Search St. Louis Booking Reports
St. Louis booking reports come from the Metropolitan Police Department, which handles all law enforcement within this independent city. Unlike most Missouri cities, St. Louis is not part of any county for policing purposes. The SLMPD processes arrests through three patrol divisions and houses inmates at the City Justice Center downtown. You can search for booking reports online through the department's records division or submit a formal Sunshine Law request. Most arrest data becomes available to the public within days of the booking.
Quick Facts
St. Louis Booking Reports and City Structure
St. Louis operates as an independent city in Missouri. It split from St. Louis County back in 1876 and runs its own police force, courts, and jail system. This means booking reports for arrests within St. Louis city limits go through the SLMPD and the City Justice Center, not the county system. People sometimes confuse the two jurisdictions. If you are looking for an arrest that happened in the city proper, you need to search the city's records. County arrests are handled separately.
The City Justice Center holds about 860 inmates at any given time. It houses pre-trial detainees and people serving short sentences. The facility sits at 200 South Tucker Boulevard. You can reach them at (314) 621-5848 for questions about who is currently booked there.
SLMPD Records Division for Booking Reports
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department runs a dedicated records division that handles booking report requests. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can visit in person at 1915 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 or call 314-444-5541. The records division provides police reports, arrest records, and criminal background checks.
The SLMPD homepage provides access to crime data, public safety information, and links to the records request process for St. Louis booking reports.
From the main site you can navigate to the records division, sunshine law portal, and contact pages for specific booking report requests.
The SLMPD Records Division page lists everything you need to know about getting copies of St. Louis booking reports. Background check fees are straightforward. A city-only record check costs $4.50. A combined city and county check runs $9.00. You need a valid photo ID to pick up records in person. They accept a state-issued ID, passport, or a combination of Social Security card and photo ID.
Here is a view of the records division page where you can find details about St. Louis booking report fees and procedures.
The records page also explains the express pickup option for requests submitted online ahead of time.
Sunshine Law Requests for St. Louis Booking Reports
Missouri's Sunshine Law gives the public the right to access booking reports and other government records. The SLMPD has a dedicated Sunshine Law portal for submitting requests. You can file online, by mail, or by email at sunshinelawrequest@slmpd.org. The mailing address is St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Attn: Sunshine Law Unit, 1915 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103.
The Sunshine Law portal screenshot below shows the online system for requesting St. Louis booking reports and other police records.
The portal tracks your request status and sends updates as the department processes your records.
Fees under the Sunshine Law follow state rules. Copies are $0.10 per page per Section 610.023. Research and location time costs $15 per hour, prorated in quarter-hour increments. Simple requests usually come in under $5 total. The department accepts cash, money orders, and business checks. They do not take personal checks or credit cards for records fees.
Note: St. Louis is an independent city and does not share its booking report system with St. Louis County, so search both if you are unsure where an arrest occurred.
St. Louis City Justice Center
The City Justice Center at 200 South Tucker Boulevard is where St. Louis holds people after booking. The facility has space for around 860 inmates. The prisoner processing department can be reached at 314-241-8339. If you need to find out whether someone is currently detained, calling the Justice Center directly is the fastest route.
For county-level searches, the St. Louis County inmate search covers arrests and bookings in the county jurisdiction outside city limits.
The county inmate search tool is shown below for reference when looking for booking reports in the broader St. Louis area.
This county tool covers a different jurisdiction than the city system. Use it if the arrest took place outside St. Louis city limits in areas like Clayton, University City, or Chesterfield.
How to Request St. Louis Booking Reports
You have several options for getting booking reports from St. Louis. The best method depends on how quickly you need the records and what type of information you are after.
- Visit the SLMPD Records Division at 1915 Olive Street during business hours
- Submit a Sunshine Law request online through the SLMPD portal
- Email your request to sunshinelawrequest@slmpd.org
- Call the Records Division at 314-444-5541
- Contact the City Justice Center at (314) 621-5848 for current inmate status
The department must respond within three business days under Section 610.024 of the Sunshine Law. Complex requests may take longer, but the agency has to tell you why and give you a timeline. If your request is denied, you can file a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General's office, which oversees Sunshine Law compliance statewide.
Statewide Tools for St. Louis Booking Reports
Several state-level databases can help you find booking reports and arrest records connected to St. Louis. The Missouri Department of Corrections Offender Search covers anyone in state custody or on parole. Case.net provides court records that often reference original booking data. These tools are free to use and cover all of Missouri.
For a more thorough criminal history check, the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site runs name-based searches for $14. This pulls records from across the state, not just St. Louis. Fingerprint-based checks give even more complete results and are available through local law enforcement offices.
Note: Arrest records where no charges are filed within 30 days become closed records under Missouri law and will not appear in public booking report searches.
Nearby Cities with Booking Reports
Florissant sits north of the city and processes booking reports through its own police department and city jail. St. Charles and St. Peters are across the Missouri River in St. Charles County. O'Fallon is also in that area. Each city has its own arrest process, but all follow the same Missouri Sunshine Law rules for public access to booking reports.