Pierce County Booking Reports

Pierce County booking reports come from the Pierce County Sheriff and the county jail in Tacoma. You can search the live jail roster through the LINX system. The roster shows names, booking dates, charges, and bail amounts for people held in custody. Pierce County booking reports are public under state law. The Sheriff's Public Disclosure Unit handles deeper records requests for older booking reports. Most users find what they need by name or cause number on LINX. Use the tools below to start your Pierce County booking reports search.

Pierce County Jail Roster

The Pierce County Jail in Tacoma holds people booked by the Sheriff and by city police across the county. You can view the live jail roster through the Pierce County LINX portal. LINX is short for Legal Information Network eXchange. It is the case system that links jail booking records with Superior Court cases. The roster shows who is in custody right now. It also lists people moved to Yakima for housing, those at hospitals, and people on short release.

You can look up an inmate by name on the LINX roster. Click the booking ID to open the booking report. The detail page lists the arresting agency, the charges filed, the bail amount, and the next court date. The system also lists people released in the last 48 hours. That makes it easy to track recent booking events. The Pierce County booking reports on LINX update many times per day.

Most jail records here are open to the public per RCW 70.48.100. The state law sets which booking facts must be public. Names, booking dates, charges, and release dates are all open. Booking photos and other inmate file material may be held back. For booking photos you usually need a signed release from the inmate or a court order.

Read more on the official Pierce County Jail page for hours and visiting rules. The page also lists the jail address at 910 Tacoma Avenue South in downtown Tacoma. Staff can answer phone calls about a current inmate during business hours.

Search Pierce County Booking Reports Online

To run a Pierce County booking reports search, start with the LINX web portal. The home screen has a button for the jail roster and a tab for criminal case search. Pick the tool that matches your goal. The roster is best for live custody. The case search is best for older booking reports tied to court files.

Try the Pierce County LINX search page to look up cases by name or cause number. LINX shows the full charge list, attorney names, hearings, and any orders entered by the judge. You can pull up cases that go back many years.

Pierce County also runs an open data portal. The criminal jail booking dataset has bookings from January 2010 to today. You can filter by date, charge, or facility. The dataset gives a wide view of booking trends in Pierce County over time.

Need more detail than the roster shows? Use the public records process. The Sheriff's Public Disclosure Unit can pull older booking reports, narratives, and related case papers for you.

Pierce County Public Records Requests

Some Pierce County booking reports need a formal request. This is true for old files, sealed material, or any record not posted on LINX. The county follows state rules under RCW 42.56 for public records. You file the request with the Sheriff's Public Disclosure Unit.

Go to the Pierce County public records request page to start. You can submit online, by email to SHRpublicrecords@piercecountywa.gov, by mail, or in person. The mail address is Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Attn: Public Disclosure Unit, 3602 Pacific Avenue S. #100, Tacoma WA 98418.

The county must respond within 5 business days. Staff will send the records, give a cost estimate, ask for more detail, or cite a legal reason to deny. Be clear in your request. Name the person, the date range, and the type of record. Vague requests slow things down.

Fee notes for Pierce County booking reports: paper copies cost $0.15 per page. Electronic copies run $0.10 per gigabyte. Body camera and dash camera video costs $0.63 per minute of redaction time. Personal checks are not accepted. Note: South Sound 911 keeps incident reports and 911 audio for 90 days only.

Pierce County Jail Facts and Staff

The Pierce County Jail in Tacoma is one of the largest jails in the state. It has an operating capacity for 1,700 inmates. About 300 corrections staff work there. The jail is split into two buildings. The New Jail opened in 2003. The Main Jail dates back to 1985. Both sit at 910 Tacoma Avenue South in downtown Tacoma. Jail booking calls go to 253-798-4590. Staff book all people held by the Pierce County Sheriff and city police across the county.

State law under RCW 70.48.100 keeps the jail register open. Name, booking date, charge, warrant type, charging agency, court, court date, sentence, and release date are public. Booking photos and most other inmate file items are not open. They are exempt from disclosure under the same law. To get those items you need a signed release or a court order.

Pierce County Booking Reports Privacy Rules

State law sets the rules. RCW 70.48.100 says jail rosters are open. RCW 42.56 sets the rules for public records requests. RCW 10.97 covers criminal history records and limits who can see what. Pierce County booking reports follow all three. The county must keep names, charges, and dates open. It must also keep some items private.

Items often held back: medical records, mental health notes, juvenile case files, victim names in some cases, and active investigation files. The county may also redact dates of birth, home addresses, and phone numbers. If you need a redacted item, you may need a court order or a signed waiver.

The county uses an Authorization for Release of Inmate Records form for most booking record requests. This form lets you ask for files on a specific person. The form goes with your written request. Download it from the Sheriff's records page.

Pierce County Booking Reports and State Systems

Pierce County booking reports feed into wider state databases over time. The Washington State Patrol WATCH system collects conviction data from all 39 counties. Once a case closes in Pierce County court, the disposition goes to the state. That means a WATCH check may show a Pierce County arrest months after the booking date. WATCH costs a fee and searches by name and date of birth.

The Criminal Records Privacy Act under RCW 10.97 draws a line between conviction records and non-conviction data. If charges are dropped, that record may not appear in a standard check. Pierce County follows these state rules. The jail register stays open under RCW 70.48.100, but the wider criminal history file has limits. The Public Records Act under RCW 42.56 sets the process for everything else. Pierce County booking reports sit at the center of these three laws.

Cities in Pierce County

Pierce County booking reports cover the whole county. Cities like Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, and University Place all use the Pierce County Jail.

Smaller cities such as Bonney Lake, Sumner, and Gig Harbor also book to Pierce County Jail. Bookings from those cities appear on the LINX roster. Note: South Sound 911 acts as the records hub for many Pierce County police agencies.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Pierce County. Booking reports are kept by each county jail. Use the right county for your search.