Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-778-6500
How do you find someone who is in jail in the Whatcom County Jail?
How do I find out if someone was arrested in Bellingham or Whatcom County?
What information is included in jail booking records and the jail roster?
How often are online jail booking records and rosters updated?
How do I find an inmate that is in the Whatcom County Jail?
Whatcom County Jail Inmate Services Information
How do I find a prisoner that is in the Washington State Prison system?
How do I find a prisoner who is in the Federal Bureau of Prisons?
How do I find an immigration detainee who is being held in an ICE facility?
How do I find someone who is in juvenile detention in Whatcom County, or in Washington?
How do I get information on someone who is in jail in Whatcom County?
Who can I call to find an inmate in Whatcom County?
What if I can’t find an inmate, even though I know that they are in custody in Whatcom County?
An inmate’s family member just died; how can I let them know right away?
An inmate’s family member just died; will they be allowed to attend the funeral?
What determines whether an inmate is placed in minimum, low, medium or high security facilities?
What information is available to the public about an inmate in the Whatcom County Jail?
How do I find old Whatcom County Jail inmate records from years ago?
How do I have my jail record from an arrest in Whatcom County sealed?
If you cannot find the mugshot of the offender that has been arrested, it is because Whatcom County or the state of Washington has recently changed their policy regarding publicly posting them in the jail roster. However, you can write the jail at the following address and request a copy of an inmate's mugshot be mailed or sent by email to you. Make sure to include your email address in all correspondence.
Mail to:
Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
Attention: Media Relations - Inmate Mugshot Request
Mail, click on the link below, or call the facility at 360-778-6500 for the information you are looking for.
Whatcom County Jail Inmate Search
There are five ways to find out if someone was arrested in Whatcom County:
1. Look them up on the official jail inmate roster.
2. Look them up on vinelink.com, a national inmate tracking resource.
3. Call the jail at 360-778-6500. This is available 24 hours a day.
4. Write or visit the jail and request information.
You can reach them at:
Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
5. Do a search online using this person’s name, the town or city you think they were arrested in, and the crime you think they were arrested for. Sometimes the local newspaper, police department or sheriff’s office will have a daily police blotter published on their website.
Jail booking records, also known as the jail roster, typically include the following information:
• Full name of the inmate
• Inmate's physical characteristics (age, sex, height, weight, etc.)
• Inmate’s mugshot(s)
• Booking number, Inmate ID#, Jacket #, etc.
• Booking date and time
• Charges or offense details – the applicable statute
• Bond or bail amount, if applicable
• Court date, if set, plus the court name and location
• Previous arrests in this jurisdiction, conviction details, and sentence
Most jails update their records at least once per day. Some booking information is updated as often as every 15 minutes in the roster.
From the time a person is first arrested until when they are booked in the Whatcom County Jail, it can be as short as a couple of hours, up to 24 hours, or even longer if they were arrested during a major event such as a protest or riot in which hundreds of people were arrested at the same time.
There are seven ways to find an inmate in Whatcom County or the Whatcom County Jail:
1. Look them up on the official jail inmate roster.
2. Look them up on vinelink.com, a national inmate tracking resource.
3. Call the jail at 360-778-6500. This is available 24 hours a day.
4. Call local police departments in Whatcom County. Sometimes the local jails will hold recent arrestees for up to 72 hours before transporting them the Whatcom County Jail.
5. Check with the jails in neighboring counties and look up their rosters. It is always possible they were arrested there instead of Whatcom County.
6. Write or visit the jail and request information.
Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
7. Do a search online using this person’s name, the town or city you think they were arrested in, and the crime you think they were arrested for. Sometimes the local newspaper, police department or sheriff’s office will have a daily police blotter published on their website as well.
You can find an inmate in the Washington Department of Corrections by searching for them on the State Prison Locator, Vinelink.com (a nationwide inmate locator resource), or by calling the Department of Corrections.
NOTE: If an alien is arrested for a state crime, you will still be able to locate them in the police jail or the county jail where they were arrested. If it was a misdemeanor crime, they would do their time in the Whatcom County Jail or the county jail where they were arrested and convicted.
If they were convicted of a Washington state felony and sent to state prison, and not deported, then you can locate them in the Washington state prison system.
In the United States, a juvenile is a person under the age of 18. If a juvenile is arrested for a crime, it is unlikely that their name will be publicly listed on an inmate search page or detention center roster, or will be released to the public. Only the juvenile’s parents or legal guardians will be given that information.
Review the juvenile detention centers in Whatcom County or call the Sheriff's Department at 360-778-6500.
If the crime is a serious felony such as Capital Murder, some states will release their name to the public, either when they are first arrested or after they are convicted. However, in general, it is unlikely that an inmate who is a juvenile will have their name released in any public way.
For online searches, if you want to see if someone is in jail in Whatcom County.
If you want a list of all the other county jail inmate searches in Washington.
If you want a list of all the county jails in the United States.
If you want to look up an inmate in any of the Washington state prisons. To look up the prisons in Washington.
If you want detailed information on a particular inmate in in jail in Whatcom County, and you can’t find it online in the jail inmate roster, your only other option is to either call the jail at 360-778-6500, go to the jail in person and ask, or write them at:
Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
That said, most jails will limit the amount of information that they give to the public about an inmate in their roster because the offender is considered innocent until proven guilty, and thus is afforded a certain amount of privacy.
Once an offender is convicted, you are far more likely to find out information about them.
If you are good at using Google, you can dig into a person’s past and learn as much information about anyone as someone in the media can.
You can also search a website that has all the public records about people. One of the best online websites we found will cost you only $1.00.
To find an inmate in custody or ask about their roster in Whatcom County call 360-778-6500 24 hours a day.
No. Even though 99.9% of all pre-trial and convicted inmates are kept in Whatcom County Washington where they were arrested and/or convicted, they can be kept in any US jail or prison that will have them. This is seen in circumstances where a jurisdiction is overcrowded, or an inmate is moved for their safety. That said, a person must stand trial where they were arrested unless the presiding judge or prosecuting attorney agrees to move the offender’s trial to a different jurisdiction if it is likely they will not get a fair trial.
If you know an inmate is in custody in Whatcom County, and you can’t find them, it can mean one of several things:
1. Either you or the jail has the spelling of the inmate’s name inputted incorrectly.
2. The jail has not yet updated their booking information or roster.
3. The inmate has already been released.
4. The inmate has either been arrested or is being housed in another jail.
5. The inmate is underage; therefore, it is illegal to post their information, or the inmate you are trying to find had their age incorrectly listed as someone under age 18.
Same answer as that above. If you know an inmate is in custody in Whatcom County, but your search comes back in the roster as “no record found.”, it can mean one of several things:
1. Either you or the jail has the spelling of the inmate’s name wrong.
2. The jail has not yet updated their booking information or roster.
3. The inmate has already been released.
4. The inmate has either been arrested or is being housed in another jail.
5. The inmate is underage; therefore it is illegal to post their information, or the inmate you are trying to find had their age incorrectly listed as someone under age 18.
If your record of arrest and booking is still showing online, even though you were released, it is because some jails allow that information to remain public indefinitely. Unfortunately, even though the charges against you may have been dropped, many jails will not erase that information from their public records voluntarily.
In a situation like this your only option will be to get an attorney and request they petition the court to force the jail to remove this information. That said, if you were in fact found guilty of the crime you were arrested for, it is unlikely they will remove the information surrounding your arrest and conviction.
Call the Whatcom County Jail immediately at 360-778-6500.
The death of a family member is one of the few times, if not the only time, that a jail will take a message for an inmate. Because of the sensitivity of the tragic news, when a family member has died, the news will be transmitted by a member of the clergy, a counselor or someone who is very high ranking within the jail.
Jail management understands that a sudden death of a loved one could cause a violent emotional response that jeopardizes the safety of staff or other inmates.
The death of a family member is one of the few times, if not the only time, that the Whatcom County Jail will allow an inmate, whether it pre-trial or post-conviction, to be allowed outside of the jail. Even if they are allowed outside the jail, they will have to have at least two armed escorts. An inmate attending a funeral is an extraordinary cost, use of staff and potential danger to the public. That is why it is rarely allowed.
This is not always the case though, and whether an inmate can attend a funeral depends on the inmate’s security classification, whether the jail has the staff to handle it, official jail policy, whether or not the inmate has an attorney that can push the right people, including the judge overseeing the inmate’s case, etc.
Call them at 360-778-6500 and start the process for special permission.
An inmate’s security classification depends on the following:
1. The inmate’s current crime.
2. The inmate previous crimes.
3. The inmate’s history for violence within the walls of the facility.
4. The inmate’s gang affiliation.
5. The jail's current distribution of inmates.
It's ultimately up to the Whatcom County Jail where the inmates are housed, and what restrictions they will have.
The information that a jail or court releases publicly about an inmate depends on the laws in the state, the policy of the jail, and the sheriff’s or warden’s individual decision.
Jail booking records and rosters can include more or less, the following information:
• Full name of the inmate
• Inmate's physical characteristics (age, sex, height, weight, etc.)
• Inmate’s mugshot(s)
• Booking number, Inmate ID#, Jacket #, etc.
• Booking date and time
• Charges or offense details – the applicable statute
• Bond or bail amount, if applicable
• Court date, if set, plus the court name and location
• Previous arrests in this jurisdiction, conviction details, and sentence
Vinelink, which you will see referenced when discussing public information about offenders and inmates, is a national public roster that both allows the public to look up and see the person’s status, plus be able to track their movements, whether it involves being transferred from one facility to another or being released from custody.
The tracking feature is especially helpful for those who are victims of, or witnesses to, a crime and fear that the release of an offender may be dangerous to them or someone close to them.
Anyone can register with Vine to receive automated notifications via email, text or phone. It is available in 48 states and 2,900 jails and prisons.
Here is a short video explaining why it started and how it works.
To find jail records that go back many years really depends on how far you want to go back, however you would need to send a written request to the county sheriff as follows:
Whatcom County Sheriff
Att: Jail Records
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
Let them know the inmate’s name, any aliases, date of birth, the date range that the inmate may have been incarcerated, the crime they were charged with/convicted of, and any other helpful information you can think of.
To have your jail records sealed, you will have to have the crime you were convicted of expunged. You should know up front that not all crimes are eligible for expungement.
1. Hire a lawyer that specializes in expungement.
2. If your crime is eligible, they will contact the District Attorney's office in the judicial district where you were charged or convicted.
3. They will file a petition with the court where you were charged or convicted.
4. The entire process may take 1-2 years.
To get prison records from the state of Washington, you will need to send a written request to the state prison system in Washington. Begin your search for a state prison record request.
Let them know the inmate’s name, any aliases, date of birth, the date range that the inmate may have been incarcerated, the crime they were charged with/convicted of, the name of the facility you believe they were incarcerated in, plus any other helpful information you can think of.
Click the links above, or the button below.
Whatcom County Jail Inmate Services Information
Phone: 360-778-6500
Physical Address:
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID #
Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
Mailing Address (legal mail or subscriptions):
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID #
Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
Every year Whatcom County law enforcement agencies arrest and detain 14,600 offenders, and maintain an average of 730 inmates (county-wide) in their custody on any given day.
The weekly turnover rate of inmates is approximately 55%, meaning that every week more than half of these inmates are released and then replaced with new offenders being booked into jail.
The charts below break down the men, women, races, ethnicities and the types of crimes that people are arrested and incarcerated for in both Whatcom County and state prisons throughout the country. This information is compiled from local police and the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department, as well as the state of Washington and the United States Department of Justice and Census Bureau.
If you are looking for a prisoner in Washington or Federal custody, click on the appropriate institution below.
If you are searching for an inmate being held in another county in Washington, click below.
STATE OF Washington COUNTY JAILS
If you are searching for a prisoner in a Washington State Prison click below.
Washington Prison Inmate Search
If you are searching for a United States Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate click below.
Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Search
For ICE Detainees (Immigration) being held at a detention facility in the United States, click below.
| Race | Inmates | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| White | 385 | 67.19% |
| Black | 18 | 3.14% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 108 | 18.85% |
| American Indian/Native Alaskan | 18 | 3.14% |
| Asian | 27 | 4.71% |
| Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian | 8 | 1.40% |
| Other | 9 | 1.57% |
| Total | 573 | 100.0% |
(many inmates have multiple charges)
| Charge | Inmates | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Felony (3rd Degree) | 134 | 23.39% |
| Felony (2rd Degree) | 148 | 25.83% |
| Felony (1st Degree) | 31 | 5.41% |
| State Jail Felony | 0 | 0.00% |
| Felony (Uncategorized) | 84 | 14.66% |
| Misdemeanor (Class A) | 176 | 30.72% |
| Misdemeanor (Class C) | 0 | 0.00% |
| Holds | 0 | 0.00% |
| Uncategorized | 0 | 0.00% |
| Sex | Inmates | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 506 | 88.31% |
| Female | 67 | 11.69% |
| Total | 573 | 100.0% |
| Age | Inmates | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 9 | 1.57% |
| 18-20 | 40 | 6.98% |
| 21-24 | 68 | 11.87% |
| 25-30 | 115 | 20.07% |
| 31-35 | 77 | 13.44% |
| 36-40 | 68 | 11.87% |
| 41-45 | 72 | 12.57% |
| 46-50 | 42 | 7.33% |
| 51-55 | 31 | 5.41% |
| 56-60 | 26 | 4.54% |
| 61-65 | 13 | 2.27% |
| 66-75 | 8 | 1.40% |
| 76-85 | 4 | 0.70% |
| Total | 573 | 100.0% |