Washington County Jail Records

Washington County 24 hour booking records are maintained by the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Chipley, Florida. The sheriff's office publishes a current inmate roster on its website, giving the public free access to booking data and jail information. These records are public under Florida law. You can view them any time without creating an account or paying a fee. The sheriff's office has also released an official mobile app for easier access to public safety information.

Washington County 24 Hour Booking Records and Inmate Roster

The Washington County Sheriff's Office publishes a current inmate roster on its website. This roster shows everyone currently held at the Washington County jail. You can view names, charges, and booking details for all inmates. The page is updated as new bookings are processed, giving you a look at recent arrest activity in the county.

Each entry on the roster includes the person's name and the charges they face. Bond amounts are shown when they have been set. The booking date tells you when the person came into the jail. Some entries may include additional details depending on the case. The roster is straightforward and easy to read. It lists inmates in a format that lets you quickly scan through the names to find who you are looking for.

The sheriff's office has made transparency a priority. As they note on their site, openness is key to building trust between law enforcement and the community. The inmate roster is one part of that effort. For the most current information on a recent arrest, you can call the sheriff's office at 850-638-6111.

How to Search Washington County Arrest Records

Go to the Washington County Sheriff's Office website and navigate to the inmate information section under public services. The current inmate roster is listed there. You can also go directly to the roster page. The list shows all current inmates. Browse through the names to find a specific person.

The roster is free to view. No login is needed. It works on phones, tablets, and computers. The sheriff's office also has an official mobile app that you can download for quicker access to public safety information, including inmate data. Under Section 119.07 of the Florida Statutes, booking records must be made available to the public. The online roster and mobile app are how Washington County meets this legal requirement.

The screenshot below shows the Washington County Sheriff's Office inmate roster portal.

The roster shows current inmates with charges and booking information for Washington County.

For official copies of booking records, you can contact the sheriff's office at 1293 Jackson Avenue in Chipley. Call 850-638-6111 for general questions. A written public records request may be needed for formal documents. There could be a small fee for copies, but viewing the roster online is always free.

Washington County Jail and Booking Process

After an arrest in Washington County, the person is transported to the county jail for booking. Officers record the person's name, date of birth, and physical description. A photo is taken. Fingerprints are collected. All charges are entered into the system. Bond is set based on the offense type or by a judge's determination. This creates a booking record that becomes part of the public file and shows up on the inmate roster.

Washington County is a small, rural county in the Florida Panhandle. Chipley is the county seat and the largest community. The sheriff's office is the main law enforcement agency for the area. Chipley has a small police department that also handles arrests within city limits. Vernon is another small municipality in the county. All arrests from these agencies are processed at the same county jail, so the inmate roster covers everything happening in Washington County.

The county sits along Interstate 10 in the Panhandle. Traffic stops on the interstate sometimes lead to arrests that get booked into the Washington County jail. These show up on the roster alongside local arrests. The Florida Highway Patrol covers the interstate, and their arrests in Washington County go through the same booking process as everyone else.

Under Section 901.243 of Florida law, anyone booked into jail has the right to make phone calls within a reasonable time after the booking is complete. This right applies at every county jail in the state, including Washington County.

Public Records Law and Washington County Bookings

Florida's public records laws are among the most open in the nation. Section 119.011 defines public records broadly. Any material created or received by a government agency in the course of its business qualifies. Booking records are clearly government records. The Washington County Sheriff's Office must make them available, and publishing the roster online is how they do it.

Some records have restrictions. Sealed or expunged records are removed from public view. Juvenile cases never appear on the adult roster. Certain personal details may be withheld under Section 119.071, which protects information like Social Security numbers and bank account data. But the standard booking information, name, charges, booking date, and bond, stays public for all adults processed through the Washington County jail.

For a statewide criminal history search, the FDLE operates a separate system. You can use the FDLE Criminal History portal to check records across all of Florida. The cost is $24 per search under Section 943.053. The FDLE main website has details on how the process works. For free checks of Washington County bookings, the sheriff's roster is the simplest option.

A booking record is a record of an arrest, not a conviction. Courts determine guilt or innocence through the legal process. Charges can be amended, dropped, or dismissed. An acquittal can follow a trial. The booking entry records what happened at the time of arrest and nothing more.

Cities in Washington County

Chipley is the county seat and the largest town in Washington County. Vernon, Caryville, Ebro, and Wausau are other small communities. None of these cities reach the population threshold for a separate booking page. All arrests in Washington County go through the county jail and appear on the same inmate roster.

Nearby Counties

Washington County borders several other counties in the Panhandle region of Florida. If you are looking for a booking that may have been processed elsewhere, check the counties below.