Otero County Detention Center Overview
Otero County Detention Center is the primary local detention facility for Otero County. The operator is the Otero County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Shawn Mobley. Official sheriff materials place the sheriff and jail complex at 220 E 2nd St., La Junta, CO 81050, while some detention references use 222 E 2nd St. The county's official sheriff address is the safer address for public routing.
The jail receives people arrested by the sheriff's office and by local agencies such as La Junta Police, Rocky Ford Police, Fowler Police, Colorado State Patrol, or other agencies that bring a person into county custody. The county did not publish a security classification label, housing-unit breakdown, year built, public lobby schedule for jail business, or current bed capacity in the official sources reviewed.
The official Otero County jail page focuses on service access: inmate money, commissary, phone calls, and video visitation.
That official page is the strongest local source for visitor and deposit vendors, while custody confirmation still starts with the booking phone line.
Capacity and Population Data
Otero County does not publish a live jail population count, rated capacity, annual bookings, average daily population, or demographic breakdown on the sheriff or detention-center pages reviewed. Third-party capacity numbers conflict and are excluded here because the project research did not confirm them from official county or state sources.
For community context only, U.S. Census QuickFacts lists Otero County at 18,690 residents in the 2020 Census and an estimated 17,991 residents as of July 1, 2024. Those are county population figures, not jail population figures.
How to Look Up an Inmate at Otero County Detention Center
No official online Otero County jail roster was located in the county and sheriff sources reviewed. The best official first contact for current county custody is Detention Center Booking at 719-384-5941, option 3. If a person has already moved out of county custody, the correct system depends on the receiving agency.
- Call Detention Center Booking at 719-384-5941, option 3, and ask whether the person is currently held at Otero County Detention Center.
- Have the person's full name, date of birth if known, arrest date, arresting agency, and court case number if one has been filed.
- If the person has been sentenced to state prison, search Colorado Department of Corrections Offender Search by DOC number or name.
- If the case is federal or immigration-related, check the BOP Inmate Locator for sentenced federal custody or ICE ODLS for immigration detention.
- Use VINELink for custody notification where available, but do not treat notification data as a complete booking record.
Otero County Detention Center Address and Contact
The sheriff complex is in central La Junta near the Otero County courthouse area. The county directory separates the general sheriff phone from the booking option, so use the booking option for current custody and use sheriff records for records copies or booking-photo requests.
Otero County Detention Center
220 E 2nd St.
La Junta, CO 81050
719-384-5941
Detention Center Booking: 719-384-5941, option 3
Sheriff Dispatch Service: 719-254-3344
Fax: 719-384-2272
Visiting Someone at Otero County Detention Center
Otero County's official jail page says all visitation is now done through video visitation. The scheduling provider is CIDNET. The county did not publish visit length, exact visitation hours, remote or on-site rates, visitor approval rules, dress code, child visitor rules, or attorney visit procedures in the official page reviewed.
| Visit Type | Official Status | Scheduling / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Social in-person visitation | Not listed as available | County states all visitation is now video visitation. |
| Video visitation | Available | Schedule through CIDNET; exact hours and fees were not published by the county. |
| Attorney visits | Not published online | Confirm directly with the jail or court before relying on social-visit procedures. |
| Emergency or special visits | Not published online | Call 719-384-5941 for current facility instructions. |
CIDNET customer service is listed as 1-888-984-1903 for account help.
Mail, Phone, and Money at Otero County Detention Center
The official detention-center page gives clear instructions for money, commissary, phone accounts, and video visitation, but it does not publish full mail rules. Call the jail before sending mail to confirm the current name format, booking identifier requirement, photo rules, publications rules, and whether electronic messages are available.
| Service | Provider / Detail | Published Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lobby cash deposit | Sheriff's Office Administration Building kiosk | Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; cash through lobby kiosk only. |
| Online deposit | JailATM / Sterling Commissary | Use "Send Money Now"; vendor fees were not published on the county page. |
| Checks and money orders | Not accepted for inmate money | The county says no personal checks or money orders are accepted. |
| Commissary purchase | Sterling Commissary / JailATM | Inmates may buy commissary if funds are available; family and friends may purchase online. |
| Phone account | CIDNET | The same CIDNET link is used to put money on an inmate phone account. |
| Mail rules | Local rules not published online | Colorado jail standards require written mail policies, but Otero-specific format should be confirmed with the jail. |
Booking and Intake at Otero County Detention Center
Official Otero County pages do not publish a detailed booking-process walkthrough. Research supports the basic local pathway: a person is arrested by the sheriff, a municipal police department, Colorado State Patrol, or another agency, then brought to the Otero County Detention Center for booking when accepted into county custody.
Booking normally includes identity work, fingerprints, a booking photo, property handling, warrant or hold checks, and entry into the jail-management system. The public should not assume that an arrest allegation is the final court charge. Otero Combined Court and the 16th Judicial District Attorney handle filed court charges after arrest, and a hold from another agency can delay release even when bond is posted in one case.
Records and Booking Photo Requests
Sheriff records requests include booking photos, background checks, and criminal or traffic reports. Submit the completed request to Otero County Sheriff's Office, Attn: Records, 220 E 2nd St., La Junta, CO 81050, by mail, fax, or in person. The form requires requester details, incident details, a signature, ID shown to staff, and a C.R.S. 24-72-305.5 pecuniary-gain certification.
Published fee categories include $7.50 for the first 10 pages, $0.25 for each additional page, $41.37 hourly standard time, $10.34 per quarter hour for report or video research/redaction, $5 postage, and $10 for digital media. Colorado's Criminal Justice Records Act allows review, redaction, or denial when release is restricted or contrary to the public interest.
Jail Standards, Conditions, and Research Gaps
Otero County did not publish a program catalog, grievance form, medical request process, work-release page, education schedule, religious-services schedule, accreditation notice, or recent jail litigation page in the official sources reviewed. For those topics, ask the facility for the current written policy instead of relying on third-party summaries.
Colorado jail standards become mandatory for county jails on July 1, 2026. Those standards cover written policies for mail, phone calls, privileged communications, visitation, grievances, restrictive housing, health care, and facility safety. They provide statewide context, but they should not be treated as a substitute for Otero County's local procedures.
Confirm before travel: Custody, release timing, video visitation access, deposit rules, and public entry procedures can change; call the jail before visiting the sheriff complex.