Shelby County Booking Reports

Shelby County booking reports track every arrest made in Memphis and the rest of the county, with an average of 56,000 bookings per year flowing through the jail system. The Sheriff's Office runs an online Inmate Lookup Tool that lets you search by name, booking number, or state ID to find out who is in custody right now. Two jail facilities handle the intake process. Men go to 201 Poplar Avenue. Women are booked at Jail East on Haley Road. These records are public under Tennessee law, and you can search them at no cost from any device with an internet connection. If you need details on charges, bond amounts, or release dates, the lookup tool covers all of that.

Shelby County Sheriff Booking Records

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office Inmate Lookup Tool is the primary way to search booking reports online. The tool gives you two search options. Option 1 lets you search by first and last name. Option 2 lets you pick from a drop-down that includes booking number, permanent number, or state ID. You can also check a box to include released inmates in the results. This is helpful when you need to look up someone who has already left custody.

The jail is accredited by the American Corrections Association. That means it meets national standards for how inmates are processed and how records are kept. The average daily census for both facilities sits at about 2,600 inmates. Men are held at 201 Poplar Avenue in downtown Memphis. The women's facility, called Jail East, is at 6201 Haley Road. All booking reports from both locations feed into the same search system, so one search covers the whole county.

The following screenshot shows the Shelby County Inmate Lookup Tool where you can search for current and released inmates by name or booking number.

This tool pulls up booking dates, charges, bond amounts, and custody status for anyone processed through the Shelby County jail system.

Shelby County Division of Corrections

The Shelby County Division of Corrections handles records for post-convicted offenders. If someone gets sentenced to a misdemeanor (up to 11 months and 29 days) or a felony (up to 12 years), their records move to SCDC. Felons get monthly credits that reduce their sentence time. Misdemeanor offenders serve 50 percent of their sentence unless a judge says otherwise. The SCDC office is at 1045 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134. Call (901) 222-8500 for questions about inmate records.

Offenders are released Monday through Friday at 3:00 PM, Saturdays at 2:45 PM, and Sundays at 1:45 PM. Family members can bring clothes for inmates set to discharge within 48 hours. Drop off is at N-building from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays. Each offender can buy a bus pass that stays valid until midnight once activated. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503, these records are public and available for inspection.

Below is a screenshot of the Shelby County Division of Corrections page that explains inmate record access and discharge procedures.

This resource covers post-conviction records, parole status, and how to reach the SCDC office for Shelby County booking details.

How to Search Shelby County Bookings

Start with the online Inmate Lookup Tool. Type in a first and last name. Hit search. Results come back fast. You will see charges, bond amounts, booking dates, and custody status. The system is free and works on phones, tablets, and computers. No account is needed.

If you want to search by booking number or state ID instead, use Option 2 on the lookup page. Pick your search type from the drop-down and type in the number. This is useful when you already have a case reference. Check the box for released inmates if the person you are looking for may have already left the jail. Without that box checked, only current inmates appear in the results.

For in-person requests, go to the jail and ask at the front desk. Staff can pull up booking records for current and past inmates. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-4-604, the first hour of search time is free. Copies cost about $0.15 per page for black and white. You do not have to explain why you want the records. Tennessee law gives you the right to inspect them during business hours.

Shelby County Fugitive and Warrant Search

The Shelby County Fugitive Division manages warrant information and tracks fugitives. The division runs an Outstanding Warrants Search and a Most Wanted list on its website. If you think someone has an open warrant in Shelby County, this is where to check. The Fugitive Division can be reached at 901-222-5620.

Crimestoppers takes anonymous tips at 901-528-CASH (2274). The Warrant Apprehension System Program, called WASP, gives officers access to criminal history, Tennessee driver's license data, photos, and outstanding warrant info. While WASP is a law enforcement tool, the public-facing warrant search still shows basic details about active warrants in Shelby County.

Memphis Police Booking Records

The Memphis Police Department makes most of the arrests within the city of Memphis. Every person arrested by Memphis Police gets taken to the Shelby County jail for booking. The police department keeps its own arrest records and incident reports. For those records, call the Central Records Division at 901-636-3650.

The Report Center at 901-222-5690 handles police reports for accidents and incidents separately from arrest records. Memphis PD also puts out a most wanted list on its website with fugitive names, mugshots, and charges. Arrests made by police in Bartlett, Collierville, and Germantown all go through the same Shelby County jail system, so the Inmate Lookup Tool covers those cities too.

Note: Memphis Police records and Shelby County jail booking reports are kept by different offices, so you may need to contact both for a complete picture of an arrest.

Statewide Tools for Shelby County

Beyond local sources, Tennessee runs several state databases that cover Shelby County arrests. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation offers TORIS for statewide criminal background searches. It costs $29 per search and returns a PDF. This picks up arrests from every county that reported to the TBI, not just Shelby.

The Felony Offender Information Lookup from the Tennessee Department of Correction is free. It shows anyone who has been in state prison. Search by name, TDOC ID, or State ID. Results have booking photos, aliases, and sentence details. If someone from Shelby County went to state prison, FOIL will find them.

Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(g), every government entity must have a written public records policy. The Office of Open Records Counsel helps when access to records gets denied. Call (615) 401-7891 or 1-866-831-3750 toll-free if you run into trouble getting Shelby County booking reports.

Cities in Shelby County

Shelby County has several cities with their own police departments. All arrests in the county are booked through the Shelby County jail system, no matter which agency made the arrest.

Memphis is the largest city. Bartlett, Collierville, and Germantown each have their own police forces, but all bookings go to the county jail at 201 Poplar Avenue or Jail East.

Nearby Counties

Shelby County sits at the western edge of Tennessee. Two other Tennessee counties share a border with it. If an arrest took place outside Shelby County, check the neighboring county.

View All 95 Counties