Calhoun County Arrest Booking Records

Calhoun County booking reports are handled by the Sheriff's Office in Blountstown, Florida. This small panhandle county does not have an online inmate search tool, so you need to contact the sheriff's office directly for booking information. Calhoun County processes a lower volume of arrests compared to larger Florida counties, but all booking records are still public under state law. You can call, visit, or write to the sheriff's office to get the arrest and booking data you need from Calhoun County.

Calhoun County Sheriff Booking Records

The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office is at 20776 Central Avenue East in Blountstown. Call 850.674.5049 for questions about jail bookings or arrest records. The sheriff's office is the only law enforcement agency in the county that operates a jail. All arrests by deputies and local officers end up at this facility for booking and processing.

Calhoun County does not offer an online search for jail inmates. This is common among smaller Florida counties that lack the budget or volume to maintain a web-based system. Instead, you reach out to the sheriff's office by phone or in person. The staff can look up who is currently in custody and tell you about their charges, booking date, and bond amount. For copies of booking reports or arrest records from Calhoun County, you may need to visit the office during business hours and fill out a records request form.

How to Get Calhoun County Booking Reports

Your best option is to call the sheriff's office at 850.674.5049. Tell the staff the full name of the person you want to check on. They can let you know if that person is in the Calhoun County jail and share basic booking details. For more detailed records, you will likely need to go in person.

Visit the office at 20776 Central Avenue East in Blountstown during regular business hours. Bring a photo ID. Ask for the records division or the jail staff. They can pull up booking reports and print copies for you. Florida law allows the agency to charge a fee for copies, but viewing the records in person is free. You just need to ask. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, every person who has custody of a public record must let anyone inspect and copy it at any reasonable time.

You can also mail a written request. Send it to 20776 Central Avenue East, Blountstown, FL 32424-2776. Include the person's full name, approximate arrest date, and your contact information. The agency has to respond promptly. If they have the records, they must provide access. If certain parts are exempt from disclosure, they need to redact those and still give you the rest of the Calhoun County booking report.

Calhoun County State Booking Databases

While Calhoun County lacks its own online tool, state-level databases can fill the gap in some cases. The screenshot below shows the Florida Department of Corrections inmate search, which covers anyone transferred from a county jail to a state prison facility.

Visit the Florida Department of Corrections search portal to check all state prison databases at once. This single search covers inmate population, releases, absconders, fugitives, and supervised population. Data is completely refreshed each week, with release dates and location changes updated every night. If someone was booked in Calhoun County and later sentenced to state prison, this tool will show their current status.

The Florida Department of State keeps a master directory of all county jails in Florida. You can use this page to find contact details and search tools for Calhoun County and its neighbors. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement at (850) 410-7000 handles criminal history record checks that tie back to bookings made in every county.

Calhoun County Booking Record Rights

Florida's public records law is clear. Booking reports are public. You have the right to see them. Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes defines public records broadly to include all documents, photographs, and data made in connection with official business. A booking report created by the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office falls under this definition without question.

The agency cannot ask you why you want the records. They cannot deny access because you are not a party to the case. If they claim a record is exempt from disclosure, they must cite the specific law that makes it exempt and still release the non-exempt portions. Juvenile records stay confidential under most circumstances. Medical and mental health information from the jail is restricted. Sealed or expunged records do not come up in public searches. All other Calhoun County booking records are fair game for anyone to view.

Note: Agencies must respond to records requests promptly and in good faith under Florida law.

Calhoun County Jail Booking Steps

The booking process in Calhoun County works the same as in every other Florida county. After an arrest, the person gets transported to the county jail in Blountstown. Officers log personal information. A booking photo is taken. Fingerprints are captured.

Florida Statute Chapter 943 requires electronic submission of fingerprints, palm prints, and facial images for every adult charged with a felony or misdemeanor. This means each booking in Calhoun County creates records at both the local and state level. The charges are entered with bond amounts from the judge or a standard bond schedule. Even in a small county like Calhoun, the booking data flows into the statewide criminal justice information network managed by the FDLE.

Calhoun County Mugshot Protection

If your booking photo from a Calhoun County arrest shows up on a for-profit website, you have legal rights. Florida Statute 901.43 bans these sites from demanding payment to remove your mugshot. Send them a written request. They get 10 days. If the photo stays up, you can file a civil action. Penalties run $1,000 per day for noncompliance. If the site takes it down but then puts it back, that jumps to $5,000 per day.

This only applies to for-profit sites. Government databases, like what the Calhoun County Sheriff might use, are not covered by the removal statute. Keep copies of all your removal requests in case you need them later.

FDLE Records for Calhoun County

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains criminal justice records from every county. Bookings in Calhoun County generate data that feeds into the FDLE system. The FDLE Sexual Offender and Predator search is a free tool to check for registered offenders in the Blountstown area and throughout Calhoun County. You can reach the FDLE at (850) 410-7000 for criminal history questions.

Cities in Calhoun County

Blountstown is the county seat and the main town. Altha is the other incorporated community. Calhoun County is rural with a small population. All arrests within the county go through the sheriff's office for booking. There are no city jails. The single county detention facility in Blountstown handles every booking report for the area.

Nearby Counties

Calhoun County is in the Florida panhandle. These bordering counties each run their own jail and booking system. Check the right county based on where the arrest was made.