings online. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension handles statewide background checks through chs.state.mn.us for a small fee.
Chippewa County Jail Mugshots - Online Custody List
The Chippewa County Sheriff's Office uses the Law Enforcement Technology Gateway to publish its online custody list. The screenshot below shows the LETG system at letg.chippewa.mn/custody.html, which displays current inmates and their booking photos.
The custody list updates in real time. Each record shows the inmate's photo, booking number, charges, and bail status directly in the table.
The LETG system homepage at letg.chippewa.mn is the Law Enforcement Technology Gateway for Chippewa County. The image below shows what the gateway portal looks like when you land on the main page.
From the gateway portal, you can navigate to the custody list, search tools, and any other public records published by the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office.
Nearby Counties
Search jail mugshot records in counties near Chippewa County.