Find Erie County Arrests, Current Jail Bookings and Criminal Case Records
Start with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office inmate roster when you need to know whether someone is currently housed at the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo or the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. For the criminal case, use New York Courts WebCriminal and the appropriate Erie County, Buffalo City, town or village court.
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The Sheriff’s public roster is not a traditional online mugshot gallery. It identifies incarcerated individuals by information such as ICN number, name, date of birth, facility and booking date. A booking entry also does not establish guilt or show the final disposition of a criminal case.
How to Search the Erie County Sheriff’s Inmate Roster
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office publishes an inmate roster covering people housed within its Jail Management Division. The current public roster identifies the facility as either ECHC or ECCF.
Open the Sheriff’s current inmate roster
Use the Sheriff’s official PDF roster rather than starting with a copied third-party inmate directory.
Search the person’s legal name
Use your browser or PDF viewer’s search function to look for the surname. Try verified spelling variations if the expected name does not immediately appear.
Compare identifying information
The roster can include an ICN number, inmate name, date of birth, assigned facility and booking date. Compare more than a name before deciding that a result belongs to the person you are researching.
Read the facility code
ECHC refers to the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo. ECCF refers to the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden.
Does Erie County Put Mugshots in Its Public Jail Roster?
The Sheriff’s current public inmate roster is a roster rather than a photo gallery. Its published columns identify incarcerated individuals through text-based booking and custody information, not a page of public booking photographs.
If you specifically need an arrest booking photograph, do not assume that a third-party mugshot website is the official source. Contact the agency that created or maintains the record and ask whether the photograph is publicly releasable under New York law and the facts of the particular case.
The arresting agency and the jail custodian may also be different. For example, a person can be arrested by Buffalo Police, a town police department, New York State Police or another agency and later be housed in an Erie County Sheriff’s facility.
Erie County Holding Center vs. Erie County Correctional Facility
The Sheriff’s Jail Management Division operates two separate correctional facilities. Check the facility column on the inmate roster before calling, mailing or planning a visit.
Erie County Holding Center
40 Delaware AvenueBuffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-858-7638
The Holding Center is the Sheriff’s downtown Buffalo detention facility.
Erie County Correctional Facility
11581 Walden AvenueAlden, NY 14004
Phone: 716-937-9101
The Correctional Facility is the Sheriff’s Alden jail facility.
The Sheriff states that the two facilities have a combined capacity of 1,380 beds. Facility assignments can matter for visitation, mail, telephone questions and other inmate services.
Which Erie County Arrest or Jail Record Should You Use?
| Your question | Best starting source | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Is the person currently in an Erie County Sheriff’s jail? | Sheriff inmate roster | Current listed county custody, facility and booking date. |
| Which Sheriff facility is holding the person? | Inmate roster | ECHC or ECCF facility assignment. |
| Has county-jail custody changed? | New York Sheriffs’ VINE | County-jail custody information and available status notifications. |
| What happened to a pending criminal case? | New York Courts WebCriminal | Supported pending criminal cases, including Erie County Court and Buffalo City Court. |
| Need a closed felony criminal file? | Erie County Clerk | Qualifying closed felony files from Supreme Court and Erie County Court maintained by the Clerk. |
| Need an incident report or Sheriff’s agency record? | Sheriff ID Bureau / FOIL | Records maintained by the Sheriff’s Office, subject to applicable disclosure rules. |
| Person has moved into New York State prison? | NYS DOCCS lookup | State correctional custody rather than county-jail custody. |
A practical Erie County search route
What to Do If Someone Is Missing From the Erie County Inmate Roster
A missing roster result is not enough to conclude that no Erie County arrest occurred.
| Problem | Possible explanation | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Name does not appear | The person may not currently be in Sheriff’s custody. | Check VINE and the appropriate criminal court. |
| Arrest happened very recently | Booking and roster publication may not yet be reflected in the version you opened. | Recheck the official roster or call the responsible facility. |
| Person was released | Active jail custody ended even though the arrest may remain part of the court record. | Use WebCriminal or the responsible court. |
| Person was transferred to state custody | County custody ended after transfer. | Use NYS DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup. |
| Wrong name or spelling | The jail record may use a different legal spelling or name variation. | Search verified spelling alternatives and compare date of birth. |
| Arrest occurred elsewhere | The person may be in another county, municipal or federal facility. | Identify the arresting jurisdiction before continuing. |
| Case cannot be found online | Some records are sealed, restricted, handled in another court or not available through the particular online system. | Contact the court or records custodian directly. |
Use New York WebCriminal to Follow Supported Erie County Cases
New York Courts provides WebCriminal through its eCourts system. The state court system specifically lists Erie County Court and Buffalo City Court among the courts for which criminal case information can be searched online.
WebCriminal is useful when you want to move beyond the jail booking stage and determine whether a supported criminal matter is pending in court. Search availability depends on the court, case type and public-access rules.
Erie County Court
25 Delaware AvenueBuffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-845-9300
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., excluding state holidays.
Buffalo City Court
50 Delaware AvenueBuffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-845-2600
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., excluding state holidays.
Open New York eCourts / WebCriminal
Older and Closed Erie County Felony Criminal Records
The Erie County Clerk maintains closed criminal records arising from felony charges filed in New York State Supreme Court and Erie County Court.
The Clerk explains that lesser charged matters remain with the lower courts, while federal, city and town matters are the responsibility of those separate government bodies. That means the County Clerk is not a universal archive for every arrest made anywhere in Erie County.
For a closed criminal file, the Clerk states that records are indexed by name and indictment number. When requesting a file by defendant name, a date of birth is required.
Public access also has legal limits. Files sealed by court order or New York law are not publicly available in the same manner. The Clerk notes that files can also be sealed when charges are dismissed or a defendant is acquitted.
Erie County Clerk
92 Franklin StreetBuffalo, NY 14202
Criminal records/customer service: 716-858-8785
The Clerk’s FAQ directs callers seeking criminal records to use option 2, then 2.
In-person closed criminal file research
The Clerk directs visitors seeking closed criminal records to its Actions & Proceedings Office at 92 Franklin Street.
Listed research hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., excluding legal holidays.
How to Request an Erie County Sheriff’s Incident or Arrest Record
A jail roster entry is not the same document as an incident or arrest report. If the Erie County Sheriff’s Office created the underlying law-enforcement record, use the Sheriff’s records route.
The Sheriff’s FAQ directs people seeking an incident report to its ID Bureau at 716-858-7618.
For formal New York Freedom of Information Law requests to the Sheriff’s Office, requests are handled through the Professional Standards Division.
Erie County Sheriff’s Office FOIL Officer
Professional Standards Division40 La Riviere Drive, Suite 140
Buffalo, NY 14202
Email: [email protected]
Use New York VINE for County-Jail Custody Status
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office participates in the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline, commonly associated with VINE custody-information services.
The Sheriff’s information explains that users can obtain custody-status information for offenders housed in New York county jails and county correctional facilities and can register for automatic notification when custody status changes.
Registration information can include the person’s name and date of birth, booking information or NYSID number, together with the user’s confidential PIN where required by the service.
Erie County Sheriff — New York Sheriffs’ VINE Information
Search NYS DOCCS if the Person Entered State Custody
The Sheriff’s jail roster covers county facilities. A person transferred into the New York State correctional system should instead be searched through the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
NYS DOCCS provides an Incarcerated Lookup for state-custody information. A Department Identification Number, or DIN, is the state system’s identifier for an incarcerated person.
If you do not know the DIN, DOCCS guidance explains that the lookup can be searched with identifying information such as the person’s complete name and birth date.
New York State DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup
DOCCS also maintains a separate Parolee Lookup for individuals who are currently or were formerly under community supervision.
Erie County Jail Visiting, Mail and Money Basics
The Sheriff publishes separate operational rules for visitation, mail and inmate funds. Check the latest Sheriff’s page before traveling because correctional schedules can change.
Check the correct facility
The current visitation schedule differs between the Buffalo Holding Center and Alden Correctional Facility. The Sheriff’s visiting page also provides video-visitation information.
Use inmate name and ICN
The Sheriff instructs senders to address jail mail with the incarcerated person’s name and ICN number and the correct Holding Center or Correctional Facility address.
Access Corrections
The Sheriff states that money can be sent using its published mailing method or deposited online through Access Corrections.
Holding Center mail format
Incarcerated person’s name and ICN #Erie County Holding Center
40 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
Correctional Facility mail format
Incarcerated person’s name and ICN #Erie County Correctional Facility
11581 Walden Avenue
Alden, NY 14004
Check Current Erie County Jail Visiting Hours
Check Current Inmate Deposit Options
Erie County Sheriff, Jail and Court Contacts
Erie County Sheriff’s Office
10 Delaware AvenueBuffalo, NY 14202
Main office: 716-858-7618
Non-emergency dispatch: 716-858-2903
Email: [email protected]
Continue Your New York Arrest and Jail Record Search
Recently Booked Mugshots
Use the broader guide to understand how current jail rosters, booking records, arrest photos and court records differ across jurisdictions.
New York State DOCCS
If a person has moved from Erie County custody to the state prison system, use the state correctional lookup rather than the county roster.
Erie County Mugshot, Arrest and Jail Record FAQs
Where can I search current Erie County jail inmates?
Use the Erie County Sheriff’s Office official inmate roster. It identifies current listed inmates with information such as ICN number, name, date of birth, facility and booking date.
Does the official Erie County inmate roster show mugshots?
The Sheriff’s current public roster is a text-based inmate roster rather than a public mugshot gallery. If you specifically need a booking photograph, ask the responsible records custodian whether the image is publicly releasable.
What does ECHC mean on the Erie County roster?
ECHC refers to the Erie County Holding Center at 40 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.
What does ECCF mean on the Erie County roster?
ECCF refers to the Erie County Correctional Facility at 11581 Walden Avenue in Alden.
Why is someone no longer on the Erie County inmate roster?
The person may have been released, transferred, moved into state custody or otherwise left current Sheriff’s jail custody. Check VINE, the criminal court record or NYS DOCCS when appropriate.
How do I find an Erie County criminal court case?
New York Courts WebCriminal can provide information for supported criminal cases, including Erie County Court and Buffalo City Court. Town and village matters may require searching or contacting the appropriate local court.
Where are closed Erie County felony records kept?
The Erie County Clerk maintains qualifying closed criminal records resulting from felony charges filed in New York State Supreme Court and Erie County Court. Lesser charged matters remain with lower courts.
How do I request an Erie County Sheriff’s incident report?
The Sheriff’s FAQ directs incident-report questions to its ID Bureau at 716-858-7618. Formal Sheriff’s Office FOIL requests are handled through its Professional Standards Division.
Can I receive notification when an Erie County inmate’s custody status changes?
Yes. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office participates in New York Sheriffs’ VINE services, which provide county-jail custody information and available automatic status-change notifications.
Where do I look if someone was transferred to New York State prison?
Use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Incarcerated Lookup. County jail and state correctional custody are separate systems.
Does an Erie County booking record prove someone was convicted?
No. A jail booking record documents custody following an arrest or detention event. The criminal court record should be used to determine filed charges and later case outcomes.
Official Sources Used for This Erie County Update
These government and official sources were reviewed for this article in October 2026. Jail rosters, visiting schedules, custody status, court information and contact details can change, so recheck the responsible source before relying on time-sensitive information.
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office — Inmate Roster
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office — Jail Management Division
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office — Contacts
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office — Jail Management FAQ
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office — Visiting Information
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office — FOIL Requests
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office — VINE
- Erie County Clerk — Criminal Proceedings
- New York Courts — eCourts / WebCriminal
- New York Courts — Erie County Court
- New York State DOCCS — Incarcerated Lookup
USA-Mugshots.com is an independent informational website. It is not the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, Erie County Clerk, New York State Unified Court System, NYS DOCCS or another government agency. This page does not operate the Erie County inmate roster and does not determine whether a person is guilty of an offense. Verify consequential information with the agency or court that maintains the underlying record.