Passaic County Arrest Booking Reports

Passaic County booking reports come from the county jail in Paterson. The jail processes roughly 24,840 bookings each year, making it one of the busiest in northern New Jersey. Each booking report has the name, charge, and arrest date of the person taken into custody. You can search these arrest records online through the inmate lookup system or by filing a public records request with the Passaic County Sheriff's Office. The county seat is Paterson, and the jail is at 11 Sheriff's Plaza.

Passaic County Jail Booking Records

The Passaic County Jail is at 11 Sheriff's Plaza in Paterson. Sheriff Richard Berdnik oversees the jail and all booking operations. The facility was built in 1957 with a capacity of just 227 inmates. Since then it has grown to four floors with a capacity of 1,242. The jail holds people at maximum, medium, and minimum security levels. Each person who enters the jail gets a booking report created by the intake staff.

With close to 25,000 bookings per year, the Passaic County Jail generates a large volume of arrest records. About 310 correctional officers work at the facility. They handle intake, housing, transport, and release. The booking process includes recording the person's name, date of birth, address, the charges, and the arresting agency. A photo is taken and stored in the system. All of this data forms the booking report.

You can reach the jail at (973) 881-4620 for general questions about booking reports or inmate status. The Passaic County Jail page has rules, visiting hours, and other details about the facility.

How to Find Passaic County Booking Reports

The quickest way to find a booking report in Passaic County is the online inmate search. The Passaic County inmate lookup lets you search by name. It shows current inmates and may include booking details. The tool is free and open to anyone.

For records that are not in the online system, file an OPRA request. The Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1, gives you the right to ask for booking reports and other public documents. Send the request to the custodian of records at the Passaic County Sheriff's Office. Under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5, they must respond within seven business days. You can use the official OPRA form to make your request.

You may also visit the Passaic County Sheriff's Office in person. Bring a valid ID. Tell the staff you want to check on a booking report. They can search by name and confirm if someone is or was in custody. Older booking records may take longer to find.

Passaic County Jail History and Arrest Data

The Passaic County Jail has a long history. It opened in 1957 on Sheriff's Plaza in Paterson. The original building held 227 inmates. Over the decades, the facility grew to meet the needs of a growing county. It now spans four floors and holds up to 1,242 people. The growth reflects the increase in arrests and bookings across Passaic County over the last 60 years.

Booking reports from the early years of the jail may be stored in archives. More recent records are in the digital system. If you need a booking report from before the digital era, you will likely need to file a written request with the sheriff's office. Staff can search paper records, but it takes more time. For recent bookings in Passaic County, the online tool is the best starting point.

Note: Booking reports for juveniles are not public. The juvenile detention center is at 18 Clark Street in Paterson, and its phone number is 973-247-8401.

Court Records and Booking Reports

A booking report is just the start of a criminal case in Passaic County. Once someone is booked, the case moves to the courts. The New Jersey eCourts system at portal.njcourts.gov lets you search for criminal cases by name. This can help you match a Passaic County booking report to a court case. You can see the charges, court dates, and the status of the case.

The Passaic County Superior Court handles criminal cases that stem from arrests made within the county. Most booking reports lead to a case in this court. If the case is resolved with a guilty plea or a conviction at trial, that becomes part of the public record. If the charges are dropped or the person is found not guilty, the booking report may still exist. Expungement under N.J.S.A. 2C:52-1 can remove these records in some cases.

Statewide Inmate and Arrest Search Tools

If someone was transferred from Passaic County to state prison, you can search the New Jersey DOC inmate finder. This covers all state prison inmates. It does not include people held at the county jail level. For county-level booking reports, use the Passaic County inmate search.

The VINE notification system lets you track an inmate's status in Passaic County. You can sign up for alerts when someone is released, transferred, or has a status change. This is a free service. It works for anyone booked into the Passaic County Jail or transferred to another facility in New Jersey.

The Government Records Council is where you go if an OPRA request for booking reports is denied. They review complaints and can order the release of records if the denial was not proper. This is a free process.

Cities in Passaic County

Passaic County includes several large cities and many smaller towns. Arrests in any of these places result in booking reports at the Passaic County Jail in Paterson.

Other towns in Passaic County include Hawthorne, Pompton Lakes, Ringwood, Wanaque, and West Milford. All booking reports from these areas are processed at the county jail.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Passaic County. If you cannot find a booking report in Passaic County, the person may have been booked in a neighboring county instead.