Polk County Busted Mugshots Search

Polk County busted mugshots are handled by the Sheriff's Office in Bartow. This large central Florida county has over 760,000 residents spread across cities like Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, and Auburndale. The Polk County jail processes a high volume of arrest bookings from the sheriff's office and multiple local police departments. Arrest records and mugshots are public under Florida law. The sheriff offers a jail inquiry tool that lets anyone search for current inmates and their booking photos from Polk County without giving a name or reason.

Polk County Sheriff's Office Arrests

The Polk County Sheriff's Office sits at 2390 Bob Phillips Road in Bartow. They operate the county jail and handle all arrest bookings for the area. When someone gets arrested in Polk County, they go through intake at the detention facility. Staff take the mugshot, record charges, and set bond amounts. This information becomes a public record under Florida law.

Call 863.534.6306 to reach the Polk County Sheriff. The office is well known for its aggressive approach to law enforcement. Polk County processes a high number of arrests across its large geographic area. Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, and many other cities in the county have their own police forces, but all arrests get booked into the Polk County jail. The sheriff's jail inquiry system lets you search for inmates currently in custody.

Search Polk County Mugshots Online

The Polk County Sheriff offers a jail inquiry tool that shows current inmates with their booking photos and charge details. This is the main way to find busted mugshots from Polk County online. Search by name to find the person you are looking for. Bond amounts and booking dates are also listed in the results.

The Florida Department of State keeps a directory of jail search tools for all 67 counties, including Polk. The Florida Jail Information System from the Florida Sheriffs Association is another tool that pulls booking data from agencies across the state, including Polk County. You can search for recently booked people within 24, 48, or 72 hours.

The state directory of county jails and inmate searches is shown in the screenshot below. It includes links for Polk County and every other Florida county.

For people who went from the Polk County jail to state prison, check the Florida Department of Corrections offender search. A full statewide criminal history check through FDLE costs $24. Call 850.410.8109 for that service.

Polk County Records Under Florida Law

Arrest records in Polk County are open to the public. Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes says all county and municipal records are available for personal inspection and copying. This includes mugshots, booking sheets, charge lists, and bond information. You do not need to give your name or explain why you want Polk County arrest records. Anonymous requests are the norm under the law.

A few exemptions exist. Booking photos of current or former law enforcement officers can be withheld under Section 119.071(4)(d) if the officer files a written request. Victim details in sex offense cases are confidential under Section 119.071(4)(h). The rest of the records from the Polk County jail are public and available to anyone who asks for them.

Note: The Polk County jail inquiry system shows charges at the time of arrest and does not indicate guilt or the final outcome of any case.

Requesting Polk County Arrest Records

To get copies of Polk County arrest records, contact the sheriff's office at 863.534.6306 or visit the Bartow headquarters. You can make requests by phone, mail, email, or in person. Standard copy fees apply. Single-sided pages are 15 cents each. Double-sided cost 20 cents. Certified copies go up to $1.00 per page.

If your request requires significant staff time beyond 30 minutes, labor charges may apply. The office will provide an estimate before they start pulling records. For background checks covering all 67 Florida counties including Polk, FDLE charges $24 at 850.410.8109.

Removing Polk County Mugshots

To remove a mugshot from Polk County's system, you need a court order. Florida law provides sealing under Section 943.059 and expungement under Section 943.0585. Both require an application through the FDLE seal and expunge process. The cost is $75 by money order. Processing takes about 12 weeks from the time FDLE gets your completed application.

The Polk County Sheriff removes sealed or expunged records from the jail inquiry tool and public access systems. But third-party websites that copied the mugshot before the order are not legally required to take it down. This limitation affects people in Polk County and across the state. Contact FDLE at 850.410.7870 or email SEinfo@fdle.state.fl.us for help with the application.

Cities in Polk County

Polk County has many cities and towns spread across a large area. All arrests get booked into the Polk County jail no matter which city they happen in. Lakeland is the largest city and has its own page below.

Other cities in Polk County include Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, Auburndale, Lake Wales, and Davenport. Bookings from all of these go through the county jail system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Polk County. Check their jail databases if you are looking for arrests that might have happened near the county line.