Records Division

The Records Division is responsible for processing and maintaining crime and arrest records, traffic accident reports, citations and related documents in order to provide information to other divisions within the Sheriff’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office, the Court System, other law enforcement agencies and to the general public. 

Records are classified as “Confidential”, “Private”, and “Public” and a determination is made by Records Division staff, under State Data Practices guidelines, as to when a record can be released, who it can be released to, or whether a record can be released at all. 

• Office Locations: The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office has a Records Division in each of its 3 main office locations: Hibbing Court House, Virginia Court House and in Duluth at the Public Safety Building, 2030 N Arlington Avenue.  The Public Safety Building houses the Central Records Division and is the central repository for all Sheriff’s Office criminal case files in St. Louis County.  Central Records can be reached by calling 218-336-4361.

• Accident or Incident Reports: Most incidents involving the attention of a St. Louis County Deputy will be documented on an Incident Report form.  The status of the case determines what information, if any, is releasable to the public or to involved parties.  Most Incident Reports are public information unless: it is an active investigation, court action is still pending, juveniles are involved, or information is classified as confidential or private.

• Background Checks:  Law enforcement is limited by state and federal law as to the type of backgrounds that can be performed on individuals for private, non-law enforcement purposes.  State law provides that law enforcement can do a background clearance on anyone operating a daycare program (licensed or non-licensed) or foster care home in St. Louis County.  A criminal history is run on the operator and all persons living at the residence, through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s criminal files.  Similar criminal histories are run on all applicants of liquor licensed issued to rural St. Louis County applicants.

  More extensive criminal histories are run through both Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) files and FBI files on applicants of firearms permits and explosive permits.  None of this information is releasable to the applicant.

  In most cases when an individual is looking for background information on themselves or another individual, law enforcement is limited by state and federal law as to what data can be released and what sources can be tapped for information.  Local background checks through only St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office criminal case files is often times the only source allowed to access.  

  The following site will give you more information on how you can obtain your background check Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

• Fees:  There is a fee charge for all case file data at a rate of .25 per page copied, or .50 for a two-sided copy, if the request is for 100 or fewer pages of black and white, letter or legal sized paper copies.  For copies of other data (more than 100 paper copies, photographs, data on a CD or DVD, data stored electronically, etc.) the actual cost for an employee to search for and retrieve the data, and to make copies will be charged.
  Learn more about Fees...