Inmate Search
A Broward County inmate search can help you determine whether a person appears in the Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest records, identify the location shown for that person, and open more detailed booking information. This article explains how to search the official system, read its results, distinguish jail information from court case information, and reach the appropriate detention office for questions about a person in custody.
Who Maintains Broward Inmate Information
The Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) operates the county jail system. Its Department of Detention and Community Programs oversees jail operations, including the Main Jail Bureau, Joseph V. Conte Facility, North Broward Bureau, and Paul Rein Detention Facility. Central Intake Bureau, where booking takes place, is housed with the Main Jail Bureau.
BSO provides an online Arrest Search for locating people in its arrest records. This is the appropriate place to begin when you need an arrest number, the location displayed in a search result, a booking photograph, or the additional information attached to an arrest record. BSO also provides a Department of Detention and Community Programs page for detention information, including where to turn for questions about arrest procedures, bail, visiting, and contacting people in custody.
An arrest record and a court case serve different purposes. BSO’s search concerns arrest and detention information. Questions about a specific court case belong with the Broward County Clerk of the Courts. A person’s arrest number should not be treated as a court case number.
Searching the Official Arrest System
The Arrest Search page provides separate fields for a last name and first name. Enter the name you have, then submit the search. Review the returned records before opening one: the results display an arrest number, name, sex, and location. Selecting an arrest number opens the booking photograph and more detailed information for that record.
Check the identifying information in the result rather than relying on a name alone. People can share the same first and last name, and a search may return more than one record. The arrest number gives you a way to identify the particular record you opened when reviewing its details or asking BSO about an arrestee’s charges and bond. The location field tells you what the search currently displays; consult BSO’s facility information before using that result to plan an in-person visit.
Information to Gather Before Searching
Have the person’s first and last name ready. If you already have an arrest number, keep it available so you can compare it with any result. Write down the number attached to the record you select, along with the location shown, if you expect to ask a follow-up question. Taking those details from the same record reduces the chance of mixing up two people with similar names.
Use the labels displayed by BSO when sharing information with someone else. The search result identifies an arrest number; BSO’s bond instructions also refer to a defendant’s Arrest/CIS number. Court case information is handled through the Clerk of the Courts. Keeping the number and the system it came from together makes a follow-up inquiry clearer.
Reading Results and Record Details
The initial results are a starting point, not the entire record. Open the arrest number for the booking photograph and additional details. If several names look alike, compare the details available in each relevant record before deciding which one concerns the person you are seeking. Do not assume that the first matching name is the right person.
The search page displays how many records were returned and may report that no records were found. A result with no records gives you no matching record to inspect in that search session. Recheck the name you entered before drawing a conclusion about a person’s custody status. If you need help with detention information after reviewing the online result, BSO provides detention contact information and jail facility details.
When Arrest Information Changes
BSO states that inmate returns are updated every 15 minutes. The search page also displays a “current as of” time. Look at that time when the timing of a result matters, especially if you are following a recent arrest or checking a location before making plans. An update interval does not mean every change in a person’s circumstances will appear the moment it happens.
BSO cautions that inmate information changes quickly and that posted information may not reflect the current situation. It also warns that the information can contain errors and may be updated periodically. Treat an online result as the information displayed at the time you checked it. If a current detail affects your next step, use the relevant BSO detention contact rather than relying solely on an earlier screenshot or saved result.
The search session has an expiration timer. If the session expires while you are reviewing results, return to the search page and run the search again. A new search also lets you see the current update time instead of assuming an older result is still accurate.
What an Arrest Record Means
BSO expressly states that an arrest does not mean the person has been convicted of a crime. A booking photograph or a charge shown with an arrest should not be described as proof of guilt. If your question concerns what happened in court, seek the specific case information from the Broward County Clerk of the Courts rather than treating the arrest page as a court record.
The arrest information is provided for informational purposes and is subject to change. BSO says it should not be relied upon for legal action. This distinction is especially useful when a search result is being shared with family members or used to decide whom to contact: the record can help identify an arrest and direct an inquiry, while the Clerk’s court records address a specific case.
Jail Locations and Booking
BSO operates four jail facilities. The Main Jail Bureau is also home to Central Intake Bureau (Booking); the other facilities are Joseph V. Conte Facility, North Broward Bureau, and Paul Rein Detention Facility. The BSO jail facilities page provides the facility addresses and phone number. Use it when a search result shows a location and you need to identify the corresponding facility.
Central Intake and the Main Jail Bureau share a street address in the facility information, but they have different names and functions. “Booking” identifies Central Intake’s role; it is not a separate court office or a second address. If you are trying to ask about an arrest, a facility, or visiting, use the detention information that applies to that question.
Do not use a location from an older search result as a substitute for checking current information. BSO’s warning that inmate information changes quickly applies to decisions based on the location field as well as to other record details.
Visiting and Contacting an Inmate
Finding a record is only the first part of arranging contact. BSO’s inmate and visitor information page points readers to its inmate handbook and information about visiting, inmate telephone service, inmate mail, and depositing funds into an inmate’s account. The handbook is offered in English, Spanish, and Creole. BSO also provides information there about its policy for recording outgoing inmate telephone calls.
Consult that visitor information for the activity you have in mind before making arrangements. An arrest result may identify a person and show a location, but it does not by itself give you the instructions for a visit, telephone service, mail, or an account deposit. These are separate detention procedures.
The distinction also matters if you are trying to contact someone soon after an arrest. First identify the correct record in Arrest Search, then use BSO’s inmate and visitor information for the available ways to communicate. If you need to speak with a detention office about arrest procedures, bail, visiting, or contacting an inmate, BSO provides a detention phone number in the office list below.
Charges, Bond, and Release Questions
BSO directs users seeking an arrestee’s charges and bond information to Arrest Search. Its bond information page also provides phone numbers for those questions and says an information window in the Main Jail lobby is open 24 hours a day. Use the online arrest details to identify the correct person before asking about a bond, particularly when names are similar.
A displayed bond amount and the steps for posting a bond are different matters. BSO describes cash bonds and surety bonds. Its cash bond instructions allow payment in person at the Cash Bond window; BSO says there is no service fee for paying with cash and that valid identification is required. For credit or debit card payments, BSO describes an online payment option and a nonrefundable 2.5% service fee. BSO says gift cards are not accepted.
Before proceeding with a card payment, BSO instructs users to have the defendant’s name, Arrest/CIS number, and date of birth ready. The date of birth is identified as required. The person paying must bring valid identification that matches the card. These payment details belong to the bond process; they are not fields on the name-based Arrest Search form.
Money Orders and Cashier’s Checks
BSO says a money order or cashier’s check used for a bond must include the defendant’s name and arrest number. Copy those details from the correct arrest record rather than relying on a name given from memory. BSO separately explains that a surety bond is posted through a licensed surety bond agent, who will most often charge a percentage of the bond as a fee.
For an in-person bond question, distinguish the Main Jail’s 24-hour information window from the Cash Bond Unit’s stated hours for cash bond transactions. The information window can answer questions about an arrestee’s charges and bond; it should not be assumed that every bond transaction operates on the same schedule.
Cash Bond Refund Records
Someone who posted a cash bond may later need the arrest information to keep the bond and case paperwork together. BSO says the refund is made to the depositor unless the bond has been formally assigned to another person. Its refund instructions call for the original blue bond receipt or a certified copy, the original or a certified copy of the court disposition, and picture identification. A certified receipt requires a completed lost bond form.
BSO states that cash bonds are refundable upon completion of the case, issuance of a disposition order, or 36 months from the bond date, whichever comes first. It also explains that unpaid court fees, costs, or criminal penalties may be withheld from a refund, and that failure to appear for a required court appearance can result in forfeiture. For the full document and assignment instructions, consult BSO’s bond page. The court disposition is a court document; the Arrest Search record does not replace it.
Common Search Mix-Ups
Similar Names in the Results
A name match alone may identify the wrong record. Compare the arrest number and the additional information available after opening the result. If you pass a result along to another person, include enough of the displayed identifying information to make clear which record you reviewed.
Booking Numbers and Court Cases
Use BSO’s arrest information for detention questions and the Clerk of the Courts for questions about a specific court case. An arrest number may help with a BSO inquiry or bond paperwork, but it should not be presented as though it were the court’s case number. Likewise, an arrest entry does not tell you the outcome of a case.
Old Results and Facility Plans
Before acting on a saved result, run a current search and look at the displayed update time. Inmate information can change quickly. For visiting, mail, telephone service, or account deposits, consult BSO’s inmate and visitor information instead of trying to infer those procedures from the arrest record.
Relevant Detention Offices
Broward Sheriff’s Office — 2601 West Broward Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312.
Main Jail Bureau — 555 SE 1st Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301. (954) 831-5900.
Central Intake Bureau (Booking) — 555 SE 1st Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301. (954) 831-5900.
Joseph V. Conte Facility — 1351 NW 27th Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33069. (954) 831-5900.
North Broward Bureau — 1550 NW 30th Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33069. (954) 831-5900.
Paul Rein Detention Facility — 2421 NW 16 Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33069. (954) 831-5900.
Cash Bond Unit — (954) 831-5932.
Inmate Search FAQs
Why is the inmate search page blank?
Some pages on the Broward Sheriff’s Office website display the search inside an embedded frame. If that area stays blank, open the official Arrest Search directly in your browser. If the page loads but stops responding while you review a record, return to the search form and start a new session.
Will the search show everyone arrested in Broward County?
The Sheriff’s search displays records available through its own arrest system. A missing result does not establish that a person has never been arrested or is not held by another agency. If you know which agency took the person into custody, check that agency’s official information. For a recent arrest, you can also check the Sheriff’s search again after its next update.
Are calls from a Broward jail recorded?
The Broward Sheriff’s Office publishes information about its policy for recording outgoing inmate telephone calls on its inmate and visitor information page. Read that policy before discussing sensitive matters on a call. The same page has instructions for setting up telephone service; finding a person’s arrest record does not set up calls automatically.
Is jail information available in other languages?
Yes. The Sheriff’s Inmate Information Handbook is available in English, Spanish, and Creole through the inmate and visitor information page. Use the handbook in the language most helpful to the person reading it, and check the relevant instructions before arranging mail, telephone service, or a visit.