Garfield County Inmate Population
Garfield County inmate population records are managed by the Garfield County Sheriff's Office in Pomeroy, Washington. Because Garfield is one of the smallest counties in Washington by population, there is no publicly listed online jail roster. To find out if someone is currently in custody, you need to contact the Sheriff's Office directly by phone or in writing. This page covers how to reach the jail, how to request records under Washington's Public Records Act, and what state-level tools are available when a person may have moved to state custody or been transferred out of Garfield County.
Garfield County Jail Overview
Garfield County Jail Records
The Garfield County Sheriff's Office operates the county jail and handles all booking and custody records for inmates held in Pomeroy. Garfield County is the least populous county in Washington, and the jail is a small facility serving a rural community in the southeastern part of the state. The Sheriff's Office can be reached at 509-843-3494. There is no online inmate roster published for public access, so a direct call or written request is required to check custody status.
The jail processes arrests made by the Sheriff's Office and other local law enforcement agencies working within Garfield County. Booking records document the inmate's name, the date and time of confinement, the reason for confinement, and the manner and date of discharge. These records are subject to public disclosure under state law, meaning you can request them formally even when no online portal exists.
| Facility | Garfield County Jail |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Pomeroy, WA 99347 |
| Sheriff's Office Phone | 509-843-3494 |
| Online Roster | Not available; contact Sheriff's Office directly |
| County Clerk | 789 Main St, Pomeroy, WA 99347 |
Because the county has no public-facing inmate search page, anyone needing to check the current jail population must call or submit a written request. Staff can confirm whether a named individual is in custody and provide basic booking information available under RCW 70.48.100, which requires county jails to maintain accessible records of confined persons.
How to Find Garfield County Jail Inmates
Without an online roster, there are a few ways to look up who is currently held in the Garfield County Jail. The most direct method is to call the Sheriff's Office at 509-843-3494. When you call, have the full name of the person you are searching for ready. Staff can check the current roster and let you know if that person is in custody, their booking date, and what facility they are in.
If you are unable to reach the Sheriff's Office by phone, a written public records request is another option. Under RCW 42.56, Washington's Public Records Act, the agency must respond within five business days. You can request the jail roster, booking logs, or records related to a specific person. Submit written requests to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office in Pomeroy, WA 99347.
If the person you are looking for is not in Garfield County, they may have been transferred to another county jail or moved into state prison custody. In that case, the Washington State Department of Corrections search tool at doc.wa.gov is a useful next step. That system covers people serving sentences across all state facilities in Washington.
Note: Garfield County has no public online inmate roster, so direct contact with the Sheriff's Office at 509-843-3494 is the only way to check current custody status in real time.
Historical Garfield County Jail Records
The Washington State Archives holds historical Garfield County jail records that date back to 1887. These records are part of the Eastern Regional Archives and can be accessed through the Washington State Digital Archives. The historical jail registers contain detailed information on each confined individual, including name, date of confinement, offense, sentence length, age, height, sex, race, occupation, and date of discharge.
These older records are useful for genealogical research, legal history, or tracing individuals who were held in Garfield County in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Eastern Regional Archives can be contacted at 509-235-7508 for help locating specific records or navigating the archive's holdings. Not all records from this period are digitized, so some searches may require in-person visits or requests by mail.
The depth of information in historical jail registers is notable. Each entry was recorded by hand and captures details that modern booking systems also track, like offense type and physical description. Researchers working on Washington legal history or local Garfield County history will find these records a primary source worth exploring. The digital archive portal allows basic searching online before committing to a physical visit.
Note: For access to historical Garfield County jail records from 1887 onward, contact the Eastern Regional Archives directly at 509-235-7508 before visiting in person.
Public Records Requests in Garfield County
Washington's Public Records Act, codified under RCW 42.56, gives the public the right to access government records held by agencies like the Garfield County Sheriff's Office. This includes booking logs, jail rosters, and incident reports, subject to certain exemptions. The agency must respond to a records request within five business days, either fulfilling it, denying it with a legal reason, or providing a timeline for a fuller response.
Local jails are separately required under RCW 70.48.100 to keep records on all confined persons and to make those records available to the public. This statute is the specific legal basis for jail roster access in Washington. Even without an online portal, Garfield County must comply with both of these requirements when a formal request is submitted.
If you need property records or other county documents, the Garfield County Assessor is located at the courthouse in Pomeroy. For Superior Court records tied to criminal cases filed in Garfield County, contact the County Clerk at 789 Main St, Pomeroy, WA 99347. Court case searches are also available through the Washington Courts public access portal at courts.wa.gov.
VINE Victim Notification for Garfield County
VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) is a free automated service available to anyone who wants to track the custody status of a person held in Garfield County or elsewhere in Washington. Registered users get alerts by phone, text, or email when an inmate is released, transferred, escapes, or has a scheduled court event. You do not need to give your name to register, and there is no cost to use the service.
Sign up or check custody status through VINELink.com. VINE connects to both county jails and state correctional facilities across Washington. For people who want ongoing updates without calling the Sheriff's Office repeatedly, VINE provides a practical, passive way to stay informed about custody changes in Garfield County.
The Washington State DOC inmate search tool shown below is one of the key resources available when tracking an individual who may have been transferred from the Garfield County Jail to a state facility.
Garfield County Court and Case Records
Criminal case records for individuals booked at the Garfield County Jail are filed with the Garfield County Superior Court. The County Clerk's office at 789 Main St in Pomeroy maintains those files and can provide copies of court documents, dockets, and case outcomes. Booking records show charges at the time of arrest and do not reflect what happened in court, so follow-up with the Clerk is important if you need full case history.
The Washington Courts system at courts.wa.gov allows free name and case number searches for cases filed in Garfield County Superior and District Courts. This is the fastest way to check the status of a criminal case tied to a Garfield County arrest. For certified copies of court documents, you will need to contact the Clerk directly or submit a formal request.
The VINE system also tracks court events for some incarcerated individuals, so registering at VINELink.com can give you passive alerts about court-related custody changes without needing to check manually. Combined with the courts.wa.gov search, these tools cover the full range of post-booking case tracking for Garfield County.
Note: The Washington Courts case search at courts.wa.gov is free and covers Garfield County Superior and District Court records without requiring a written request.
State-Level Inmate Search Resources
When someone is not found in Garfield County, Washington State provides several tools for tracking custody across the state. The Washington State Department of Corrections incarcerated person search at doc.wa.gov covers individuals serving sentences in state prisons. If a person was sentenced following an arrest in Garfield County, they may appear in that database once transferred from the county jail.
The WATCH system operated by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs at watch.wsp.wa.gov provides access to Washington criminal history records. WATCH is useful for background checks and for reviewing an individual's full arrest and conviction record beyond just current custody status. There is a fee for WATCH searches. The DOC search is available at no cost.
Cities in Garfield County
Garfield County is the smallest county in Washington by population and is made up almost entirely of rural land in the southeastern part of the state. Pomeroy is the county seat and the only incorporated city. No cities in Garfield County meet the population threshold for individual city pages on this site. All jail bookings in the county run through the Sheriff's Office in Pomeroy.
Nearby Counties
Garfield County borders several counties in eastern Washington. If you are looking for an inmate and they are not in the Garfield County system, they may have been transferred to one of these neighboring counties.