Grant County Jail Roster

The Grant County jail roster tracks inmates held at the Grant County Jail in Elbow Lake, Minnesota. This is a small, rural county jail run by the Grant County Sheriff's Office. To find someone in custody, you can contact the sheriff directly or check through statewide tools like VINELink. Grant County is in west-central Minnesota and has a small population, so the jail roster tends to be short. But all bookings are still public record under Minnesota law, and you have the right to ask for this data at any time.

Finding Inmates on Grant County Jail Roster

Grant County is one of the smaller counties in Minnesota. The jail does not have a dedicated online roster page like some of the bigger counties. To check who is in custody, your best option is to call the Grant County Sheriff's Office at 218-685-8280. Staff can tell you if a specific person is being held at the jail.

You can also use VINELink to search for inmates across Minnesota. VINELink covers most participating counties and lets you look up custody status by name. If the person has been booked into the Grant County Jail, they should show up in the system. You can register for automatic alerts when their status changes. The phone number for VINELink is 1-877-MN-4-VINE (1-877-664-8463).

The Grant County website has general information about the sheriff's office and county services. While it may not post a live jail roster, it does provide contact info and links to other resources that can help you find what you need.

Grant County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Jon Combs leads the Grant County Sheriff's Office. Chief Deputy Jennifer Vipond is second in command. The office is at 10 2nd Street NE in Elbow Lake, MN 56531. You can reach them at 218-685-8280.

The sheriff's office handles all law enforcement for the county, including jail operations, patrol, civil process, and investigations. Under Minnesota Statute 387.03, the sheriff has broad authority over these duties. Grant County is rural and covers a lot of ground, so the office works with surrounding agencies for mutual aid when needed.

Body Worn Cameras and Public Transparency

Grant County recently received a federal grant through the BJA Body Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program. The plan is to equip all licensed peace officers with body worn cameras. The office already uses in-car mobile cameras in squad vehicles. Public Safety Aid Program funding from 2023 helps pay for the new equipment.

Under Minnesota Statute 626.8473, law enforcement agencies must allow public comment before adopting a body worn camera policy. Grant County held a public hearing on October 21, 2025, with the County Commissioners. The policy is available as document #428 on the county website. Video data from body cameras is subject to Minnesota data privacy rules. In most cases, body camera footage is not considered public data, though there are exceptions.

This matters for jail roster searches because it shows Grant County's commitment to transparency and accountability. The sheriff's office makes an effort to keep the public informed about policies and procedures that affect their operations, including how they handle inmate data and law enforcement records.

Grant County Jail Roster and Minnesota Data Law

Even though Grant County is small, the same data practices laws apply here as in every other Minnesota county. Statute 13.82 makes law enforcement data public. Statute 641.05 requires the sheriff to keep a register of everyone held in the jail. That register includes names, ages, dates, and reasons for being held. You can ask the sheriff's office for this data at any time. They must provide it.

Statute 13.85 covers data on people in correctional facilities. It works alongside Statute 13.82 to ensure that basic booking data is accessible. If you want to know who is on the Grant County jail roster, call the office or use VINELink. The information is yours by law.

Note: Grant County's jail may hold inmates for short periods before transferring them to a larger facility in a neighboring county.

Grant County Screenshot

The Grant County website is where you can find information about the sheriff's office and county services.

From this page, you can access contact info for the sheriff, learn about the body camera program, and find links to other Grant County resources.

Booking Process at Grant County Jail

When someone gets arrested in Grant County, deputies bring them to the jail in Elbow Lake for booking. The process starts with collecting personal information, taking a photo, and recording fingerprints. Staff log the charges and any warrants tied to the person. The booking creates the record that appears on the Grant County jail roster.

After booking, the person either posts bail or waits for a court appearance. Bail amounts depend on the charges. For minor offenses, it might be a few hundred dollars. More serious charges can mean higher bail or no bail at all. Call the sheriff's office at 218-685-8280 to find out what bail has been set. Cash is the most common form of payment. Release after posting bail takes a few hours while staff process the paperwork and return personal property.

Grant County processes fewer bookings than larger counties, but each one follows the same steps required by state law. MN Stat. § 641.05 spells out what the sheriff must record for every person brought into the jail. The register tracks names, ages, commitment dates, and the reason for being held. That data stays on file even after the person is released. If you need old booking records from the Grant County jail, contact the sheriff's office and ask about their records retention policy. Standard copy fees apply for any documents you request.

Nearby Counties

If the person you are looking for is not in the Grant County jail, check these nearby county jails.