Find Arrest Records in Chippewa County
Chippewa County arrest records are public documents maintained by the Sheriff's Office in Sault Ste. Marie and by state agencies. This page covers the tools and offices you can use to search arrest histories, criminal backgrounds, and court data in Michigan's easternmost Upper Peninsula county, which borders Canada across the St. Marys River.
Chippewa County Overview
How to Search Chippewa County Arrest Records
Chippewa County is the largest county by land area in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and one of the largest in the state. Sault Ste. Marie, the county seat, is on the south bank of the St. Marys River, across from its Canadian twin city of the same name in Ontario. The international border here adds a layer of complexity to some law enforcement matters, though Michigan records only cover activity on the U.S. side.
For a statewide criminal history that covers all 83 Michigan counties at once, start with ICHAT. This tool is run by Michigan State Police under MCL 28.241 and costs $10 per search. Access it at apps.michigan.gov. For Chippewa County-specific records, including arrest reports and jail booking data, the Sheriff's Office at 906-635-6355 and the county website at chippewacountymi.gov are your best contacts.
Sault Ste. Marie has its own city police department. Records for incidents that occurred within city limits may be held by SSMCITY PD rather than the Sheriff. For those, contact the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department directly. State troopers from the MSP Sault Ste. Marie post also patrol the area and hold their own records through the MSP FOIA process.
Chippewa County Sheriff's Office
The Chippewa County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county outside of Sault Ste. Marie city limits. They patrol a large geographic area, run the county jail, and handle records requests for county-level law enforcement matters.
| Office | Chippewa County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 325 Court St., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 |
| Phone | 906-635-6355 |
| Website | chippewacountymi.gov |
Arrest reports and incident records from the Sheriff's Office are accessible under MCL 15.231, Michigan's Freedom of Information Act. To get copies, you submit a written FOIA request. The office has five business days to respond. Fees for copying and staff time are allowed, but must be reasonable and itemized. Check the county website for the current submission process. Exempt records include active investigation materials and juvenile records. Most completed arrest and booking records are public.
Chippewa County covers a wide area. Many towns and townships in the county rely entirely on the Sheriff and Michigan State Police for law enforcement. If you're searching for records from a rural area of the county, the Sheriff's Office is almost certainly the right first contact.
Chippewa County Jail and Inmate Search
The Chippewa County Jail in Sault Ste. Marie holds people arrested locally while they wait for court dates or serve shorter sentences. To find out if someone is currently detained there, call the Sheriff's Office at 906-635-6355.
People sent to Michigan state prison or placed on MDOC parole or probation appear in the OTIS database. OTIS stands for Offender Tracking Information System and is run by the Michigan Department of Corrections. It is free and available at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2/otis2.html. You can search by name and get information about sentence length, current facility, and projected release dates. County jail inmates are not in OTIS. Only state-supervised offenders appear there.
The OTIS tool is shown below. It's a free resource that covers Michigan prisoners and parolees, including those with cases originating in Chippewa County.
OTIS is updated as offenders move between facilities or are released. It's a reliable source for current status on anyone in MDOC custody.
Michigan Court Case Search for Chippewa County
Court records for Chippewa County are available through the statewide Michigan Courts portal at courts.michigan.gov/case-search. This tool covers criminal, civil, and traffic cases filed in circuit and district courts across Michigan, including Chippewa County.
The 50th Circuit Court serves Chippewa County for felony cases. District courts handle misdemeanors and traffic matters. A name search returns results from across the state, so you may see cases from other counties if the person has records outside of Chippewa. For actual case documents, contact the Chippewa County Circuit Court Clerk in Sault Ste. Marie.
The online case search is a good way to get a quick overview of case status and charges before deciding whether to request full documents. It is also useful for verifying information you find through other tools like ICHAT.
ICHAT Statewide Criminal History Search
ICHAT is Michigan's statewide criminal history tool, run by Michigan State Police under MCL 28.241. It costs $10 per search and covers all 83 counties including Chippewa. Access it at apps.michigan.gov. Pay by credit card. Results come back quickly and show felony and misdemeanor convictions.
ICHAT returns conviction data, not all arrests. Cases that were dismissed, not prosecuted, or ended in acquittal may not appear. Convictions set aside under Michigan's Clean Slate law (MCL 780.621g) may also drop out of results. For Chippewa County, where case volume is lower than in downstate urban counties, ICHAT searches usually return focused results that are easy to review.
One thing worth noting about Chippewa County: the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians operates within the county and has its own tribal police and justice system. Records from tribal law enforcement are separate from Michigan state records and are not accessible through ICHAT or Michigan Courts. If you need tribal records, you'd need to contact the tribal court or tribal police directly.
FOIA Requests in Chippewa County
MCL 15.231, Michigan's FOIA law, gives you the right to request records from any Chippewa County government agency. This includes the Sheriff's Office, Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, the county clerk, and other local offices. Each agency handles FOIA independently. You submit your written request to the agency holding the records you need.
Agencies have five business days to respond. They can extend by ten days with written notice. Fees must be reasonable and itemized. If a request will cost more than $50, the agency must give you an estimate before proceeding. You can appeal a denial to the agency head and then, if needed, through the circuit court.
For records generated by MSP troopers from the Sault Ste. Marie post, use the state portal at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia. That process is separate from local agency FOIA submissions.
Michigan Sex Offender Registry in Chippewa County
Michigan's Sex Offender Registry, governed by MCL 28.721, is a public database searchable by name or location. Chippewa County addresses and communities like Sault Ste. Marie, Kinross, and Pickford are all searchable at mspsor.com. The advanced search form at mspsor.com/Home/Search allows filtering by zip code or city to narrow results to specific parts of the county.
Profiles include current address, photo, offense information, and registration tier. Tier levels determine how long someone must register and how frequently they must check in. Non-compliance is a felony under Michigan law. The registry is updated regularly as registrants report changes to their address and other required information.
The PSOR search form shown below is the tool Michigan State Police uses to make the sex offender registry publicly searchable. It covers all of Chippewa County.
The registry search is free and does not require creating an account. Results are based on current registration data.
Clean Slate and Expungement
Michigan's Clean Slate law, MCL 780.621g, created automatic set-asides for many convictions after a waiting period. Most misdemeanors become eligible after seven years without a new offense. Some felonies qualify after ten years. No filing is needed. The courts process eligible set-asides automatically.
Serious violent felonies, crimes against minors, and certain traffic offenses do not qualify. For Chippewa County residents, the 50th Circuit Court in Sault Ste. Marie handles manual expungement petitions. A local attorney can review eligibility before filing. When a conviction is set aside, it typically no longer appears in ICHAT or court search results. Keep that in mind when interpreting records that seem cleaner than expected.
Nearby Counties
Chippewa County is surrounded by other Upper Peninsula counties with their own records systems.