Run a Bexar County arrest records search free of charge in just minutes. Various county, city, or state-level government agencies provide arrest and offense records to interested individuals.
Other than primary details of the subject, these records can provide details such as where and when the arrest took place, the nature of charges against the individual, their current status, and a summary of their court case.
This streamlined resource empowers residents with step-by-step guidance on how to carry out an arrest records search in Bexar County, Texas, at no cost through various official resources and agencies.
How To Search Up-to-Date Bexar County Arrest Records & Mugshots for Free
In accordance with the Texas Public Information Act (PIA), most government and court records, including arrest records, are open to be accessed by the general public in Bexar County. Any common citizen can request the said records from relevant departments, and they will be obliged to provide them.
There are quite a few different agencies that can provide residents with arrest records in Bexar County. For the most recent arrest records, the Bexar County Central Magistrate can help. Whenever a person is arrested in the county, they are presented before the Central Magistrate, who then determines a bail bond amount.
The department maintains a free online database that has a record of all arrests for offenses of class B or higher processed through it in the last 24 hours.1
Initially, the database displays the complete names of individuals in rows, along with primary details such as race, State Identification Number (SID), intake number, and age.
However, upon clicking the name, more details in regard to the arrested individual and the arrest can be viewed.
These details include offense description, arrest date and time, offense type, date of birth of the arrestee, and bail bond amount in dollars $.
Residents must note that the department keeps updating the datasheet as soon as new arrests are made. The Central Magistrate Office can also be contacted directly for arrest records.
Central Magistrate Bexar County
200 N. Comal
S.Tower San Antonio TX 78207
Phone: 210-335-6111
As another option, residents can also check the database of the Bexar County Clerk and District Clerk for arrest records. Both departments have a combined free online search tool that can be used to search their records, including arrest records.2 Interested residents can search arrest records through this tool using the full name of the subject, including the first and last name.
Additionally, the advanced search option can also be chosen for more precise searches.3 The advanced search allows users to search through the case number or the SID number as well as to add filters such as court name and case number.
The search tool will provide citizens with a wide range of information, including details such as a description of the offense committed by the subject, the charges against them, the date of arrest, and a summary of the case, as well as all events that took place in it.
The Department of the District Clerk also has a separate database that can be searched for arrest records.4
In this database the records are indexed by the first letters of the last names of the defendants and the indexes are downloadable.
District Clerk Bexar County
Paul Elizondo Tower
101 West Nueva Street
San Antonio Texas 78205
Phone: 210-335-2591
Interested citizens can also choose to request an incident/offense report through the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department.5 The department provides free reports to all residents irrespective of the fact that they’re victims of the crime or not.
Residents can send the name of the subject, the location where the crime happened and where it happened to the record division’s official email [email protected] to obtain its report. Additionally the same information can also be sent through mail at the department’s address to obtain a report.
Bexar County Sheriff’s Office
Reports – Central Records Division
200 North Comal Street
San Antonio Texas 78207-3505
Phone: 210-335-6095
Email: [email protected]
Other than that an individual can also visit the Bexar County Adult Detention Center to request a police report in person.
Bexar County Adult Detention Center
200 North Comal
San Antonio Texas
Phone: 210-335-6315
The detention center is open from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM Monday through Friday, and residents can visit it anytime during these hours. It is important to note here that the center is closed during weekends and other public holidays.
To search arrest records in San Antonio City, the most populous city of Bexar County, residents can either call 210-207-7532 as directed by the Central Magistrate or contact the local police department.
San Antonio City Police Department
315 South Santa Rosa
San Antonio Texas 78207
Phone: 210-207-7273
To request a police report, residents can visit the police department in person during the hours of 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Unfortunately, the office does not provide police reports on the phone.
There are various third-party websites out there that can provide searchers with arrest records. For example, the likes of VINElink and many other third-party sources use official resources to provide their users with records. However, it must be kept in mind that unless the third-party source has been officially endorsed by a government agency, the details obtained through it should never be used for legal purposes.
Other than recent records, residents must also know how to search prior arrests made in Bexar County, Texas; this will be discussed in the following passage.
How Do I Check Previous Arrests Made in Bexar County?
To check previous arrests made in Bexar County, interested residents can utilize the District & County Clerk Court Records search tool.
This free online records search tool allows users to search criminal records including arrest details, free of charge. Records can be searched through this tool using the full name of the subject, including the first and last name, whereas the middle initial is optional.
In case residents want more precise results, the advanced search option can be chosen. The advanced search enables searchers to search using the case number or the SID number of the subject. Furthermore it also allows citizens to add filters such as court name and case number for more precise results.
Residents will be able to obtain details such as a description of the offense committed by the subject, the date of arrest, the charges against them and a summary of the case. Additionally, upon clicking the individual result rows, citizens will find a series of all major events that took place throughout the case’s proceedings.
Arrest records are also available at city-level in Bexar County. To look for arrest records in San Antonio City, the most populous city of the county, residents can choose to call 210-207-7532 as guided by the Central Magistrate. Additionally, the San Antonio Police Department can also provide interested individuals with prior arrest records available in their database.
San Antonio City Police Department
315 South Santa Rosa
San Antonio Texas 78207
Phone: 210-207-7273
Searchers can visit the main office of the San Antonio PD anytime from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday and request arrest records. Primary details of the subject and a time frame, if not an exact arrest date, will have to be given to the staff so that they can conduct a precise search. Residents can also call the department at the aforementioned number and get information regarding arrest records.
In some cases, residents might want to conduct a statewide search for arrest records. Fortunately, the Texas Department of Public Safety has a specific division by the name of the Crime Records Division that can help residents search statewide arrest records.6
The Crime Records Division has a designated tool by the name of Criminal History Conviction Name Search that can provide residents with arrest records from all over Texas.7 The search tool can provide precise records of all arrests for Class B or above offenses that took place in the state. Unfortunately, however, the tool charges a fee per records search and residents must register themselves first to use it.8
Residents can search arrest records through this tool using the full name of the search subject, including the first and last name (the middle name is optional). Additionally, the subject’s date of birth can also be entered to narrow down the search and obtain more accurate results.
To use the tool after creating their accounts, residents will have to buy credits. These are called search credits, and they cost $3 each. One search credit is charged per search and for viewing a single record, which means that each search costs $3.
There is also a complete user guide on how to use the search tool available. Additionally, the department can be mailed or called at 855-481-7070 for support.9
In case a resident finds their name in arrest records or that of a family member or a friend, they should immediately make efforts to post bail. Understanding the process of “Self-Bail” in Bexar County can help citizens in this regard; this will be discussed in the following section.
How To Handle Bexar County Bail & Utilize a Bail Bondsman
Before anything, residents must understand what exactly bail is. The conditional release of an individual from custody through a bail bond is called bail. A bail bond can be in the form of a cash bond, security in the form of property, or a personal bond.
The person being released on bail promises to appear before the court during the case’s proceedings, and the person posting the bail takes full responsibility for it. Once the legal procedure concludes or the charges are dropped, the bail amount becomes refundable to the poster. However, if the person fails to comply with the bail bond’s terms, flees, or does not appear on the due court hearings, the amount is fortified.
Arrests can be very stressful, especially for first-time offenders. Furthermore, even for family and friends who receive the news of the arrest of their loved one through a call, it can be quite a shock initially, and most are often left confused as to what should be done next. The very first priority should be to get the arrested individual out of custody, which is done through bail.
To avoid issues on the spot, it is important that residents understand the self-bail process beforehand. The process of self-bail is relatively simple in Bexar County, Texas.10 First and foremost, citizens should confirm the arrest through the Central Magistrate. The department can be called at 210-335-6111 for information regarding any recently arrested individuals.
Additionally, it also has a free online searchable database displaying all recent arrests that took place in Bexar County.
After that, residents must confirm the bail amount, which can also be done through the Central Magistrate Department. The department’s database also displays the bond amount set on the individual’s bail in its results.
The bond amount is decided by the central magistrate based on the arrest individual’s role in the community, their criminal history, type of crime committed by them, and flight risk.
Once the primary details, such as where the individual is being held and the bond amount, have been confirmed, the process of self-bail can begin. As most bail amounts are quite high and unaffordable, bails are usually posted with the help of a bail bond company. The bail bond company takes a small percentage of the bail amount (usually 10%) upfront and posts bail for the arrested individual.
Additionally, the bail bond company can also demand security in the form of property or other assets. The responsibility that the individual will appear on their due court dates is taken by the bail bond company. There is a list of active, licensed bail bond companies available on the Central Magistrate’s official webpage, and residents can choose to contact any of them for self-bail.11
This resource summarizes everything interested parties should know to conduct a result-yielding Bexar County arrest records search free of charge.
References
1Bexar County Central Magistrate Office. (2024). Bexar County Central Magistrate Search. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://centralmagistrate.bexar.org/>
2Bexar County Clerk & District Clerk. (2024). Court Records Search. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://search.bexar.org/>
3Bexar County Clerk & District Clerk. (2024). Court Records Search – Advanced Search. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://search.bexar.org/Home/Advanced>
4Bexar County District Clerk. (2024). Online District Clerk Criminal Records. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://www.bexar.org/3719/Online-District-Clerk-Criminal-Records>
5Bexar County Courthouse. (n.d.). Staff Directory. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://www.bexar.org/Directory.aspx>
6Texas Department of Public Safety. (n.d.). Contact Us. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/media-and-communications-office/contact-us>
7Texas Department of Public Safety. (2024). Criminal History Conviction Name Search. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://publicsite.dps.texas.gov/ConvictionNameSearch/>
8Texas Department of Public Safety. (n.d.). Create New Account. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://publicsite.dps.texas.gov/ConvictionNameSearch/Account/Create/>
9Texas Department of Public Safety. (n.d.). Support By Email. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://publicsite.dps.texas.gov/ConvictionNameSearch/Home/Default/Contact#support>
10Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. (n.d.). Bond Information. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://www.bexar.org/738/Bond-Information>
11Bexar County Courthouse. (2024, March). Bail Bond Companies. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from <https://www.bexar.org/962/Bail-Bond-Companies>