Seattle 72 Hour Booking Records

Seattle 72 Hour Booking records list people arrested by the Seattle Police Department in the past three days. Seattle is the largest city in Washington and sits in King County. People booked in Seattle are taken to the King County Correctional Facility downtown. To find a recent arrest, you can use the King County JILS subject lookup, the Seattle Municipal Court portal, or send a public records request to the Seattle Police Public Disclosure Unit. This page shows where the data lives, what shows up on a booking sheet, and how to ask for the full report.

Where to Find Seattle 72 Hour Booking Records

Seattle Police book people at the King County Correctional Facility at 500 5th Avenue. The King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention runs the facility. The same agency runs the JILS subject lookup, which is the main public roster for King County. JILS lists everyone in custody at the downtown jail and at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. The lookup updates many times a day. You can reach it at dajd-jms.powerappsportals.us.

JILS shows the booking date, time, charges, and bail amount. It does not show photos. The tool is free and needs no login. You search by last name, first name, or booking number. The King County Sheriff page has more on jail visiting and inmate services. For people held in federal custody after a Seattle arrest, see PACER for federal court records.

Seattle Police also post info, alerts, and a records request page at seattle.gov/police. You can use that page to start a public records request to the Public Disclosure Unit.

The Seattle Police Department site is the front door for police records and contact info. See the main page at seattle.gov/police.

The site has the records request form, the non-emergency line, and links to crime maps.

Seattle Municipal Court Case Lookup

Many Seattle 72 hour bookings end up in Seattle Municipal Court at 600 5th Avenue. The court runs a public case lookup tool with no login. You can search by case number, by name, or by date. The system shows the case number, the listed charges, the next hearing date, the courtroom, and the case status. You can reach the portal through the court site at seattle.gov/courts.

Bail and bond at the municipal court are handled at a cashier window at 600 5th Avenue. The cashier is open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. daily. After-hours bail is handled by phone at (206) 615-0850. The court takes cash, cashier's check, money order, and credit cards with a small fee. State law cases that are not in city court go to King County District Court or King County Superior Court. You can also search those courts on the Washington Courts site or the Odyssey Portal.

Note: The Seattle Municipal Court portal does not show full police reports, and you have to file a request with Seattle Police Records to get those.

The Seattle Municipal Court portal lets you search recent bookings tied to city cases. See the page at seattle.gov/courts.

The portal is free and works without a login for public case data.

How a Seattle Booking Works

An arrest in Seattle starts with a stop or a call. If the officer makes a custodial arrest, the person is taken to the downtown King County jail. The jail does the full booking. The person gets a booking number, prints, and a photo. The booking is then logged into the JILS system. Most bookings show up in the public roster within an hour or two.

State law sets the 72 hour rule. A person held on a new arrest must see a judge within three days, not counting weekends and holidays. The first hearing in city cases is at Seattle Municipal Court. Felony cases go to King County Superior Court for the first hearing. The judge sets bail or releases the person on personal recognizance.

Note: A person released at the first hearing still has a case open and a future court date.

What Shows on a Seattle Booking Record

The 72 hour booking record is a short summary of the arrest. The full police report is a longer file held by Seattle Police. Most of the booking record is open under state law.

Common fields:

• Full legal name and aliases
• Date of birth
• Booking date and time
• Arresting agency
• Listed charges
• Bail amount
• Court date and court name

Booking is not the same as a charge. The prosecutor still has to file a formal case. Some cases are dropped at the first review. The record is a snapshot of one day in the system.

Seattle Public Records Requests

Seattle Police records are public under RCW 42.56, the Washington Public Records Act. The Public Disclosure Unit handles requests. You can mail a request to PO Box 34986, Seattle, WA 98124-4986, call (206) 684-5481, or email publicdisclosure@seattle.gov. The unit asks for the basic facts of the incident, like the date, the location, and the report number if you have it. The unit must give a first response within five business days. Most reports come back within 10 business days, but a long or complex request can take longer.

Records that are open include incident reports, arrest reports, traffic collision reports, and 911 call recordings. Some items are kept back, like active investigation files, juvenile records, and confidential informant info. Jail booking data is also covered by RCW 70.48.100. The Criminal Records Privacy Act in RCW 10.97 limits how some criminal history can be shared. The MRSC public records guide has more on the rules that apply to local agencies.

Note: A request for a recent booking may take longer if the case is still open and the file has details that have to be redacted.

Seattle Booking Records and State Tools

The Washington State Patrol runs the WATCH service for state criminal history checks at wsp.wa.gov/crime/criminal-history. The Department of Corrections has a search at doc.wa.gov/information/inmate-search for people in state prison or under state supervision. The DOC also has a warrant search for people who skipped supervision. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs runs the Jail Booking and Reporting System known as JBRS. Read more at waspc.org.

Fees and copy costs vary. Plain copies of police reports under RCW 42.56 are charged by the page. WSP WATCH name checks are around $11. Most public roster tools, including JILS, Odyssey, and Find My Court Date at dw.courts.wa.gov, are free.

Nearby Cities and County

Seattle sits at the heart of King County. Use the links below for nearby cities with their own pages and the county.