Dakota County Jail, MN Inmate Search, Visitation, Sheriff’s Office, Contact Information

This is a privately owned informational website that is not owned or operated by any state government agency. Visit The Official Dacota County Sheriff, Minnesota website

If you have any questions about this domain name or website, please contact us here.

About Dakota County Jail, MN

Dakota county jail on highway 85 in Hasting is the main jail in Dakota county. The jail serves the Dakota county community and jail inmates who have been caught by the sheriff, state police and federal law enforcement. The jail is under the sheriff’s, but the day-to-day running is squarely on the jail administrator and the assistant jail administrator. Dakota County Jail administrator is assisted by 2 line supervisors and 17 correctional officers that help in the transportation of inmates to court and to other jails.  The jail was opened in 1931 and had a large capacity holding up to 350 inmates when full. Dakota County Jail is a new-generation (direct supervision) jail. Correctional Deputies have control of inmates 24 hours per day. Housing units are staffed 24 hours a day by correctional deputies who coordinate all of the activities in a particular unit. Upon arrival inmates are searched, booked, fingerprinted, photographed, showered, and are issued jail uniforms, bedding and hygiene products.

Statistics:

• Dakota County booked 3,218 inmates in custody in 1983 (Avg. population 55.96/day)

• Dakota County booked 6,689 inmates in custody in 1995 (Avg. population 130.34/day)

• Dakota County booked 13,699 inmates in custody in 2005 (Avg. population 301.18/day)

• 2007 was a record year, where was held 305 inmates in custody per day

Jail Programs Unit

The county sheriff has a special Jail programs unit that creates programs for inmates locked up in the county jails.  It is fully financed and staffed by a program supervisor, recreation coordinator, resource center coordinator and a chaplain.
The Jail unit program offers different types of training to help the inmates develop psychologically, equip them with skills and prepare them for life in and transition back to the community. Some of the programs offered by the unit include; GED/Adult Basic Education, parenting, anger management, cognitive thinking skills, Bible study, worship services, Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, decision points, and moral reconation therapy.

Performing a Search for an Inmate in Dakota County Jail

Information on the location of your loved ones is very sensitive and critical. If you suspect your loved one is in Dakota County Jail, it is easy to get the information from thor official website. You are warned that the county website’s information may not be used for legal action. That is because some inmates may use false IDs, and only a fingerprint comparison can confirm a real identity.
You can also follow up with some of the inmates in the jail through the Minnesota Victim Information and Notification Everyday for the location of the inmate’s change of status and day of release.

Inmates Phone Calls

You can keep tabs on inmates at the county jail through phone calls. All the inmates in the facility are free to make and receive calls to their loved ones in the common area. All the phone calls made to the jail are monitored for the safety of the jail. Inmates collect calls that the calling party incurs the call cost. The prisoner can also pay for the call through the commissary account to Prodigy inmate phones. Detainees can be denied phone service for misbehavior since the phone is a privilege for the well-behaved.

Inmates Mail

To send mail to inmates, please use the following address:

Inmate Name
Dakota County Law Enforcement Center
P.O. Box 247J
Hastings, MN 55033

All items under this section that are received will be “returned to sender”:
• Perfume-scented and/or lipstick kisses/marks on mail
• Any inappropriate photos (sexual or gang-related)
• Cards that have a musical insert, that are decorated, or that have glue, glitter, or stickers
• Postage stamps, envelopes, and blank paper must be purchased in the facility and are not allowed to be sent in
• Any photocopied books, newspapers, magazines, or printouts from the internet
• Printed material such as newspapers, books, and magazines
• Any letters with stickers, glue and/or glitter
• Inmates’ personal bills and mail received at their home may not be forwarded, sent in, or dropped off
• Cash, personal checks, and payroll checks should not be mailed to the inmates
• Business cards or brochures of any kind.

Visitation

The county jail is open to visitation by friends and family members of those incarcerated in the institution.

Visiting Rules and Hours

Subject to the rules and conditions below, jail visiting hours are as follows:

Wednesdays 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Saturdays and Sundays 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturdays and Sundays 7:00 pm – 9:20 pm

Every inmate will have the opportunity to sign up for a slotted visiting time located within each housing unit. Only ONE time slot will be allotted, per inmate, each visiting day. They may have more than one person visit during this time period, but only during the time that they signed up for. (Children of the inmate do not have to be listed.)

The only exception is Segregation inmates. They will NOT be allowed visiting while on lockdown status.

It will be the inmate’s responsibility to notify their visitors of the time they have selected. The Jail will NOT accept phone calls from the public inquiring about the time an inmate has selected for visits. It will be the visitor’s responsibility to be on time for the scheduled visit; late arrivals will not be accepted.

Please remember that, due to circumstances, the visiting schedule may be adjusted by the Jail Supervisor on duty.

The following rules continue to be in effect:
1. Visiting will only be allowed during the set hours.
2. Visits will be no more than 20 minutes but may be terminated at any time.
3. ADULT visitors must be at least 18 years of age. CHILDREN under the age of 18 will be allowed to visit a parent but must be accompanied by an adult and must NOT be left unattended.
4. Proper attire is required. NO short shorts, bikini tops, or other revealing clothing will be permitted; shoes must be worn while in the facility.
5. Visitor Identification is required. A valid driver’s license, state identification card with picture and signature, or any other identification with a picture, physical description, and signature is accepted. Minor children under 16 years of age may be asked to bring a valid birth certificate as proof of relationship to the inmate.
6. Smoking is NOT permitted in the jail facility.
7. The facility is not responsible for any personal items left unattended.
8. Any visitor attempting to bring in firearms, explosives, alcoholic beverages, narcotics, or any controlled substance will be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
9. Any visitor under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be denied the visit and asked to leave the facility.
10. NO FOOD or BEVERAGES will be allowed in the visiting area.
11. All visits are subject to monitoring and/or recording.

About Dakota County Sheriff’s Office

Dakota county has been a very important county in the US. That’s because it has been home to the original tribes that inhabited the area and has the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. According to the 2020 census, the county had a population of 439,882, making it the third most populous county in Minnesota. Its headquarters and county seat are in Hasting, where the county board, courts, and sheriff’s office are located.

In Dakota county, the sheriff is an elective position given to a candidate actively involved in law enforcement. Each sheriff is elected for a four-year term. The role of the sheriff is denied by state and federal laws to ensure they provide peace and order in the county. The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county and is assisted by sergeants, deputies, captains, and majors. The sheriff’s office works with the state patrol, the county police department, the US, martial the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies in safeguarding the peace in the county and its environs.

The sheriff’s department is available on call at its official number, 651-438-4700. You can also send a fax or email at 651-438-4709 or [email protected], respectively. You can interact with the sheriff’s office on the social media pages: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Official communication from the sheriff can be found on the county’s website: http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Government/Sheriff.

Generally, the sheriff’s office is charged with effecting arrests, enforcing local, state, and federal laws, maintaining county jails, transporting prisoners and mentally ill patients, attending court, serving legal papers, enforcing traffic rules, and holding sheriff sales. The current sheriff of Dakota county is Sheriff Tim Leslie, who was first elected in 2015. The Dakota Sheriff’s office is divided into bureaus run by majors that help it run more efficiently. The sheriff is assisted by the chief deputy, who helps in the daily running of the sheriff’s department by supervising the majors.
The Public Safety Bureau is the largest in the Dakota sheriff’s office in terms of personnel and resources. This bureau has the following:

1. Patrol squad
2. bike patrol
3. dive team
4. drone team
5. drug task force
6. Canine
7. school resource officer
8. Crime Scene Team
9. Civil, warrant, and special services divisions.
10. Emergency communications/911 Center and Technology division

Due to the importance of the division and the number of deputies, these are the deputies you are likely to interact with on the road, in emergencies and in other emergencies. Their bureau has been supplied with vehicles and uses varied technology, such as in-car computers, mobile data computers, audio/video recording equipment, compact radar units, preliminary breathalyzer tests, and a radar trailer to help them perform their day-to-day duties. At times the deputies may get injured and make headlines in the lines of duty.

The second bureau is the Investigations Bureau which has the Major Crimes Division, Criminal Investigations Division and Forensic laboratory. This division helps investigate crimes like narcotics and other crimes to ensure justice is served. The department has several deputies specially trained to help get all the facts of the case and ensure all get justice.
The last bureau in the sheriff’s office is the Detention and Court services bureau which is charged with housing inmates and transporting them to and from the court for hearings. Like the other bureaus, it is headed by a major and has well-trained deputies who help the major in keeping safety in prison and manning the court houses.

All the deputies in the sheriff’s office are highly qualified and need a minimum Associate or Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice, or other closely related fields, complete a Minnesota Board of Peace Officers Standards & Training(P.O.S.T) or similar training and be eligible for a P.O.S.T license. The deputies have to pass a background check, a psychological examination and a medical examination to join the sheriff’s office. The county is a bit large and has rivers, lakes and other terrains that the deputies patrol to keep the citizens safe.

Dive Team

Purpose:

Established in 1980 as a search and recovery team made up of two deputies, the team has grown into a group of eight deputies who are responsible for searching for stolen property, weapons, automobiles, and drowning victims.

The Sheriff has law enforcement responsibility for all waterways within Dakota County.  This makes the Sheriff’s Dive Team responsible for all rescue and recovery operations county-wide. The dive team also assists neighboring jurisdictions in both Minnesota and Wisconsin with underwater recovery operations.

Dive Team members received specialized training in ice diving, deep-water diving, salvage and wreck diving, and Rescue/First-Aid diving operations.

Goals:

To locate persons and property in area lakes and rivers in a timely fashion and in the safest method possible. 

Contact Information:

For more information about the Dive Team, please call the Dive Team Supervisor at 952-891-7951.

Contact Information

Office Address
Dakota County Law Enforcement Center
1580 Highway 55
Hastings, MN 55033

Mailing Address

Dakota County Sheriff’s Office
Civil Division
1580 Highway 55
Post Office Box 247
Hastings, MN 55033

Phone Numbers

Telephone (651) 438-4780
Fax (651) 438-4788

Office Hours

8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (excluding Holidays)