Tampa Busted Mugshots Lookup
Tampa busted mugshots and arrest records are handled by two agencies: the Tampa Police Department for arrests within city limits and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for county jail bookings. Tampa is the third largest city in Florida with about 414,500 residents and sits in Hillsborough County on the west coast. The Tampa PD maintains a detailed records system with multiple types of reports available online. You can search for Tampa mugshots through the police records portal, the county arrest inquiry system, or through statewide databases that pull from both agencies.
Tampa Quick Facts
Tampa Police Arrest Records
The Tampa Police Department records page gives you access to several types of reports. This is one of the more detailed city police records portals in Florida. TPD makes the following record types available for search and request:
- Traffic and crash reports
- CAD reports (dispatch call notes)
- Incident and general offense reports
- Address search and calls for service
- Name search
- Body worn camera video
The TPD records page is the starting point for anyone looking for Tampa mugshots or arrest details from the city police. If the arrest was handled by the Tampa Police Department, the incident report and arrest report will be in their system. You can search by name or address. For background checks, TPD covers only arrests made by its own officers. If the arrest was handled by another agency in Hillsborough County, you would go through the county sheriff's office instead.
Below is the Tampa Police Department records portal where you can access arrest records and other report types from TPD.
The page has links for each record type and explains how to submit a request for Tampa police records.
Tampa Mugshots in Hillsborough County
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office runs the jail system where people arrested in Tampa are booked. The Orient Road Jail at 1201 Orient Road, Tampa, FL 33619 is the main facility. The HCSO operates an Arrest Inquiry tool online. This database lists people currently in jail and includes their charges, bond amount, and booking photo. It is one of the best ways to find recent Tampa mugshots.
The arrest inquiry system updates regularly. You can search by name to see if someone is currently in custody at a Hillsborough County facility. The listing shows the booking photo along with charge details and bond information. This is a free tool. You do not need to create an account or pay a fee to use the basic search. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, these records are public and must be made available. The HCSO phone number for the jail is 813.247.8300.
Note: The HCSO arrest inquiry shows only people currently in custody, not historical bookings from Tampa.
Tampa Arrest Records and State Law
Florida's public records law is broad. All records kept by government agencies are open to the public unless a specific exemption applies. For Tampa mugshots, this means booking photos are public by default. Anyone can ask for them. You do not need to explain why.
The main exemptions that affect Tampa arrest records involve law enforcement personnel and crime victims. Under Section 119.071(4)(d), photographs of active or former law enforcement officers are exempt if a written request for confidentiality is filed with the employing agency. Section 119.071(4)(h) makes photographs of sexual offense victims confidential. These exemptions apply to all agencies in Tampa and across Florida. The Attorney General Opinion 2012-06-07 clarified that booking photos of law enforcement officers fall under this protection when the officer has filed the proper paperwork.
Police reports from Tampa are public records under Section 119.105, but exempt details within those reports cannot be used for commercial solicitation of crime victims. This protects people who are victims of crimes reported to the Tampa Police Department from being targeted by companies looking to sell services.
Removing Tampa Mugshots
You can apply to seal or expunge a Tampa arrest record through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Sealing makes the record unavailable to the general public but still visible to courts and law enforcement. Expunging means the record is destroyed or removed from the system. FDLE keeps only a confidential copy for limited purposes after expungement.
The application fee is $75 by money order. Processing takes about 12 weeks. You can contact the FDLE Seal and Expunge Section at 850-410-7870 or email SEinfo@fdle.state.fl.us. Under Section 943.0585 and Section 943.059 of the Florida Statutes, you must meet certain conditions to qualify. Not all Tampa arrests are eligible. Charges that were dropped, dismissed, or resulted in not guilty verdicts are generally eligible. The FDLE website has the full list of requirements and forms you need.
Private mugshot websites are a separate issue. Even after your Tampa arrest record is sealed or expunged, third-party sites that already published the photo are not legally required to take it down. You would have to contact those sites directly to request removal.
Tampa Booking Records Statewide
Beyond the city and county level, statewide databases can help you find Tampa arrest records. The Florida Jail Information System run by the Florida Sheriffs Association pulls booking data from agencies across Florida, including Hillsborough County. You can search for recently booked individuals within 24, 48, or 72 hours.
The Florida Department of State maintains a directory of all 67 county jails. The Department of Corrections Offender Search covers anyone sentenced to state prison after an arrest in Tampa. FDLE's statewide criminal history check costs $24 and covers arrests from all Florida agencies. Call 850.410.8109 for details.
Note: Statewide searches may return results from multiple agencies in the Tampa Bay area, including Tampa PD and HCSO.
Hillsborough County Busted Mugshots
Tampa is the county seat of Hillsborough County. The county sheriff's office runs the jail system and manages booking records for all arrests in the area. For the full county-level view of arrest records, mugshot access, and additional resources, visit the Hillsborough County page.
Nearby Florida Cities
The Tampa Bay area and central Florida have several other cities with arrest record access. You can search for mugshots in these nearby locations as well.