Allentown Arrest Records and Jail Roster
Allentown is the largest city in Lehigh County and one of the fastest-growing cities in Pennsylvania. When Allentown Police make an arrest, the individual is taken to a short-term holding area at police headquarters before being transferred to Lehigh County Jail for processing and housing. Allentown does not operate a standalone city jail for detained individuals. The Lehigh County Jail maintains booking records for all county arrests, including those originating in Allentown. An inmate locator is available through the county's website, and court records are searchable through the state's UJS portal.
Allentown Quick Facts
How Allentown Arrests Are Processed
Allentown Police Department operates out of headquarters at 425 Hamilton Street. When an officer makes an arrest within city limits, the individual is transported to police headquarters for initial processing. This involves identification, charging documentation, and fingerprinting. The holding area at headquarters is not a booking facility in the county sense; it is a short-term space used while paperwork is completed and transport is arranged.
After initial processing, the individual is transferred to Lehigh County Jail at 38 North Fourth Street, Allentown, PA 18102. The jail can be reached at 610-782-3270, and the records office specifically at 610-782-3263. The county jail is the primary source for booking records, inmate rosters, and release information for anyone arrested in Allentown or anywhere else in Lehigh County.
Lehigh County maintains an inmate locator through its website at lehighcounty.org. The tool allows searches by name and returns current housing status, charges, and court appearance information. The locator draws from the active jail population and is updated as bookings and releases occur throughout the day.
For a broader view of Lehigh County booking releases beyond the city of Allentown, the county's online tools provide access to all bookings across the county's municipalities.
Note: Allentown Police can be reached at their non-emergency line, 610-437-7751, for questions about a recent arrest, though booking records are maintained at the county level.
The Pennsylvania DOC inmate and parolee locator covers individuals housed in state correctional institutions across Pennsylvania.
Those serving sentences of two years or more are typically held at state facilities rather than at Lehigh County Jail.
Arraignments and Court Proceedings
Once booked at Lehigh County Jail, defendants are brought before Allentown's Magisterial District Courts for preliminary arraignment. Multiple district courts serve different areas of the city and county. At arraignment, the magistrate informs the defendant of the charges, addresses bail, and schedules a preliminary hearing. Cases then proceed through the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas if charges are held over.
Court records for Allentown cases are publicly accessible through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System portal. The UJS portal provides case-level docket information including charges, bail amounts, attorney information, and all scheduled court dates. Searches are available by defendant name, docket number, or other identifiers. The portal is free to use and requires no registration.
The VINE system is active for Lehigh County Jail. Victims, family members, and other interested parties can register to receive automatic notifications when an inmate is released, transferred, or when their custody status changes in any way. VINE notifications can be sent by phone, email, or text message. Registration is available through VINELink at no cost.
For reference purposes, allentowncityjailpa.org provides information about searching Allentown-area arrest records. However, there is no public roster maintained at the city level; the county jail is the authoritative source for detention records.
Note: Preliminary hearings are typically scheduled within three to ten days of arraignment, though timelines vary based on case type and court availability.
The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records oversees RTKL requests statewide and provides guidance for accessing government records.
RTKL requests to Lehigh County can seek booking records, incident reports, and other documents maintained by county agencies.
Accessing Records Under Pennsylvania's RTKL
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law establishes the public's right to access records held by government agencies. The full statute is available on the Pennsylvania General Assembly website. Lehigh County processes RTKL requests through its open records office. Written requests can be submitted to Lehigh County government offices. Response timelines are generally five business days, with possible extensions.
The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov provides statewide oversight and tools for navigating the process. Their website includes model request forms, information on what records are considered public, and procedures for appealing a denial. Many booking-related records are accessible without a formal RTKL request through the county's online inmate search tool.
For criminal history record checks spanning all Pennsylvania courts, the ePATCH online portal allows searches of the Pennsylvania State Police criminal history database. This tool is useful for confirming prior convictions and case dispositions from courts throughout the state, beyond what appears in current jail records.
Note: Some arrest records may be expunged or sealed under Pennsylvania law and will not appear in standard public searches.
Tips for Searching Allentown Arrest Records
Searching for an Allentown arrest effectively requires knowing which system to use. For current custody status, start with the Lehigh County Jail inmate locator. For court records, charges, and case progression, use the UJS portal. For release notifications, register with VINE. These three tools together cover most needs for tracking an Allentown-area arrest.
If an individual has been transferred to a state facility, use the PA DOC inmate and parolee locator to search state correctional institutions. This scenario applies when a person has been sentenced to two years or more and has been moved from the county jail to a state prison.
For the most accurate results, use the full legal name rather than nicknames or abbreviations. Date of birth is a useful secondary identifier when searching a common name. Booking numbers, when available, provide the most precise search results in the county system.
Allentown's high annual arrest volume means the jail population turns over frequently. A 55% weekly turnover rate means that many individuals move through the system quickly, particularly those who post bail after arraignment. Checking back the next day after an initial failed search is often worthwhile for recent bookings.
Note: Records for individuals released on bail may no longer appear in the active inmate locator but their court cases continue in the UJS portal.
Nearby Pennsylvania Cities
Allentown is in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Several nearby cities also route arrests through their respective county jails.