Search Polk County Arrest Records

Polk County arrest records are kept by the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 2390 Bob Phillips Road in Bartow. This large central Florida county processes a high volume of arrests each year. The sheriff's office runs the county detention facility and provides an online search tool for checking on inmates and recent bookings. Polk County sits in the heart of the state, bordered by eight other counties. If you need to look up arrest records from Polk County, the sheriff's office is your primary source, though statewide databases run by FDLE also carry Polk County data.

Polk County Sheriff's Office Arrest Data

The Polk County Sheriff's Office is the main law enforcement agency for the county. Their jail at 2390 Bob Phillips Road in Bartow, FL 33830 is where all booking takes place. Call (863) 534-6155 for jail info. The sheriff's office has an online inmate search that lets you look up people currently in custody. Type in a name and the system pulls up charges, bond amounts, and booking dates for anyone held in the Polk County jail.

Every arrest in Polk County creates a booking record. The record captures the person's name, charges, arresting agency, and personal details like date of birth and physical description. Fingerprints and a booking photo get taken. All of this goes into the county system and is also shared with FDLE's statewide criminal history database. Polk County is part of the 10th Judicial Circuit, so court records from arrests filed here flow through that circuit's system.

The sheriff's office is active on social media and often posts about large arrest operations. But for individual record lookups, the online search tool or a direct call to the jail is how you get the information you need.

Arrest Records Search in Polk County

Beyond the sheriff's website, you have several ways to find Polk County arrest records. The FDLE criminal history check runs $25 and covers the whole state. Results come back fast. You get a report that shows every arrest tied to the name you searched, across all 67 counties. That includes Polk County.

The Public Access System from FDLE is another tool. It connects to the Florida Crime Information Center. You can search by name, and adding a date of birth narrows the results. Under Section 943.053 of the Florida Statutes, criminal history records in Florida are public. That means Polk County arrest records are available to anyone who asks, unless a court has sealed or expunged them.

For court case details, the CCIS database is useful. It has more than 150 million cases from every Florida county. Search for a name and you can see Polk County charges, hearing dates, and case outcomes.

Note: FDLE's instant online search costs $25 per name, with results available right away.

Public Records Law and Polk County

Florida's Sunshine Law gives you broad access to government records. Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes lays this out. Arrest records from the Polk County Sheriff's Office are public documents. You can request them without explaining your reason. The sheriff's office must provide them within a reasonable time frame.

A Polk County arrest record shows who was arrested, when, what the charges were, and which agency handled it. It is not proof of guilt. People get arrested and have charges dropped all the time. The record stays in the system regardless. Certain records are restricted. Juvenile arrests are not public. Victim names may be taken out. Social Security numbers and home addresses get removed before release. Active investigation files can be withheld until the case is closed.

Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes is the legal basis for public access to arrest records in Polk County and every other Florida county.

Clearing Polk County Arrest Records

You can seal or expunge a Polk County arrest record if you meet the requirements. Start by applying to FDLE for a Certificate of Eligibility. The fee is $75. It takes about 12 weeks to process. No one gets to skip the line. The application form is available at the Polk County Clerk of Courts in Bartow.

Expungement under Section 943.0585 means the record gets destroyed by all agencies except FDLE. They keep one copy locked away. Sealing under Section 943.059 hides the record from public view but does not destroy it. Once a Polk County arrest record is sealed or expunged, the person can legally deny it happened in most cases. The FDLE seal and expunge page walks you through the whole process. Your certificate is valid for 12 months. File the petition before it expires.

Polk County Corrections and State Prison

People arrested in Polk County who get sentenced to state prison show up in the FDC Offender Search. You can look up inmates by name or DC number. The search shows where they are housed, their sentence, and projected release date. The Florida Department of Corrections processes public records requests for more detailed information. Be specific about what you need. General requests take longer and cost more.

Use the FDC offender search to find people who went from a Polk County arrest to the state prison system.

Cities in Polk County

Polk County has many cities and towns. One city has a population over 75,000. All arrests across Polk County are processed at the sheriff's facility in Bartow.

Other communities in Polk County include Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales, Auburndale, and Bartow. Their arrest records all go through the Polk County Sheriff's Office system.

Nearby Counties

Polk County shares borders with eight other counties. If the arrest happened near a county line, you may need to check with a different sheriff's office.