View Free Hillsborough County Arrest Records (Lookup Tools)

Locate free Hillsborough County arrest records today to find out if someone you know has been detained. Arrest records are public information in Florida, but you must use them responsibly and verify any details you find.

The custodians of arrest records are law enforcement agencies and clerks of court. These offices often provide the public with online information about arrests and criminal cases without fees. This streamlined article explains how to check a database or otherwise obtain arrest records seamlessly in Hillsborough County, Florida.

Search Up-to-Date Hillsborough County Arrest Records & Mugshots (Free)

All members of the public have the right to look up arrest records. Under Florida’s Sunshine Law, public records created or controlled by a government agency within the regular course of business must be made available for inspection and copying unless a statutory exemption applies.

As long as you know a person’s full name and an approximate date of when they were arrested, you should be able to locate information on their arrest. Anyone can search up-to-date Hillsborough County mugshots and arrest records for free.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office controls the county jails. Whether a person was arrested by the sheriff’s office or a local police department, all persons arrested are sent to one of the county jails.

Information on those who have been arrested can be found in the Hillsborough County Arrest Inquiry.¹

Interested persons can search by booking number, name, booking date, release date, race, sex, or date of birth. It is unlikely that you will have immediate access to the booking number, so searching by name will be the best option.

Ensure that you have selected to sort results by name at the bottom of the search page. Enter the individual’s last name, followed by a comma and space, and then the first name. If you know the race, sex, or date of birth, enter those descriptors to narrow the search.

Results will display the full name of an inmate, the booking number, the race and sex.

Select the corresponding booking number to view additional information about the inmate, including the mugshot, arrest date, charges, date of birth, physical characteristics, and more.

You can also submit an online request at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Records Request Center.² Alternatively, you can submit a written request to the Records Section of the sheriff’s office by mail at 1900 E. 9th Ave., Tampa, FL 33605, or by email at [email protected].

For more information, contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office using the information below:

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
2008 East 8th Ave.
Tampa, Florida 33605

Phone: 813.247.8000

Moreover, when searching arrest records in the City of Tampa, the most populous city in the county, the sheriff’s office arrest inquiry is a valuable resource. Additionally, you may also visit the Tampa Police Records Section to request for these records. You may also consider calling them at 813-276-3250 for inquiries.

If the above information is not helpful you may get assistance from a third-party platform. One such platform is VINELink, which allows you to look up arrest records from many law enforcement agencies in Florida.

There are also methods you can follow to locate former criminal charges and arrests made in Hillsborough County. Find out how you can obtain this information below.

Gain Insight on Criminal Charges & Former Arrests Made in Hillsborough County Florida

In addition to using the methods described above to check current arrests, there are also options to search former arrests and gain insight into former criminal charges.

All criminal cases that carry a prison term of at least one year are filed in the Hillsborough County Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court. All case files are managed by the Hillsborough County Clerk & Comptroller.

The most convenient method to check former charges is to search HOVER (Hillsborough Online Viewing of Electronic Records). Interested parties can search by case number, citation number, date range, or party name.

When performing a case search by party name, you must provide the first and last name.³ You should also include a middle name, if known, to narrow the results.

In the ‘Case Categories’ section, select ‘Criminal’, then hit Search. The results page will show a list of cases that involve a defendant with the name of the person you entered into the search.

Click the magnifying glass in the view column to view additional information about a case.

You will learn the charges, the defendant’s full name, date of birth, race, gender, height, and the names and contact information of the attorney and law enforcement agent. In addition, you will learn the event history of the case and show the dates and types of all hearings and filings.

Lastly, you will learn the disposition of the case. Be sure to check the entire list of results because a person may have more than one criminal case filed in the Hillsborough court.

Alternatively, you can make an appointment with the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court & Comptroller to view criminal case files in person at a court location. Courts are generally open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on weekends.

Hillsborough County Clerk of Court & Comptroller
419 North Pierce Street
Tampa, Florida 33602

Phone: 813.276.8100

Additionally, you can utilize the services of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to perform a thorough search of an individual’s criminal history for a $24 fee.⁴ Interested persons can perform an instant search with results made available immediately for printing or email.

However, the results are not certified. There is also an additional $1 credit card processing fee.

If you want a certified criminal history record, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s SHIELD System is the method you want to use.⁵

The processing time for this method is not immediate but will take 6 to 7 business days for processing. Records can only be received by mail and not by email or printing.

Contact the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for more information:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
2331 Phillips Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32308

Phone: 850.410.7000

How To Pay Bail & Get a Loved One out of Jail in Hillsborough County

As mentioned previously, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office maintains the county jail.⁶ Anyone can bail someone out of jail by posting the exact cash bond amount or by money order.

In Darlington County, when someone has been arrested and granted bail, individuals can choose to post the bail themselves. The process is referred to as “self bail” or “cash bail”. This process is considered as more cost effective compared to contacting agencies or using a bail bondsman.

You must provide the name of the inmate and their date of birth. Additionally, you need to provide a valid government ID. Posting bail can be made directly to the Hillsborough County Detention Center.⁷ The address and contact information can be found below.

Hillsborough County Jail Division I
Orient Road Jail
1201 Orient Rd.
Tampa, Florida 33619

Phone: 813-247-8300

Hillsborough County Jail Division II
Falkenburg Road Jail
520 N. Falkenburg Rd.
Tampa, Florida 33619

Phone: 813-247-8300

The purpose of bail is to ensure a person shows up for their appointed court date. If the person you bond out of jail fails to appear in court, you will automatically forfeit the money you posted.

You can also contact a professional bail bondsman. A licensed bail bondsman specializes in posting bonds for inmates in exchange for a 10% fee of the overall bail amount. When you reach out to a bail bondsman, they will want you to provide the fee amount before they post bond on the inmate.

If the inmate fails to appear in court, the court will forfeit the bail bondsman bond unless they can somehow bring the defendant into court. This is usually done through a bounty hunter.

The process for obtaining arrest records and criminal records information does not have to be complex. Hillsborough County arrest records are readily available as long as you know where to look; by following the guidance offered by this article, you will certainly obtain arrest records in no time.