Garfield County Busted Mugshots

Garfield County busted mugshots and arrest records are held by the Garfield County Sheriff's Office in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The sheriff operates the county jail and books all people arrested in Garfield County. Booking photos and arrest data are public records under Colorado law. This page walks through how to search for Garfield County mugshots, request arrest records from the sheriff, use statewide databases, and understand the laws that give you the right to access this information.

Garfield County Booking Records

The Garfield County Sheriff's Office handles all bookings at the county jail in Glenwood Springs. When someone is arrested in Garfield County, the intake process records their name, charges, date of birth, and takes a booking photo. That mugshot is a public record. Garfield County covers a large stretch of the Western Slope, from Glenwood Springs west to Rifle and Parachute. All arrests in these communities route through the same county jail for booking.

To search for someone currently held at the Garfield County jail, contact the sheriff's office at (970) 945-0453. The office is located at 106 County Road 333-A in Rifle, CO 81650. Staff can tell you whether a person is in custody. For a copy of a specific Garfield County mugshot or booking record, submit a written records request. Include the full name of the person and the date of the arrest if you know it. Written requests get a faster response because the staff can start pulling records right away instead of going back and forth on the phone.

Garfield County processes arrests from several towns and unincorporated areas along the I-70 corridor. DUI arrests, drug offenses, and warrant pickups are common given the highway traffic that runs through the county. Every one of these bookings creates a public record that you have the right to access.

Accessing Garfield County Arrest Records

Garfield County arrest records are governed by the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act. The CCJRA requires that records of official action be open to the public. Arrests, charges, indictments, and dispositions are all records of official action. You can request them without giving a reason. The Garfield County Sheriff must respond within three business days. The first hour of research time is free. After that, the county can charge up to $41.37 per hour for staff time and $0.25 per page for copies.

The Colorado Open Records Act, known as CORA, provides another way to get records from Garfield County agencies. CORA covers government documents more broadly than the CCJRA. If the specific record you need does not fall under the CCJRA, a CORA request may work. The process is the same. Put it in writing. Be specific. The agency has three business days to respond. Check the Attorney General's CORA page for details on how it works.

Note: Both the CCJRA and CORA apply to all Garfield County law enforcement agencies and government offices.

Colorado State Searches for Garfield County

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation runs a statewide criminal records database that includes Garfield County. A CBI background check costs $6.85 and returns criminal history tied to a person's name and date of birth. This covers arrests in Garfield County and every other county in Colorado. It is especially useful for finding older records that may not be available through the sheriff's phone line.

The CBI homepage at cbi.colorado.gov has information about the bureau's services and how criminal records get collected from agencies like the Garfield County Sheriff.

Start here to learn about CBI's role in maintaining criminal records from Garfield County and the rest of the state.

Run the actual background check at cbirecordscheck.com. Enter the person's details, pay the $6.85 fee, and get results from the state's criminal history repository. If someone was arrested in Garfield County and the arrest was reported to CBI, the record should come up. Most law enforcement agencies in Colorado, including the Garfield County Sheriff, report arrests to the state system. This makes the CBI check a reliable tool for finding Garfield County booking records and mugshot data.

Court Records in Garfield County

Garfield County is part of the 9th Judicial District. When an arrest leads to criminal charges, the case moves through the district court system. Court records include filings, hearing dates, plea agreements, trial results, and sentencing information. These records are separate from what the sheriff holds. The booking record shows the arrest. The court record shows the outcome.

The Colorado Judicial public records access guide explains how to search for court records from Garfield County and other judicial districts across the state.

Use the Colorado Judicial Branch website to find case records tied to Garfield County arrests and criminal proceedings.

If you want the full story behind a Garfield County arrest, you need both the booking record and the court file. The booking record comes from the sheriff. The court record comes from the 9th Judicial District. Together, they paint a complete picture of what happened from arrest through disposition.

Tracking Garfield County Inmates

VINE lets you track someone held in Garfield County custody. It stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. The service is free. Sign up at vinelink.com to receive alerts when an inmate's status changes. VINE covers releases, transfers, and escapes. You can get notifications by phone, email, or text. Anyone can use it. You do not need to be a victim of a crime.

VINE is helpful when you know someone is in the Garfield County jail and you want to be notified the moment they leave custody. Rather than calling the sheriff's office over and over, VINE sends the update directly to you. The system works across all Colorado counties, so if an inmate gets transferred out of Garfield County to a different facility, VINE will still track them.

Sealing Garfield County Records

Colorado law allows people to seal their arrest records. Under C.R.S. 24-72-703, you can petition a court to seal a Garfield County mugshot or arrest record. The filing fee is $224. The court can waive it for people who qualify based on income. Once sealed, the record will not appear in public searches. A CBI background check will not return it. The online jail roster will not show it. Only law enforcement and prosecutors can still access sealed Garfield County records.

Some records may qualify for automatic sealing without filing a petition. If charges were never filed after a Garfield County arrest made on or after January 1, 2022, CBI may seal those records after one year. Drug convictions can also be eligible under C.R.S. 24-72-710 depending on the offense type and how much time has passed. If you think your Garfield County arrest record should be sealed, consult a lawyer or reach out to the 9th Judicial District Court. Sealing removes a record from public view. It does not erase it from the system entirely.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Garfield County. Arrests near county lines sometimes get processed in a neighboring county depending on where the stop took place.