Mishawaka Booking Reports

Mishawaka booking reports are kept by the St. Joseph County Police Department and can be searched through their online inmate tool. Mishawaka has a population of about 51,021 and sits in the northern part of Indiana next to South Bend. When the Mishawaka Police Department arrests someone, that person gets booked at the St. Joseph County jail in South Bend. The county runs a public inmate search on its site where you can look up who is in custody right now. This page covers how to find Mishawaka booking reports, what state law says about access, and where to get copies.

St. Joseph County Handles Mishawaka Bookings

The St. Joseph County Police Department handles all jail bookings for Mishawaka. The county jail and booking center are at 401 W. Sample St., South Bend, IN 46601. You can call the jail booking line at 574-245-6518. For records requests, use the records line at 574-245-6535. The county police run the intake process for all arrests made in Mishawaka and the rest of the county.

When Mishawaka Police arrest a person, transport to the St. Joseph County jail comes next. During intake, jail staff create a booking report with the person's name, charges, arrest date, bond amount, and other key facts. This report stays on file with the county. It is a public record under Indiana law. The county holds these records for Mishawaka and all other cities and towns within its borders, including South Bend. One county system tracks booking data for the whole area, which makes searching simpler than going through each city on its own.

For more about booking reports across the county, see the St. Joseph County booking reports page.

Note: The St. Joseph County jail in South Bend is the booking site for all Mishawaka arrests made by local, county, or state officers.

Mishawaka Police Department Records

The Mishawaka Police Department is the main law enforcement agency in the city. MPD handles most arrests that lead to Mishawaka booking reports. Call MPD at (574) 258-1682 for general questions. The department does not run its own jail. All arrests go to the St. Joseph County jail for booking and housing.

MPD officers file arrest reports with the department after each booking. These reports include details about the stop, the reason for the arrest, and the charges filed. The booking report at the county jail is a separate record that covers the intake process. If you want to know about a specific Mishawaka arrest, the county booking report is typically the best place to start. MPD can also help with incident reports and other records tied to an arrest if you contact them at their main number.

Some people confuse the police report with the booking report. The police report covers what led to the arrest. The booking report covers what happens at the jail. Both are public records, but you get them from different places. MPD keeps the police report. St. Joseph County keeps the booking report.

Searching Mishawaka Booking Reports Online

The St. Joseph County Police Department runs a free inmate search at sjcpd.org/inmate-search. This tool lets you look up current inmates in the county jail. You can search by last name. Results show the person's charges, bond status, and booking info. It covers all bookings from Mishawaka and other parts of the county.

The screenshot below shows the Mishawaka Police Department booking records contact page.

Use this tool to check who is currently held at the St. Joseph County jail from Mishawaka arrests.

The search is free. No account is needed. You can use it from any device with web access. Results update as new bookings come in and as inmates get released. If you need older booking records that are no longer in the system, contact the records division at 574-245-6535 for help finding archived data.

Mishawaka Booking Reports and Public Access

Indiana law makes booking reports public. IC 5-14-3-5 says that when a person gets arrested or received into a jail, certain facts must be shared with anyone who asks. This covers the person's name, age, address, charges, time of arrest, and the name of the arresting officer. The jail also has to share bond info and the date and time of intake. These rules apply to all Mishawaka booking reports held by St. Joseph County.

IC 5-14-3-3 gives any person the right to inspect and copy public records. You do not need to say why you want to see Mishawaka booking reports. The agency cannot refuse just because you will not state your purpose. If you send a written request, IC 5-14-3-9 says the agency must respond within seven days. This applies to the St. Joseph County Police Department and all other public agencies in the state that hold booking data.

Copies of Mishawaka Booking Records

The online search is free. Viewing booking data costs nothing. If you need paper copies, IC 5-14-3-8 sets the cost. Standard copies are capped at $0.10 per page. Color copies can cost up to $0.25 per page. Certified copies may add up to $5.00 per document. Send copy requests to the St. Joseph County Police Department at 401 W. Sample St., South Bend, IN 46601.

For statewide criminal history checks that go beyond Mishawaka, the Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History search costs $15.00. Run this search at the ISP online portal. It covers felonies and Class A misdemeanors across all Indiana counties. Results come as a PDF that lasts 14 days. This is helpful if the person you are looking for may have records in other parts of the state besides Mishawaka and St. Joseph County.

State Tools for Mishawaka Record Searches

Several state tools can help you find records tied to Mishawaka booking reports. The IDOC offender locator shows people currently in state prison after being convicted. The Indiana MyCase portal lets you search court records by name or case number for cases filed in St. Joseph County and statewide. Both tools are free.

The VINELink notification system sends alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. This is useful for people who need to know when someone booked in Mishawaka gets released from the St. Joseph County jail. The service is free and confidential. You can sign up by phone or online. The Indiana Sheriff's Association directory helps you find contact info for sheriff offices across the state if you need booking records from other counties.

Sealing Booking Records in Mishawaka

IC 35-38-8 allows some booking records in Mishawaka to be expunged. Wait times vary based on the case outcome. One year must pass for arrests that did not lead to a conviction. Five years for misdemeanors. Eight years for felonies. Once a court grants the petition, the booking report gets sealed and removed from most public search tools.

To start the process, contact the Indiana State Police Expungement Section at Expungement@isp.IN.gov or call (317) 234-4427. They can tell you what forms to file and what the timeline looks like. Expungement applies to the state records. You may also need to work with the St. Joseph County court to seal local files tied to your Mishawaka booking report.

Nearby Cities with Booking Reports

If you need booking reports from other cities near Mishawaka, check the page for South Bend. South Bend is also in St. Joseph County, so its booking reports go through the same county system. The inmate search tool at sjcpd.org covers both cities.