Nashville Booking Reports
Nashville booking reports are filed through the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, which runs the Downtown Detention Center and processes all local arrests. With close to 690,000 residents and a combined city-county government, Nashville sees one of the highest arrest volumes in Tennessee. The Davidson County Sheriff's Office logged 29,327 adult arrests in 2023 alone. You can search for current inmates, check recent bookings from the past 48 hours, or look up case details through the Criminal Court Clerk. Nashville booking reports are public records under state law and free to search online.
Nashville Quick Facts
Nashville Booking Reports Through the Sheriff's Office
The Metropolitan Nashville/Davidson County Sheriff's Office handles all booking reports for the city. The office is at One Jerry Newson Way, Nashville, TN 37201. You can call them at 615-862-8170. Every person taken into custody in Nashville goes through the same intake process at the Downtown Detention Center, no matter which agency made the arrest. Metro Nashville Police, state troopers, and federal agents all bring their arrests here.
The Downtown Detention Center sits at 200 James Robertson Parkway. It holds up to 762 inmates across minimum, medium, and maximum security areas. The offender info line runs around the clock at 615-862-8123. Staff at the center log each person's name, charges, bond amount, and booking time. This data feeds into the online search system right away, so you can look up new bookings within hours of an arrest.
The following screenshot shows the Nashville/Davidson County Sheriff's Office website where you can access booking report information.
This is the main page for the Sheriff's Office, which links to inmate search tools and detention facility details for Nashville.
Search Nashville Active Inmate Records
The Davidson County Active Inmate Search is the fastest way to check on someone in custody. Go to the site. Type in a first name, last name, or both. You can also use a date of birth, OCA number, warrant number, or CIS number to narrow results. The search runs right away.
Each result shows the person's name, race, sex, date of birth, control number, admit date, and release date. Click on a name to see the full detail page. That shows all charges, warrant info, bond amounts, and case status. The system also has a Recent Bookings tab that pulls up everyone brought in during the past 48 hours. This is handy if you want to scan new Nashville booking reports without having a specific name in mind. Bond amounts can change after a court hearing, so the Criminal Court Clerk's Office at 615-862-5670 can give you the most current bond figure.
The screenshot below shows the Davidson County Active Inmate Search portal used for Nashville booking report lookups.
The system updates often and is one of the most used inmate search tools in the state.
Nashville Criminal Court Clerk Records
Once an arrest leads to formal charges, the case moves from the jail to the court system. The Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk keeps all court records tied to Nashville booking reports. The office is at 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120, Nashville, TN 37201. Call 615-862-5601 for help.
The Clerk runs a free Public Case Search tool on their site. You can search by name, case number, or citation number. Results include hearing dates, charges, plea info, and case outcomes. This is where you go when you need more than just the booking data. If someone was arrested in Nashville but the case is now in court, the Criminal Court Clerk has the full file. Court records and booking reports work hand in hand in Nashville. One gives you the arrest details, the other shows what happened after.
Here is a screenshot of the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk portal, which provides public case search for Nashville arrest cases.
This tool complements the inmate search by showing the legal outcomes for cases that started with a Nashville booking.
Metro Nashville Police Booking Data
The Metro Nashville Police Department makes the most arrests in Davidson County. Their Central Records Division stores all police reports. The office is at 811 Anderson Lane, Suite 100, Madison, TN 37115. Call 615-862-7631. You can submit records requests in person, by mail, or by email. The MNPD charges $13 per background check, but that only covers Davidson County arrests.
Of the 29,327 adult arrests in Nashville during 2023, physical arrests made up 14,562 cases. State citations added another 8,231, and summonses totaled 6,534. Those numbers give you a sense of the volume. Nashville booking reports flow in at a rate that few other Tennessee cities match. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503, all booking records in Nashville are open to public inspection. You do not need to explain why you want them. The custodian must make them available promptly or respond within seven business days.
Note: Nashville background checks through the police only cover local arrests, not statewide criminal history.
Nashville Booking Reports and Tennessee Law
Booking reports in Nashville are public records. That is settled law. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503, custodians must let any Tennessee citizen inspect records during business hours. Requests do not have to be in writing. You can walk into the Sheriff's Office, the Criminal Court Clerk, or the police records office and ask to see booking data. They must comply.
Fees for copies follow the state schedule set by the Office of Open Records Counsel. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-4-604, the first hour of staff time to find records costs nothing. Black and white copies run about $0.15 per page. Color copies cost $0.50. If a Nashville office charges more, they must prove their actual costs are higher. The online tools from the Sheriff's Office and Criminal Court Clerk are free to use, so most people never pay a dime for basic Nashville booking report searches.
Statewide Tools for Nashville Arrest Searches
Tennessee runs two state databases that can help you look beyond local Nashville booking reports. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation runs TORIS, a name-based criminal history search. Each search costs $29 and comes back as a PDF. TORIS covers the whole state, so you see arrests from every county, not just Davidson. This is helpful when you need a full picture of someone's criminal record.
The Tennessee Department of Correction runs the Felony Offender Information Lookup, or FOIL. It is free. Search by name, TDOC ID, or State ID. FOIL shows booking photos, sentence details, aliases, and current location for anyone who has been in state prison. If a Nashville arrest led to a state prison term, the record shows up here. FOIL is available 24 hours a day. Between the local Nashville tools and these state systems, you can track an arrest from the initial booking all the way through a prison sentence.
How to Get Nashville Booking Reports
You have several paths to get booking reports in Nashville. The quickest is the online inmate search at dcso.nashville.gov. That covers anyone currently in custody or recently released. For court case details, use the Criminal Court Clerk site at ccc.nashville.gov. Both are free and work from any device.
For in-person requests, visit one of these offices:
- Davidson County Sheriff's Office, One Jerry Newson Way, Nashville, TN 37201
- Downtown Detention Center, 200 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37201
- Criminal Court Clerk, 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120, Nashville, TN 37201
- Metro Nashville PD Central Records, 811 Anderson Lane, Suite 100, Madison, TN 37115
Bring a valid ID. You can ask for records at any of these locations during business hours. Staff will pull up the booking data and let you view it on the spot. If you need copies, the standard fees apply. Certified copies cost more than plain ones. You can also mail a request to any of these offices if you can't visit in person. Include the full name of the person, approximate date of arrest, and a return address. Processing takes a few business days for mailed requests.
Davidson County Booking Reports
Nashville and Davidson County share a merged government, so all Nashville booking reports go through the Davidson County system. The county page has more detail on the detention facilities, judicial districts, and related records. For a full look at the county-level booking process and resources, check the Davidson County page.
Nearby Tennessee Cities
Several cities near Nashville have their own booking processes through their respective county jails. Pick a city below to find booking report details for that area.