Somerville Jail Roster

Somerville does not have a city jail. Arrests made by the Somerville Police Department result in county custody when someone is held. The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office handles all inmates from Somerville, housing them at the facility in Billerica. The Somerville jail roster is effectively the Middlesex County roster. This page covers how to search it, how to contact the right offices, and how to get records from both the sheriff and the Somerville Police Department.

Middlesex County Handles Somerville Custody

Somerville sits in Middlesex County, one of the most populated counties in Massachusetts. All county inmates, including those arrested in Somerville, are housed at the Middlesex County House of Correction at 269 Treble Cove Road, Billerica, MA 01862. The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office oversees all operations there. The main phone line is (978) 667-0700.

The sheriff's website is middlesheriff.com. It covers inmate search access, visiting guidelines, program information, and details on how to submit public records requests. Staff at (978) 667-0700 can answer questions about specific inmates and direct you to the right department for more detailed records needs.

The Somerville Police Department is at 220 Washington Street, Somerville, MA 02143. The non-emergency line is (617) 625-1600, and the website is somervillema.gov/departments/police. Somerville PD makes arrests within the city and processes them, but they do not maintain a jail roster. Once someone enters county custody, their records belong to the sheriff's office. If you call Somerville PD to ask about jail status, they will direct you to the county.

The Massachusetts DOC public records portal shows how state-level records requests work, which applies to any Somerville resident whose case has moved beyond county custody. The same rules that govern state records also apply to county-level requests.

How to Search the Somerville Jail Roster

The Middlesex County inmate locator is at middlesheriff.com/services/inmate-locator. The search is free and open to anyone. You enter the person's name and the system returns current custody records from the Billerica facility. Each result includes the booking date, charges, bail amount, facility location, and court date information. Results are updated regularly and reflect current custody status.

If someone is not in the results, it could mean they were released, transferred to state custody, or that their booking is still in process. A blank result is not definitive proof that someone is not in custody. If you believe someone should be in the system and the search turns up nothing, call (978) 667-0700 to have staff check by name. This is especially useful in the first few hours after an arrest, when processing may still be underway.

Somerville is a dense urban city, and arrests there cover a wide range of charge types. The roster captures everyone held in county custody regardless of the nature of the charge, from minor to serious. You do not need to know the charge category to search. Just a name is enough to run the basic lookup.

Under M.G.L. c. 66, § 10, jail roster data is a public record in Massachusetts. The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office is required to provide reasonable access to it. The online inmate locator is the primary tool for that purpose.

Records Requests and the Records Access Officer

The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office has a designated Records Access Officer: Megan McLatchey, at (781) 960-2830. For records beyond what the online search shows, such as full booking reports, facility incident documentation, or custody history, contact the RAO. You can also send a written request by mail to the sheriff's office at 269 Treble Cove Road, Billerica, MA 01862.

Your request should include the subject's full name, the approximate booking or incident date, the type of records you are seeking, and your contact information for a reply. Under Massachusetts public records law, agencies have ten business days to respond to standard requests. The clock starts when the agency receives your request, not when you send it.

Fees may apply for physical copies and in some cases for retrieval time on complex requests. If your request is denied or not answered, the Massachusetts Public Records Portal provides guidance on filing an appeal with the Secretary of State's office.

Note: You do not need to give a reason for your public records request. Agencies cannot make your stated purpose a condition of providing records under Massachusetts law.

Somerville Police Arrest Records

Arrest reports and incident reports generated by Somerville PD are separate from the jail records held by the county. To get a copy of an arrest report from the Somerville Police Department, submit a public records request to the department at 220 Washington Street or through their website at somervillema.gov/departments/police. Include the subject's name and the date of the incident in your request. The non-emergency line is (617) 625-1600 if you want to call first and ask about the process.

Police reports cover what happened at the time of arrest. Jail records cover what happens after the person enters county custody. Both are public records under M.G.L. c. 66, § 10, held by different agencies. Some portions may be withheld if the case is still under active investigation.

State Resources for Broader Searches

If someone does not show up in Middlesex County's system, they may have been sentenced and transferred to a Massachusetts Department of Correction facility. The county system holds pretrial detainees and those serving shorter sentences. Anyone serving more than two and a half years goes to a state facility. Use the Massachusetts DOC Inmate Search to check for those cases. It covers all state prisons and is free to use. The DOC database is entirely separate from the county roster.

Court records for cases filed in Middlesex County courts are searchable through MassCourts. Case dockets, hearing dates, and charge histories are available there. The jail roster shows where someone is held. MassCourts shows where the case stands. Checking both gives the most complete picture of a person's current situation.

For the full overview of Middlesex County jail operations and all facilities, visit the Middlesex County jail roster page.

Nearby Cities in Middlesex County

Several other qualifying cities in Middlesex County use the same county sheriff system as Somerville. The pages below cover local jail roster details for each.