San Antonio Arrest Records
San Antonio booking reports are managed by the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. When someone is arrested in the city, SAPD officers process the initial paperwork and transfer most detainees to a Bexar County facility. You can get booking records through the Bexar County Central Records office or by submitting a public information request using the GovQA online portal. Bexar County is one of the largest counties in Texas, and it handles a high volume of arrests each year across San Antonio and the surrounding area.
San Antonio Overview
Where San Antonio Booking Records Are Held
San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County, and nearly all arrest records from inside the city run through the Bexar County system. The San Antonio Police Department makes the arrest and prepares the initial report. From there, most detainees go to a Bexar County detention facility, and the Sheriff's Office handles the booking process. That means the official record keeper for most arrests in San Antonio is Bexar County Central Records, not the city itself.
Bexar County Central Records is located at 100 Dolorosa, San Antonio, TX 78205. You can call them at 210-335-2011. For mugshot requests specifically, you send an email to record@bexar.org with the person's full name, SID number, or date of birth. That office keeps booking photos and related data. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office at 200 N. Comal, San Antonio, TX 78207 maintains the jail itself and handles inmate lookups through their information line at 210-335-6201.
| Office | Bexar County Central Records |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 Dolorosa San Antonio, TX 78205 |
| Phone | 210-335-2011 |
| record@bexar.org | |
| Inmate Info Line | 210-335-6201 |
| SAPD Records | 315 S. Santa Rosa, San Antonio, TX 78207 | 210-207-7273 |
SAPD also keeps its own records for incident and offense reports. You can visit the SAPD Records Division at 315 S. Santa Rosa or call 210-207-7273. That office handles police reports separate from the booking records held by the county.
How to Get San Antonio Booking Reports
The main way to request records is through the Bexar County GovQA Public Information Request Center. GovQA is an online portal where you submit a formal public information request. You get a tracking number so you can check the status of your request. Go to bexar.org/3500/Public-Records-Requests to start a request. That portal handles booking records, incident reports, and other county documents.
For mugshots and booking photos, you can email record@bexar.org directly rather than using the portal. Include the full name of the person you are looking for, along with their SID number or date of birth if you have it. The more details you give, the faster the office can locate the right record. Requests that lack key identifying information may take longer or come back incomplete.
The SAPD Records Division handles police and incident reports filed by city officers. That office is separate from the county records system. If you need both a police report and a booking record, you may need to contact both offices. SAPD has its own fee schedule: incident reports cost $0.10 per page, accident reports are $6.00, and certified copies are $5.00.
All public records requests in Bexar County are processed under the Texas Public Information Act, Government Code Chapter 552. Under that law, the county has 10 business days to respond to your request. If the information is straightforward and public, they generally release it within that window. If the county believes certain information is exempt, they must seek a ruling from the Texas Attorney General's Office before withholding it.
San Antonio Police and County Records Portals
The San Antonio Police Department website provides access to officer information, news releases, and links to records request services for city residents.
The SAPD site is the starting point for city-level arrest and incident reports. From there you can find links to submit a records request or contact the Records Division directly.
Bexar County also maintains a public records portal where residents can view and request documents related to arrests made in San Antonio. The Bexar County Public Records portal uses the GovQA system to manage submissions and track request status.
Using GovQA is the preferred method for requesting booking records from the county. You submit the form, receive a confirmation, and check back using your tracking number.
For direct police department records, the SAPD Records page lets you see what types of reports are available and how to request them through city channels.
The SAPD Records Division processes police reports separately from booking data held by Bexar County. Depending on what you need, you may need to contact both.
What San Antonio Booking Reports Contain
Booking reports in San Antonio and Bexar County include a standard set of information about each arrested person. Most records show the person's name, date of birth, and physical description. They also include the date and time of arrest, the booking number, and the charges filed. If a bond was set, the type, amount, and status may appear as well.
Bexar County booking records can also include mugshots, or what the county calls booking photos. These are taken at the time of processing and stored in the Central Records system. Some mugshots are available on request. Others may require a formal public records request and take more time to produce. Body-worn camera footage from SAPD arrests requires a separate request and is released on a cost-recovery basis, meaning you pay for the time it takes to process and redact the video.
The data included in a typical San Antonio booking report covers personal information, arrest details, a summary of the charges, conviction details if a case has been resolved, and any notes about the booking process. This is consistent with what Texas law requires agencies to track under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 66, which governs criminal history record systems statewide.
Note: Some information in booking records may be restricted if the case involves a juvenile or if the charges were later dismissed or expunged.
Texas Law and San Antonio Arrest Records
Texas has strong open records laws. The Texas Public Information Act makes most government records available to the public on request. Booking records, arrest reports, and inmate information generally fall under this law and are presumed public unless a specific exemption applies.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) sets rules for how county jails, including the Bexar County facilities housing San Antonio arrestees, must operate and what records they keep. You can find information about jail standards at tcjs.state.tx.us. The Texas Department of Public Safety also maintains criminal history records through the Crime Records Division, which holds statewide data on arrests and dispositions.
If you need a certified criminal history for a person, the DPS Crime Records Division is the main source for statewide background checks. You can request that separately from the local booking record. Local records from SAPD and Bexar County show what happened in San Antonio specifically, while the DPS record is a broader statewide view.
Bexar County Booking Records
San Antonio sits in Bexar County, and most arrest records from the city are held at the county level. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office runs the main detention facilities, and Central Records manages booking data. For a full look at how Bexar County processes arrests and what records are available countywide, visit the Bexar County booking reports page.