Unalaska 24 Hour Booking

Unalaska 24 Hour Booking records cover people held by the Unalaska Department of Public Safety in the city contract jail at Dutch Harbor. The Unalaska Police runs four divisions including a corrections unit. To search recent Unalaska arrests you can read the police blotter, file a records request with the city, run a name through Alaska CourtView, or look up an inmate on VINE once they ship to a state facility. This page lists each Unalaska booking source and the contact info you need.

Unalaska Department of Public Safety

The Unalaska Department of Public Safety is the main source for Unalaska 24 Hour Booking. The address is 43 Raven Way, P.O. Box 610, Unalaska, AK 99685. Call (907) 581-1234. The department was created under the Unalaska Code of Ordinances Chapter 2.44. It runs four divisions: Administrative, Police Services, Communications, and Corrections.

Police Services covers patrol, emergency response, and criminal investigations across the city. The Communications Division runs the Unalaska 911 center and dispatch. The Corrections Division runs the city contract jail. Administrative handles records and policy. Together these four divisions form one of the few Alaska city departments to run police, dispatch, and a jail under a single roof.

Unalaska Police publish a Police Blotter on a regular basis. The blotter shows recent calls, arrests, and case dispositions. Use the blotter for a quick free check on Unalaska booking activity. For the full booking sheet you file a paper records request with the department.

Unalaska City Records

The City of Unalaska handles non police records through the City Clerk. Call the city office at (907) 581-1251. The City Council meets on a regular schedule and the police department reports go into the council packets. The Unalaska Municipal Code is online and Title 2 covers public safety.

Below is the City of Unalaska home page. The city posts council records, the municipal code, and general info at unalaska.gov.

Use the city site for general public records. Use Public Safety direct for any 24 Hour Booking record.

Unalaska is home to the International Port of Dutch Harbor, the largest commercial fishing port in the country. The crab and pollock fleets bring in heavy traffic that drives much of the local arrest activity. That makes Unalaska one of the busier rural police departments in Alaska on a per capita basis.

How the Unalaska Booking Process Works

When an arrest takes place in Unalaska, the Public Safety officer brings the person to the contract jail on site. The Corrections Division staff runs the intake. They log the full name, date of birth, charges, and arrest time. A booking photo gets taken. Personal items go into a property bag. The whole process can take under an hour for a simple case.

Short holds stay at the Unalaska jail. Most people booked on a misdemeanor post bail and walk out the same day. Felony holds are a different story. The city jail is not built for long stays. Inmates with serious charges get a flight to Anchorage. That flight can take time to arrange since Unalaska sits at the far end of the Aleutian chain. Bad weather can ground planes for days, which means the Corrections Division sometimes holds people longer than planned.

The Unalaska 24 Hour Booking sheet at the jail includes the arresting officer, the case number, the charge code, and the bail amount if one is set. The sheet stays with the DPS records office. You can ask for a copy by filing a written request to the department at 43 Raven Way. Include your name, the date of the arrest, and the full name of the person you are looking up. The department will respond within 10 working days under the Alaska Public Records Act.

Note: Unalaska arrests tied to the fishing fleet often spike in the fall and winter crab seasons when crews are in port.

Unalaska Contract Jail

The Unalaska Department of Public Safety runs a community contract jail. The Corrections Division staffs the facility 24 hours a day. Reach the jail through the main DPS line at (907) 581-1234. The jail is for short term detention only. Most inmates with longer holds get transferred off island to larger state facilities.

Unalaska arrestees with serious charges may move to the Anchorage Correctional Complex or another DOC site. Use the Alaska VINE search to find a person once they hit the state system. VINE shows custody status, the facility, and the basic charges.

Below is the Alaska VINE search page used for Unalaska transfers. The VINE service is run for the state at vinelink.vineapps.com/search/AK.

VINE is free and runs 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-247-9763 or use the search page. Sign up for free release alerts.

Unalaska CourtView Cases

Once charges are filed, the case shows up on Alaska CourtView. Unalaska cases use the prefix 3UN. A typical case number reads 3UN-26-00045CR. CourtView covers superior and district court matters. It is free to use. Search by name, case number, or ticket number.

Note: Under AS 22.35.030 the court must remove a case from public view 60 days after a full acquittal or dismissal. The Unalaska booking record at DPS will still exist, but the court entry on CourtView may not.

For a deeper background check on an Unalaska adult, use the DPS Criminal Records and Identification Bureau. A name based check is $20 and a fingerprint check is $35.

Records Requests in Unalaska

Unalaska 24 Hour Booking access runs through the Alaska Public Records Act. Read AS 40.25.110 for the right of access. The city has 10 working days to answer. Address your request to the Unalaska City Clerk for general records or to the DPS records contact for police files. Include the date, the case number if you have one, the names involved, and your reason for the request.

Some records will not come out. Active investigations, juvenile files, sex assault victim names under AS 12.61.140, and confidential source data all stay closed. The criminal history sharing rules sit in AS 12.62.160. Juvenile delinquency cases stay sealed under AS 47.12.300.

You can also use the Alaska Sex Offender Registry for a long term Unalaska address check. Search by name, by zip, or by city. Registration is required under AS 12.63. The registry shows photos, conviction details, and the current listed address for each offender in the Unalaska area.

Aleutians West Census Area Page

Unalaska sits inside the Aleutians West Census Area. For census area wide records and a list of village contacts, see the Aleutians West Census Area 24 Hour Booking page.

Unalaska Booking Search Notes

Unalaska sits far out on the Aleutian Chain at the port of Dutch Harbor. The Unalaska Department of Public Safety runs its own jail, police, and dispatch under one roof. Most Unalaska 24 Hour Booking activity starts and ends here. Serious cases fly to Anchorage for longer holds. Weather often delays those flights. That means a person may stay in the local contract jail longer than the name of the page suggests. Call the DPS at (907) 581-1234 to ask about a recent Unalaska arrest record.

Nearby Alaska Cities

Other Alaska cities with their own 24 Hour Booking pages. Most Unalaska transfers head to Anchorage for the longer hold.