Colorado Springs Booking Records
Colorado Springs is the largest city in El Paso County and the second largest in the state. When someone gets arrested here, they go through the El Paso County jail for booking. The county sheriff posts all recent bookings online where anyone can search them for free. You can look up inmates by name and see their charges, bond amounts, and booking dates. The inmate search tool updates throughout the day as new arrests get processed. This system gives you access to current jail rosters and booking information from Colorado Springs and other parts of El Paso County.
El Paso County Jail Bookings
All Colorado Springs arrests go through El Paso County for processing and detention. The county operates the main jail facility. Colorado Springs Police Department makes arrests but the sheriff's office handles booking and custody. Anyone arrested in the city ends up in the county system.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office runs the detention center and posts booking records online. Their inmate search portal is free to use any time. You type in a name and get results from the current jail population. The system shows people arrested by Colorado Springs Police as well as other agencies in El Paso County. Over 494,000 people live in Colorado Springs which means the jail processes hundreds of bookings each month.
The county jail is located at 27 East Vermijo Avenue in Colorado Springs. This facility holds people awaiting trial and those serving short sentences. If you need to contact the jail, call the booking desk at 719-390-2151. The sheriff's office main number is 719-520-7177 for general questions about inmates or jail operations.
Colorado Springs Police Records
The Colorado Springs Police Department handles law enforcement for the city. When officers make an arrest, they create a police report. You can request copies of these reports through the police department. The city has a records division that processes all requests for police documents.
To get a police report or arrest record, you need to contact Records & Identification at 719-444-7463. The police department charges $10 for most record types. This includes police reports, traffic accident reports, and booking photographs. Each item costs $10 and takes about 15 minutes to process. If your request takes longer than 15 minutes, they charge an additional $10 per 15 minutes up to $30 per hour.
You can request records in person at 705 S Nevada Ave in Colorado Springs. The police department also accepts requests by phone and mail. Background checks cost $10 and take 15 minutes. Sex offender reports are also $10. If you need a booking photo, that is a separate $10 fee. Call for service records cost $10 as well.
Body-worn camera video requires a different request process. You must fill out a separate form for video records. The police department handles these requests differently from regular police reports. Contact the records division for details on how to request body camera footage.
Note: Police reports show what happened during an arrest but jail booking records come from the sheriff's office, not the police department.
How to Search for Inmates
The El Paso County inmate search lets you find anyone currently in jail or recently booked. Go to the sheriff's website and click on the inmate search link. You can search by first name, last name, or both. The system shows all matching records from the jail database.
Search results include the person's name, age, booking date, and current location in the jail. You can click on a name to see full details. The detail page shows all charges filed, bond amounts, and upcoming court dates. It also lists the arresting agency so you know if Colorado Springs Police made the arrest or if it was another department in the county.
El Paso County updates the inmate database in real time. New bookings appear as soon as they get processed at the jail. If someone was just arrested, give it a few hours for their information to show up in the system. The jail operates around the clock so you can search at any time day or night.
Public Records Law
Colorado requires county jails to keep a daily record of all inmates per C.R.S. 17-26-118. This log must list each person's name, booking date, date of birth, charges, and bond. The law says these logs are public records available at all reasonable times. El Paso County provides online access so anyone can search booking information without going to the jail in person.
The Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act in C.R.S. 24-72-301 covers how agencies release arrest records. Booking information counts as an official action record under this law. Agencies must make these records available to the public. El Paso County meets this requirement by posting inmate data on the sheriff's website. You do not need to file a formal records request to search basic booking info.
If you want detailed arrest records or booking photos, you may need to submit a written request to the sheriff's office. Requests for records up to 10 pages cost $8 for review and redaction. Over 10 pages costs $8 plus 25 cents per page. You can request records in person, by mail, by email, or through an online form on the sheriff's website. The county tries to respond within three working days as required by the Colorado Open Records Act.
Anyone requesting mug shots must sign a statement that they will not use the photos for profit. This comes from C.R.S. 24-72-305.5. The pecuniary gain statement prevents websites from charging people to remove their booking photos. The sheriff's office provides this form when you request booking photographs.
Court Cases in Colorado Springs
People arrested in Colorado Springs appear in El Paso County courts. The county has multiple courthouses. Most criminal cases go through the court at 270 S Tejon St in Colorado Springs. You can search court dockets through the Colorado Judicial Branch website. The docket search shows upcoming court dates and case information for anyone with charges in El Paso County.
After an arrest, the person usually sees a judge within 48 hours for a first appearance. This is where bond gets set. The court docket will show when the next court date is scheduled. You can search by name or case number to find this information. Court records are public so anyone can look them up.
If you need legal help, the court appoints a public defender for people who cannot afford a lawyer. El Paso County has a public defender office that handles cases for those who qualify. You can also contact private criminal defense attorneys in Colorado Springs. The Colorado Bar Association offers a lawyer referral service if you need to find an attorney.
Arrest Data for El Paso County
The sheriff's office releases arrest statistics each year. In 2024, El Paso County had 685 total arrests for violent crimes, DUI, and drug offenses. Violent crimes made up 239 of these arrests. DUI crimes accounted for 242 arrests. Drug offenses totaled 204 arrests. These numbers only cover certain crime types so the actual total of all arrests is much higher.
Colorado Springs makes up most of El Paso County's population so many of these arrests happen in the city. The police department is one of the busiest in Colorado. Hundreds of people get booked into the county jail each month from Colorado Springs arrests alone. The jail population fluctuates based on arrest rates and how quickly cases move through court.
Other Resources
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation maintains statewide criminal history records. You can request a background check through CBI if you need someone's full arrest history from anywhere in Colorado. These checks cost $6 per search result. The CBI database includes fingerprint-based arrest records from all Colorado agencies.
For information about inmates in state prison, check the Colorado Department of Corrections website. CDOC has a separate inmate locator for people serving sentences in state facilities. County jail records and state prison records are different systems. If someone is not in the El Paso County jail, they might be in state custody instead.
Nearby City Bookings
Pueblo is about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs in Pueblo County. Pueblo arrests go through a different jail system run by Pueblo County Sheriff. Denver is north of Colorado Springs and operates its own city and county jail. Aurora is near Denver in Arapahoe County. Each of these cities books arrests into their own county jail.
Fountain is a smaller city in El Paso County just south of Colorado Springs. Fountain arrests show up in the El Paso County inmate search along with Colorado Springs bookings. Any arrest in El Paso County goes through the same jail system regardless of which city it happens in.