Des Moines Booking Reports

Des Moines Booking Reports cover arrests, jail intake files, and police incident records made each day in the city. The Des Moines Police Department keeps the local case files, and the SCORE jail sits right in town and holds the live roster for anyone booked by Des Moines officers. You can search Des Moines Booking Reports online through the SCORE inmate system, or file a public records request with the city. This page walks you through where to look, who to call, and what each office can hand you. Start with the tool below.

Des Moines Police Booking Reports

The Des Moines Police Department is the main source for Des Moines Booking Reports from city arrests. DMPD keeps the case file, the booking sheet, and the officer notes. The records unit sits inside the city complex.

Head to the Des Moines Police Department page for records info, unit contacts, and crime data. The image below shows that page.

File a formal request for a Des Moines Booking Report through the city clerk page at Des Moines Public Records Request. Submit online, get a tracking number, and reply to any fee notes. All requests run under RCW 42.56, the Washington Public Records Act, and the city must reply within five business days.

Note: Victims of crime often pay no fee for their own Des Moines Booking Reports. Ask the records officer when you file.

SCORE Jail Roster for Des Moines Arrests

SCORE, the South Correctional Entity, sits right in Des Moines and serves as the jail of record for the city. SCORE also takes bookings from Auburn, Burien, Federal Way, Renton, SeaTac, and Tukwila. The live inmate lookup is the best place to confirm a fresh Des Moines booking.

Go to the SCORE Jail Inmate Lookup to search by name. The system shows booking dates, offense info, bail amounts, and scheduled court events. Updates push on a set schedule, and release dates can shift at any time. Call SCORE at 206-257-6200 for help with a specific inmate.

Under RCW 70.48.100, every Washington jail must keep a public booking register. That statute lists the fields each jail can release. It is why SCORE can post its daily list of Des Moines Booking Reports online.

VINE Direct links on the SCORE page let you sign up for custody status alerts. That is useful for victims and family members who want updates.

Des Moines Booking Reports and State Law

Washington law sets tight rules on what a jail or police agency can release from a booking file. The booking log is open under state law, but the full jail file and the full police case report stay closed or limited. That split matters when you ask for a Des Moines Booking Report. The log shows name, charge, and book time.

Cleared cases often come out faster than open ones. Open cases may need redaction to shield witness names and sealed fields. Ask records staff where your case sits before you file. Knowing the status saves days of wait.

How Des Moines Booking Reports Work

A booking begins when a person is taken into custody. The intake desk logs the name, date of birth, charges, and the arresting agency. That data feeds the SCORE jail register and the DMPD case file at the same time. After release, parts of the file move to the archive. The Des Moines Police case report stays with DMPD.

Need an older report? File with DMPD. Need to find someone now? Use the SCORE roster.

Charges on a Des Moines Booking Report can shift once the case reaches the King County Prosecuting Attorney. The court file holds the final outcome. Under Chapter 10.97 RCW, the Criminal Records Privacy Act, conviction data stays open while non-conviction data has tight release rules.

What to Send With a Request

Records staff work faster when you bring the right facts. Keep the scope tight to hold fees down.

• Full name of the person booked
• Date of arrest or booking
• Case number if you have it
• Location of the arrest in Des Moines

Type the request in plain words. Say what you want and the time frame. The city clerk can help you shape the ask.

Records Outside Des Moines Police

Not every Des Moines Booking Report sits with DMPD. The King County Sheriff works unincorporated land near the city, and the Washington State Patrol covers I-5 and SR-509. Port of Seattle Police work Sea-Tac Airport to the north. Federal arrests move to the U.S. Marshals. Each group has its own records path.

Use the WATCH system for a name based criminal history check. WATCH costs $11 per name and shows conviction data. For court outcomes, the King County Superior Court directory points to the right clerk.

The King County Sheriff also runs an online request tool at the KCSO Public Disclosure portal.

County Office for Des Moines Records

Des Moines sits in King County, and most jail and court records for city bookings flow through county offices. The King County Public Disclosure Unit works out of 516 3rd Avenue, Room W-116, in the King County Courthouse in Seattle.

If your case moved out of SCORE to the county jail, follow the trail to the county records officer. The unit takes online requests and phone calls during business hours.

Des Moines runs its own municipal court for lower level charges, while felony cases move to the King County Superior Court. Each court clerk holds its own file. A Des Moines Booking Report from the police side will not show court outcomes, so plan to check both levels.

Note: Because SCORE is based right in Des Moines, local records on a Des Moines Booking Report often move fast. Staff know the city well and can help you find the right case quickly.

More on Des Moines King County Booking Reports

Des Moines Booking Reports come from the Des Moines Police Department, with arrestees taken to the SCORE Jail right inside the city. The Des Moines Police office sits at 21900 11th Avenue S, Des Moines, WA 98198 and the public line is 206-878-3301. Staff there can point you to the right form for an arrest record or jail roster check. The King County jail handles long term custody for most Des Moines cases, and the county seat in Seattle is where most court files end up. Use Des Moines Police Department for the main records contact, and start a search by name or case number when you have one in hand.

Most Des Moines arrest records come out of two systems. The first is the city police case file, written at the scene. The second is the jail intake record, made when the person walks into custody. Both files tie to the same booking number. Police records show the field side. The jail roster shows the live in custody side. To get a full picture, check both. Note: ask for the case number first, since it speeds up every later step.

Court hearings tied to a Des Moines arrest often start at Des Moines Municipal Court at 21630 11th Avenue S. The clerk there holds the docket, the bail data, and the next court date. For felony cases, the file moves up to the King County Superior Court. Jail records are kept in confidence under RCW 70.48.100, so only the small set of fields named in the law gets released to the public.

Nearby Cities

These cities also file booking records through King County or SCORE.