Liberty County Jail Booking Reports

Liberty County booking reports are kept by the Sheriff's Office in Bristol, Florida. This is one of the least populated counties in Florida, with a small community in the Panhandle region between Tallahassee and the Apalachicola National Forest. The Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and handles all arrest processing. Despite its small size, Liberty County follows the same state laws on public records as every other Florida county. Booking reports are public, and you can get them by contacting the sheriff's office directly.

Liberty County Sheriff's Office

The Liberty County Sheriff's Office is at 12499 NW Pogo Street in Bristol. The phone number is 850.643.2075. The sheriff handles all law enforcement duties for the county, including running the jail, patrol, and investigations. Every arrest in Liberty County goes through this office, and that is where the booking report is created.

Because Liberty County is so small, the jail does not process a high volume of bookings. But the records that are created follow the same rules as everywhere else in the state. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, all government records are public and open to inspection. That means anyone can ask to see or get copies of booking reports from the Liberty County jail. The sheriff's office does not currently have an online inmate search tool, so you will need to call or go in person.

Liberty County is in the 2nd Judicial Circuit. Court hearings for people booked here take place at the courthouse in Bristol.

How to Find Liberty County Arrest Records

Call the Liberty County Sheriff's Office at 850.643.2075 to ask about booking reports. The jail staff can tell you if someone is in custody and what their charges are. This is the quickest way to get information since the county does not have a web-based inmate lookup tool.

If you want a written copy of a booking report from Liberty County, you can file a public records request. Write to the sheriff's office at 12499 NW Pogo Street, Bristol, FL 32321. Include the full name of the person, their date of birth if you know it, and any other details about the arrest. The office may charge you for the cost of copies, but the fee has to be reasonable under state law.

For older records, you may also want to check with the Liberty County Clerk of Court. Some booking data gets archived over time, and the clerk's office may have records that the jail no longer keeps in its active system. In a county this small, the staff at both offices tend to be helpful when it comes to tracking down records.

Note: If the person was transferred to state prison, use the Florida Department of Corrections search rather than the county jail.

Liberty County Booking Process

The booking process in Liberty County follows the same steps as the rest of Florida. When someone is arrested, they are taken to the county jail in Bristol. Staff record their name, date of birth, address, and physical description. A booking photo is taken. Fingerprints are collected. Chapter 943 of the Florida Statutes requires fingerprints, palm prints, and facial images for all adults charged with felonies or misdemeanors. This biometric data goes into the state's criminal justice information system.

Charges are entered into the jail management system. A bond may be set from a schedule or at the first appearance hearing, which must happen within 24 hours of the arrest. The judge reviews the charges and decides on bond conditions. All of this goes into the booking report.

After the booking is complete, the person stays in the Liberty County jail until they post bond, are released, or their case goes through the court. People sentenced to more than one year end up in the state prison system. You can search for state inmates using the FDC offender search, which covers all state facilities across Florida.

Booking Records and Florida Public Records Law

Florida has broad public records laws. Chapter 119 states that it is the policy of the state that all records are open for personal inspection and copying. Booking reports from Liberty County are included. Any person can ask for them. You do not need to provide a reason.

Chapter 901, Section 901.43 addresses the issue of booking photo exploitation. It is illegal in Florida for a for-profit website to charge a fee to remove someone's booking photo. If your photo from a Liberty County arrest appears on such a site, you can demand its removal in writing. The site has 10 days. After that, civil penalties of $1,000 per day begin, rising to $5,000 per day if the photo is republished after being taken down.

Records that are exempt from public access include juvenile records, medical and mental health files, and anything that has been sealed or expunged by a court. Standard adult booking reports in Liberty County remain fully public.

State Resources for Liberty County

The Florida Department of Corrections runs a statewide search covering all state prison inmates. If someone arrested in Liberty County was sentenced to state prison, this tool will find them. The database covers current inmates, releases, absconders, and supervised populations. Data is refreshed weekly and release dates update nightly.

The Florida Department of State directory lists all 67 Florida county jails with addresses, phone numbers, and links. This includes Liberty County. The FDLE sexual offender search covers all of Florida and is another free resource. For general criminal history inquiries, contact FDLE at 850.410.7000.

The Florida Department of Corrections contact page, shown above, provides phone numbers and addresses for requesting information about inmates who have been transferred from county jails like Liberty County to state facilities.

Nearby Counties

Liberty County is in the Panhandle, surrounded by other small Florida counties. If you need to search for an arrest in a neighboring area, try these.