Winona County Sheriff's Office

Keeping the peace across Winona County, Minnesota, the Winona County Sheriff's Office also runs the county jail, known as the Winona County Detention Center, and handles dispatch between the public and police, fire and ambulance crews. Deputies patrol the county's lakes and river waters, carry out search and rescue, and work with county emergency management on public safety and community programs. Mailed applications for carry and purchase permits stopped being accepted on March 1, 2021; residents now apply in person at the law enforcement center lobby and pay carry permit fees in cash. Inside the detention center, inmates can join Bible study groups, AA, NA and CMA meetings, financial literacy and Decision Points classes, peer support, job readiness classes, GED and adult basic education, and outpatient sessions run by Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. Through the courts, eligible inmates can be placed in the jail's sentence-to-serve work program. People charged without ever being booked can schedule a court-ordered booking or suspense file appointment for fingerprints and a photo at no cost, and should bring every related court paper.