Lake County Mugshot Search: Free Public Records

Execute a Lake County mugshot search now to keep updated on recent arrests and to find details on anyone charged and confined in jail.

In the state of Indiana, criminal records and information about arrests, particularly mugshots, are accessible by anyone. Curious citizens can explore various resources hosted by local and state law enforcement agencies to access such information.

This article outlines the official custodians and provides guidance on searching offender photos through the databases hosted by these agencies.

Where Can Mugshots Be Found for Free?

Whether you’re a victim, family member, or just a curious citizen who wants to keep informed of the criminal activities in your area, checking the law enforcement agencies updates and delving into the agencies’ official websites is all that’s needed to acquire offender images and other insights.

Mugshots in Indiana – including those in Lake County – are classified as public records. Although law enforcement agencies don’t share these records online, offenders’ photographs are available upon request.

Lake County citizens have the right to access and request a copy of incarcerated individuals’ mugshots, which can primarily be obtained from the county sheriff’s office.

Other than the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, you can also check the municipal police station that holds the case or the specific police agency who apprehended the suspect of the crime.

Furthermore, you can also find information about those detained in the state prison, as well as, those held in local correctional facilities from the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC), while federal prisoners’ photos are available from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

Guide To Finding Mugshots in Lake County Indiana

Despite the availability of mugshots in Lake County, Indiana, records seekers may find it challenging as the county does not host any searchable database where booking photos usually can be found.

If you are one of the curious citizens who want to find suspect’s mugshots, turning your search to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is the best means. To make the public aware of the possible threat to their safety, the LCSO does offer wanted individuals’ information and their photos through their website; however, mugshots of arrested and detained in jail aren’t available.

To acquire arrest mugshots, you can direct your inquiry to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Identification (B of I).² The bureau regularly maintained criminal records within the county, including mugshots of inmates.

Obtaining these records requires a valid ID of the requester and fee (offense reports cost $4 while record checks cost $7). You can submit your request through mail or in-person at the address provided below:

Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Bureau of Identification
2293 N Main Street
Building-C, Door J-2
Crown Point, IN 46307

Office Hours: 8:30AM – 4:30PM | Monday Through Friday (excluding holidays)

If you choose to send your request by mail, you must ensure to include your valid ID, $7 fee and signed release form. You must also make it payable to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. If you have questions regarding your request, you can contact the B Of I via phone at 219.755.3316 or fax 219.755.3323.

Mugshots are taken as part of the documentation before an arrested individual is placed in jail. The county jail is under the jurisdiction of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. You can also contact the Lake County Correction Division and ask for jail booking information at 219.648.6300 or call 219.755.3421 for jail records.³

If you prefer to visit the office, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is located at:

Lake County Sheriff’s Department
2293 N. Main Street
Crown Point, IN 46307-1854

Although Lake County does not endorse any third party platform to view offenders’ information, you can also consider using third party resources, like VINELink. However, note that mugshots will not be included.

Services for Inmates & Families

If your loved ones are arrested and detained in the Lake County Jail, you can still show your support to them if you desire to. The Lake County Correctional Division (LCCD) acknowledges that loved ones, friends or acquaintances’ support is valuable to inmates.

The LCCD provides inmate services, which you can check to maintain your connection even when they are in jail.

Provided below are the support services offered in every participants of LCCD:

Inmate Phone Services: If you want to talk to someone under custody, you should create a Telmate account, which can be done online, by calling 1-866-516-0115 or via the Lake County Correctional Facilities’ kiosk. You can contact inmates through Telmate’s services: Collect Calls, Prepaid Calls, Debit Calls, or via Voicemail.⁴

Inmate Visitation: The LCCD now allows visitation to inmates. Visiting inmates held in any Lake County Correctional Facility requires a visitor’s valid ID, as they may restrict visits of those who are not included in the visitor list.⁵

Post Bond: If you want to bail someone out of jail, you can post a bond by paying a certain amount by cash or via surety bond through a licensed bondsman. To get the amount of the bond, you may contact the Lake County Corrections Division at 219.648.6300 or visit the facility in person.

For more detailed guidance regarding the process of posting bail in the county, refer to the Lake County bail and arrest record lookup tutorial.

Furthermore, inmates can also receive mail, money and commissary items from their loved ones. If you’re wondering how these are made, you can visit the Lake County Community Corrections page.

Find City-Specific Mugshots in Lake County IN

In addition to the county-level sources, you can also check with the local police agencies and the municipal jail to get someone’s mugshot.

Most cities in Lake County do not offer an online jail roster that you can explore, so mugshots can only be accessed by looking to the local police agencies’ records departments, and sending a request. Requests usually requires information about the arrestees, like full name, date of arrest, and charge.

The process may vary, depending on the agency. To provide you samples, here are some of the cities in Lake County along with the process of requesting police reports, including mugshots.

Gary Police Department (GPD): To view mugshots of individuals arrested within the city of Gary, the largest city in Lake County, record seekers should reach out to the Gary Police Department.⁶ The agency doesn’t have an online request option to acquire such records, so you’ll need to call 219.881.7300 or visit the office directly and inquire about your request.

Gary Police Department
555 Polk Street
Gary, IN 46402

Crown Point Police Department (CPPD): To view mugshots of an individual arrested by the Crown Point Police, you will need to request an arrest record, which costs $0.10.⁷ However, a fee of $25 per copy applies, if you want to obtain physical copies of police photographs.

For more information regarding your request, you can contact the CPPD Record’s Department at 219.663.2131, ext. 2 or send an email to [email protected]. Record requests may be made from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Saturday and 8:00AM to 4:00 PM, every Sunday.

Crown Point Police Department
124 N East Street
Crown Point, IN 46307

Cedar Lake Police Department: Some towns in Lake County, Indiana have their own police agency that provides law enforcement services in the city – including arrests.⁸ If you think that they’re the department who made the arrest, you may request for a copy of the police report to view the mugshot of the person you are searching for.

The records department is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and on the second Saturday of each month, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Cedar Lake Police Department
7408 Constitution Ave
Cedar Lake, IN 46303

Phone: 219.374.5416
Fax: 219.374.9231

View Indiana Prison Mugshots (State & Federal Offenders)

If the city and county level resources won’t be able to provide the information you are looking for, you can extend your search to the state-level custodian — Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC).

The IDOC manages an online resource called “Indiana Incarcerated Database Search”, which can provide information about individuals incarcerated in jail (local and state prisoners), including personal information, arrest details and charges.⁹

However, online results will not include mugshots.

For this instance, you can contact the Indiana Department of Corrections directly or visit the IDOC Facilities to ask for the record you need.¹⁰

However, to make the public informed of the registered sex offenders all throughout the state, the IDOC hosts the Sex Offender Database. Registered sex offenders mugshots can be viewed from the search.

Furthermore, for inmates confined in the federal prisons, their records (mugshot isn’t included) are accessible through the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator. Since booking photos are not available online, you may visit the specific BOP facility the inmate is held in.

In case you want to extend your search for crime related records, like warrants, individual criminal data and more, you can refer to the Lake County public records access tutorial.

Thanks to the Indiana Public Records Act and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), criminal records, including mugshots, are accessible by anyone in the state.¹² However, despite the availability of such information, the public must comply with laws set by local, state and federal agencies. Example is the Fair Credit Reporting Act, enforced by the Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Follow the instructions provided in this resource, while keeping in mind the laws that surround its access, for you to successfully perform a Lake County mugshot search. Find mugshots of anyone arrested and detained in any correctional facilities, whether they are confined in city, county, state or federal prisons.