Branch County 24 Hour Booking

Branch County 24 hour booking records are kept by the sheriff's office in Coldwater, Michigan. The jail at 580 Marshall Road holds all people booked into county custody. You can look up current inmates through the county website or call the booking office at (517) 279-6552 for up-to-date information. The sheriff's office keeps these records as part of its daily jail operations. Branch County uses high-definition cameras around the clock to monitor the facility. If you need a copy of a booking record, you can file a FOIA request with the sheriff's office or search online through available tools.

Branch County Sheriff Booking Office

The Branch County Sheriff's Office runs the jail and handles all booking records for the county. The office sits at 379 Keith Wilhelm Drive in Coldwater. A separate booking office takes calls about current inmates. The jail itself is at a different address on Marshall Road. Both locations are in Coldwater, which serves as the county seat.

Call the booking office at (517) 279-6552 for the fastest way to check if someone was recently booked. The inmate information line at (517) 279-6535 can also help. Visitation runs Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM, but you must schedule in advance. Walk-in visits are not accepted.

Branch County 24 Hour Booking Search

Branch County maintains an inmate roster through its county website. The roster shows who is currently in custody at the jail on Marshall Road. You can look up inmates by name and see their booking date, charges, bond amount, court dates, and expected release date. The roster updates regularly as new bookings come in and people are released.

The county does not post mugshots online. If you need a photo from a booking, you will have to file a FOIA request with the sheriff's office. Send your request to 379 Keith Wilhelm Drive in Coldwater. Be specific about the person's name and the date range you are looking for. Under MCL 15.233, you have the right to inspect and copy public records held by the county.

The Branch County jail uses 24/7 high-definition cameras throughout the facility. This system tracks all movement inside the jail. The booking area is covered by these cameras as well. Every intake is recorded from the moment a person enters the building.

Statewide Tools for Branch County Searches

When local records do not show what you need, Michigan runs several statewide systems. The OTIS database tracks offenders who are or were under state corrections supervision. It does not cover county jail bookings, but it helps if someone has moved from the Branch County jail into the state prison system.

The screenshot below shows Michigan's OTIS search system where you can look up offenders by name or MDOC number.

OTIS links each offense to the actual MCL statute so you can see which law was broken. Records stay in OTIS for three years after discharge unless a conviction is set aside or expunged.

The ICHAT system from the Michigan State Police provides criminal history checks. It costs $10 per search and pulls from the statewide records database. ICHAT shows felony convictions, serious misdemeanor charges, and pending cases. You need the person's full name and date of birth to run a search. The MiCOURT case search is free and shows court records from across Michigan, including cases that started with a Branch County booking.

Branch County Booking Records Request

Michigan's Freedom of Information Act at MCL 15.231 gives you the right to request booking records from the Branch County Sheriff's Office. Put your request in writing. Include the person's full name, a date range, and any booking numbers if you have them. The sheriff's office has 5 business days to respond under MCL 15.235. They can extend that by 10 more days if the request is complex.

Copy fees are about $0.10 per page. If you qualify as low income, the first $20 in fees gets waived. You can use this waiver up to two times per year. Send FOIA requests to the Branch County Sheriff's Office at 379 Keith Wilhelm Drive, Coldwater, MI 49036. Contact the booking office at (517) 279-6552 if you have questions about what records are available.

24 Hour Booking at Branch County Jail

The Branch County Jail at 580 Marshall Road processes all arrests in the county around the clock. When someone is booked, the jail creates a record that includes their name, date of birth, physical description, charges, bond amount, and booking date and time. The facility runs continuous HD camera monitoring throughout. Staff handle intake, housing, and release operations from this location.

Under MCL 801.1 through MCL 801.81, county jails in Michigan must follow specific rules about housing inmates. Branch County complies with these requirements. The jail holds people who are awaiting trial, serving short sentences under one year, or waiting for transfer to a state facility. Booking records are created at the point of intake and stay on file with the sheriff's office.

For custody status updates, VineLink is a free tool that tracks inmates across Michigan. You can search by name and sign up for alerts when an inmate's status changes. VineLink sends notifications by email, text, or phone. Call 1-866-277-7477 for help with the system.

Branch County Booking Laws

Several Michigan statutes govern how Branch County handles booking records. MCL 28.241 through MCL 28.246 cover criminal history records maintained by the Michigan State Police. These laws set rules for what data gets collected and who can see it. MCL 791.235 gives the Department of Corrections authority over its own records, which is separate from county jail data.

Booking records at the county level fall under the general public records rules in Michigan's FOIA law. MCL 15.232 defines who can request records. Any person can ask for public records, but people serving sentences in state or local correctional facilities cannot use FOIA. Privacy limits at MCL 15.243 protect certain types of information from release. Juvenile records are not available. Records that would interfere with an active law enforcement case can be withheld. But standard booking data for adults is public.

You can search Michigan statutes at the Michigan Legislature website to read the full text of these laws.

Nearby County Booking Records

Branch County sits in the south-central part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. These nearby counties also keep 24 hour booking records through their sheriff offices.