All cities in Michigan include a police blotter, the ability to search for inmates, a roster, mugshots that are available in records, most wanted listings, booking rules, and release dates.

The Police Blotter

The Police Blotter available in the cities in Michigan records arrests, incidents, and events chronologically to record every official act before the police officer in charge of the desk. Every entry is a skeleton report of a police precinct or station on activities for a given period. Police departments are not required to maintain these records, but most police departments in Michigan maintain police blotters.

Date of the report: __________
Officer’s badge number: __________
Name of suspect(s): __________
Date and Time of arrest: __________
Address where offense occurred: __________
Location of arrest (i.e., where arrested): __________
Nature of call or incident: __________
On __________ at approximately __________, I responded to a call about an individual who was making annoying calls. Upon arriving at the scene, I met with ________ and___________. ___________stated that ___________ had been calling _____________’s phone number leaving harassing messages for _____ to hear. It is believed that __________ used a different number to mask her phone number and erase the caller ID.
___________ has filed harassment charges against _________, and ___ is currently in custody at ___________ pending a court date. There is nothing further to report.

Police Inmate Search in Michigan

On the website at Michigan.gov/corrections/otis, you can find an offender search link. Click on the link, and you will be taken to The MDOC (Department of Corrections) OTIS, which offers information to the public. Your search of OTIS provides information about offenders currently under the MDOC’s jurisdiction or who have been paroled in the last three years. Always have as much information about the inmate as you are searching for. Even a partial name will help. If you cannot get the record, contact the detention facility directly. For recent arrests, the police report section may offer immediate details before the information or roster updates.

Information that the MDOC approves will be available, but if it is under statutes that preclude disclosure of their conviction, that information will not be released to the public.

Inmate Roster

Before printing a form to see the inmate roster, you must agree to the rules and statutes. The information that will be available on the roster once the inmate is booked will be as follows:

• Offender Number: 1234
• Last Name: Smith
• First Name: James
• Date of Birth: 10/21/1967
• Sex: M
• Race: White
• MCL Number: 267.1234A
• Location Status: Muskegon CF
• Prole Board Jurisdiction Date: 07/12/2034
• Maximum Date: 07/12/2034
• Date Paroled:
• Mugshots

Mugshots are photographs that are taken of a suspect after booking and arrest. Following arrest, a criminal suspect is booked, fingerprinted, and photographed for identification. After the booking officer takes down personal information about the suspect and takes their personal belongings, the mugshot identifies and records the arrestee. The mugshot is used to identify the perpetrator of a crime or locate a fugitive.

When booking a suspect in Michigan, the suspect always has a mugshot taken. These photographs are to help provide information. They are also public records that can be given to someone who requests them. However, you must check the city police departments to see if mugshots are available. Some police departments do not provide mugshots of suspects. For example, the Detroit police department does not provide mugshots.

The MDOC (Michigan Department of Corrections) maintains a list of the most wanted escapees in the state. You can find information on these escapees by searching the Most Wanted Escapees list that provides a mugshot (if available), offender number, Full name, age, sex, race, escaped from, and escaped date.

The individuals shown below should be considered dangerous and possibly armed. Do not attempt to apprehend. Contact the MD using the Send Tip link below. Contact the local law enforcement agency.

• Mugshot
• Escapee Offender
• Name
• Age
• Sex
• Race
• Escaped Date

Bookings

After a suspect is arrested, the suspect is taken into police custody and processed or booked at the jail. The booking process creates an official arrest record. The process of booking a suspect includes:

Gathering personal information, fingerprints, photographs, and searches.

• Recording information about the alleged crime.
• Performing a criminal and background search.
• Confiscating personal property carried by the suspect.
• Placing the suspect in a police station holding cell or local jail for arraignment.

Release

After booking, a suspect can obtain pre-trial release by posting a bail bond or “own recognizance” release except when charged with serious crimes like murder, illegal weapons, or domestic violence. The court can set a high bail amount for serious offenses to ensure a defendant will not miss a court appearance.

Individuals arrested for minor offenses may be released after signing a citation. This document is a promise to appear at a later court date.

Police Departments in different cities follow the same procedures. The following cities in Michigan have large police departments.
The Detroit Detention Center (DDC) is located at 17601 Mound Road, Detroit, Michigan, and operates under an interagency agreement between the Detroit Police Department and the Michigan Department of Corrections. Detainees are booked, fingerprinted, and arraigned by the court system. Building 100 is used by the Detroit Police Department for intake, interviews, line-ups, and other detective duties.

Detroit has 2,350 officers responsible for policing 139 square miles of Detroit City. They have developed innovative crime-fighting programs like Cease Fire, Project Green Light, and Real Time Crime Center. These programs have helped with the crime in the city.
There are seven jails and prisons in Detroit that care for a population of 679,865. There is one jail and prison per 97,124 people and one jail & prison per 19 square miles. Detroit is ranked 117th out of 1091 cities in jails and prisons per capita in Detroit.
The Detroit Police Department includes Chief of Police James E. Craig, and the address is:

• Detroit Public Safety Headquarters
• 1301 Third Street
• Detroit, Michigan 48226
• Phone: 313-596-2200

Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the county seat of Kent County, and at the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,893, which makes it the second most-populated city in the state. The Grand Rapids metropolitan area has a population of 1,087,592. Grand Rapids City has three jails and one prison, and the police department includes a K9 unit.

Grand Rapids is the economic and cultural hub of West Michigan and one of the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest. The police department in Grand Rapids commits to the safety of its citizens and works in partnership with the community to ensure that everyone feels safe. The crime rate in Grand Rapids is experiencing increasing violent crimes but decreasing property crimes. There are 366 police officers in the city, which is less than the Michigan average and 40.7% less than the Nation’s average.

Address for one police department (there are three) in Grand Rapids:

Grand Rapids Police Department
Law Enforcement
1 Monroe Center St NW
Grand Rapids, MI
Phone: 616-456-3403

Ann Arbor is a well-known city in Michigan, the county seat of Washtenaw County. The population is recorded as 124,000, and it’s the fifth-largest city in Michigan. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is included in the Greater Detroit Combined Statistical Area and the Great Lakes Megalopolis, the largest megalopolis in North America.

There are over 130 officers and eleven officers in administration. In addition, there are two K9 officers. There are two jails and prisons in Ann Arbor serving the population. The crime rate in Ann Arbor was 1.728 property crimes and 251 violent crimes in 2020. These statistics rank Ann Arbor as a “safe” place to live.

Address for one police department (there are three) in Ann Arbor:

• City of Ann Arbor Police Department
• Law Enforcement
• 301 E. Huron St.
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Phone: 734-794-6900

Lansing is a city in Michigan with a population of 113,000. The city is important for cultural, governmental, educational, commercial, and industrial functions. Michigan State University’s enrollment of more than 50,000 is in East Lansing.

There are 200 sworn officers responsible for policing 33 square miles of Lansing, Michigan’s Capital City. In addition, Lansing has six K9 officers and is one of Michigan’s largest Canine Unit Programs. Lansing has five jails and prisons in the city. Lansing State Penitentiary is no longer operating and will become a tourist attraction – Johnny Cash performed here for the inmates.

Address for one police department (there are three) in Lansing:

• Lansing Township Police Department
• Law Enforcement
• 3209 W Michigan Avenue
• Lansing, MI
• Phone: 517-485-1700

To find police departments in a city, you can find information on the city’s website.