The Sheriff's lookup runs on the county's court and jail portal. Use it like this:

1. Pull up the Sheriff's jail search.
2. Begin by entering the surname. A long list of results shrinks once you add the first name too.
3. Open the record that fits and read the booking details.
4. Copy down the SO number, which letters need and which helps staff.
5. No luck? The Smart Search on the county's Justice Web portal covers current and former Detention Center inmates.

Charges and bond amounts can shift after the first few hours. Confirm them with the Detention Center at 979-361-4800.

Most often, a blank result comes from one of these:

• Booking isn't done. A new arrest can take a few hours to reach the records.
• Bonded out. If the person was released, the Justice Web portal may still list them as a past inmate.
• Held by someone else. A nearby county, the federal Marshals or ICE could have custody.
• Spelling. Search a nickname, a hyphenated name or a maiden name.
• Too young. At 16 or under, a youth goes to the juvenile center instead.
• Wrong county. Hearne sits in Robertson County, so a Hearne arrest is not a matter for this jail.

Bryan police tell families searching for someone to phone the Sheriff's detention line, 979-361-4800. For general Sheriff's business, the main number is 979-361-4900.

The county's adult jail system is one building. Here is what each local site does:

• Brazos County Detention Center, 1835 Sandy Point Road, Bryan, TX 77807, 979-361-4800. It holds adults awaiting trial, people serving sentenced county time (called "ST" on Sheriff's forms) and people in the work release program.
• Sheriff's Office headquarters, 1700 West State Hwy. 21, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-361-4900. It handles administration and holds no inmates.
• R. J. Holmgreen Juvenile Justice Center, 1904 West SH 21, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-361-1831, for youths 10 through 16.
• FPC Bryan, 1100 Ursuline Avenue, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-823-1879, a federal prison camp run by the Bureau of Prisons. It is not part of the county system.

An arrest just over the county line ends up in that county's own jail. Check these nearby ones:

• Robertson County Jail, 1006 W US Hwy 79, Franklin, TX 77856, 979-828-3299. Hearne arrests go here.
• Burleson County Jail, 1334 St. Hwy 21 E., Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-4343
• Grimes County Jail, 382 FM 149 West, Anderson, TX 77830, 936-873-2151
• Madison County Jail, 2005 E Main Street, Madisonville, TX 77864, 936-348-2755
• Leon County Jail, 606 East St. Mary's Street, Centerville, TX 75833, 903-536-2749
• Washington County Jail, 1206 Old Independence Road, Brenham, TX 77833, 979-277-6251

Yes, for a small fee. The Sheriff's records fee list prices mugshots at $5.00. Pay with exact change and bring proof of ID. The same list offers dates of incarceration for $5.00. Call the Sheriff's Office at 979-361-4900 to ask where and when the records window is open.

• The Public Information Act makes the basic details of an arrest open to the public. To ask formally, put a request in writing to the Sheriff's Office (Government Code 552.108(c)).
• Photos taken by immigration agents need an ICE records request.
• Federal agencies keep their booking photos private. The Marshals sometimes release one, for instance while hunting a fugitive.
• A mugshot site asking $150 or more for removal (Business and Commerce Code ch. 109) has to fix or remove an inaccurate record free. Records wiped by expunction, or sealed under nondisclosure, are off-limits to such sites.

Yes. Texas uses Texas IVSS-Counties, the state's notice service for people in county jails. It took over from the old VINE system. Search by all or part of a name. Notices can be requested either with an account or without one.

• You can be notified of a booking, a release, a court event being scheduled or moved, and custody changes such as a move to TDCJ.
• It costs nothing and stays private. Nobody tells the jailed person who registered.
• Phone help runs 24/7 at 866-268-8959, with English and Spanish both offered.

Need an answer today? Phoning the Detention Center at 979-361-4800 still beats waiting for an alert.

Within 48 hours of arrest, a magistrate meets each person, most often a justice of the peace. The magistrate reads the legal warnings and sets bail. Release can then take one of these forms:

• Cash bond at the Detention Center: exact cash, or a credit or debit card through Gov Pay for a percent fee. The payer needs a state-issued ID and pays in one transaction.
• Surety bond through a bondsman approved by the county Bail Bond Board.
• Personal (PR) bond, granted by a judge with no money paid. Texas bars it for violent offenses and some other charges.

Proposition 3, adopted in November 2025, makes denial of bail mandatory in listed violent cases once the prosecutor proves at a hearing that the person would flee or pose a danger (Tex. Const. art. I, § 11d). Other cases, parole warrants or ICE detainers can also hold a person past bond. Our bail page lays out each step.

Start with a call to the jail at 979-361-4800. After the prosecutor files, court records add detail:

• The Justice Web portal finds court cases by party name or case number.
• On re:SearchTX, a free account shows the information or indictment that states the charge.
• To see the possible penalty for each class, read Penal Code chapter 12.

Prosecutors settle the final charges. Felonies go to the District Attorney's Office, 979-361-4320. The County Attorney's Office is at 979-361-4300.

For those who qualify, it can. The form, called the Application for Court Appointed Attorney, comes from the magistrate at the first hearing, along with help completing it. For an eligible person in jail, the county plan calls for an appointment inside 3 working days, and a client interview within 10 days of that.

• Income at or under 125% of federal poverty guidelines, or benefits such as Medicaid or SSI, usually qualifies. Partial help reaches 175%.
• Completed forms go to the Indigent Defense Office, 300 East 26th Street, Suite 2106, Bryan, TX 77803, by hand, by email or by fax to 979-361-4559.
• The Brazos County Public Defender's Office, 200 South Texas Ave, Suite 126, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-361-4581, shares appointments with private lawyers.

The family may also hire a private lawyer instead.

The Detention Center runs its visits by video. Book each one online with the jail's visit vendor. The Sheriff's Office puts no limit on how many visits you schedule.

• On site: daily from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 1835 Sandy Point Road, Bryan, TX 77807.
• From home or on demand: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, at $0.20 a minute. Inmates take these calls on kiosks in the dorm or on tablets.
• Who may come: at most two visitors at once, one adult and one child.
• ID: every visitor, children too, needs a current government-issued driver's license or ID card. Names must match the ID exactly.
• Visitor list: give a correct street address, and follow the dress code.

For changes or problems, call 979-361-4800. Our visiting guide has more tips on video visits.

The Sheriff's Office sends deposits through Smart Communications. Two ways are named:

• Online at smartinmate.com.
• By phone with a live operator at the Smart Communications Customer Service Center, 888-843-1972. Call the same number about any payment problem.

Have the inmate's legal name and SO number ready while you pay. If you'd rather pay another way, such as a lobby kiosk, ask the jail at 979-361-4800 what is offered. Deposits are explained further in our guide to inmate money. Our commissary guide covers what deposits can buy.

Inmates here use kiosks in their housing areas and tablets. Those devices carry video visits and the scanned copies of their letters. Phone and account payments go through Smart Communications, online at smartinmate.com or at 888-843-1972.

For current call rates and messaging choices, check with the jail at 979-361-4800. Assume someone is listening on every call. Hold any case talk until you are with the defense attorney. More background is in our inmate phone guide. The jail email guide walks through messaging.

Everyday letters skip Sandy Point Road. They go to the scanning address the Sheriff's Office uses:

Inmate's full name and SO #
Smart Communications/Brazos Co Det Center
PO Box 9147, Seminole, FL 33775-9147

• Letters are scanned and delivered on the inmate's kiosk or tablet.
• A letter sent to the wrong address comes back to the sender. Mail that breaks the rules is turned away.
• Legal mail and publications are the exception. They go to 1835 Sandy Point Rd, Bryan, TX 77807. Publications are taken only at that address.
• State jail standards put no cap on how many letters an inmate may send or get. Legal mail can be opened only while the inmate watches.

Never put cash in an envelope. For more pointers on writing to someone inside, see our mail guide.

How you get items back depends on timing:

• At booking: the person can ask the officer processing them to pass items to a friend or relative standing by in the release lobby.
• Once housed: the inmate must ask for a scheduled release a full day early, 24 hours or more. Pickup windows run Monday through Friday, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. Miss the window and a new request is needed.
• If sent to state prison: property can be claimed at any time with the signed TDCJ letter that the jail sends by mail, plus a state ID.

Every pickup requires a valid state-issued ID. As for bringing things in, the jail takes only properly labeled prescription medicine and needed medical devices. Questions go to 979-361-4800.

Phone the Detention Center at 979-361-4800 and ask that medical staff be informed. Give the condition, the drug name and the dose. Only properly labeled prescription medicine and needed medical devices can be dropped off.

• If staff think a person has a mental illness, Texas gives the jail a 12-hour window to alert a magistrate (Code of Criminal Procedure art. 16.22).
• Every Texas jail must post its inmate complaint process and explain it in the handbook.
• Families with a concern can send a complaint form to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the agency that inspects county jails statewide. You can also write to info@tcjs.state.tx.us or call 512-463-5505.

For a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Bryan police send most warrant questions to the Sheriff's Office at 979-361-4900. Traffic warrants from that city belong to its Municipal Court, 979-209-5400, which also has a City Marshals page. College Station Municipal Court, 979-764-3683, issues Capias Pro Fine warrants and may charge a $50 warrant fee. The Texas 10 Most Wanted list from DPS names top fugitives statewide. Get legal advice first. Then either turn yourself in at 1835 Sandy Point Road, Bryan, TX 77807, or phone the issuing court to request a new hearing date. On felony warrants, the District Clerk can help too: 300 East 26th Street, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-361-4230.

The county's Justice Web portal lists hearings by case number, party name, attorney or date range. You can also ask the clerk:

• Felony dates: District Clerk, 300 East 26th Street, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-361-4230.
• Class A and B dates: County Clerk, 300 East 26th Street, Suite 1430, Bryan, TX 77803-5360, 979-361-4135.
• City ticket dates: the city municipal court named on the ticket.

Texas IVSS-Counties sends registered users word of new or changed hearings. For how a case unfolds, see our court page.

Federal prosecutions from Brazos County land in Houston. That court, part of the Southern District of Texas, holds hearings in the Bob Casey United States Courthouse, 515 Rusk Avenue, Houston, TX 77002, 713-250-5500.

1. A detention hearing comes first, run by a federal magistrate judge. Its question: should the person be free or held while the case moves forward (18 U.S.C. 3142)?
2. Pretrial custody belongs to the Marshals, who may place the person in a partner jail. Their Houston office can say where: 515 Rusk Avenue, Room 10002, Houston, TX 77002-2605, 713-718-4800.
3. Sentenced people show up on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. Use the register number or a name. Seeing "Not in BOP Custody" can just mean some other agency has custody.

FPC Bryan, the federal prison camp in the county, is a Bureau of Prisons site. People there show up in the BOP locator, not the county jail search.

What usually happens:

1. Sandy Point Road receives Form I-247A, the detainer ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) uses.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail may hang on to the person for 48 hours beyond the normal release time. Texas makes jails honor detainers. Only proof of lawful status gets someone out of one (Code of Criminal Procedure art. 2A.060).
3. Officers from ICE then move the person into one of the agency's detention sites. The Houston Field Office handles southeast Texas from 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816. Among its sites is the Montgomery Processing Center, 806 Hilbig Road, Conroe, TX 77301, 936-521-4900.
4. Go to the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Enter the nine-digit A-number. Without one, combine the full name with the birth country. With no result, ICE advises calling the field office.

Texas counties that run jails have a December 1, 2026 deadline under S.B. 8 (2025) to seek 287(g) agreements with ICE. For the local picture, ask the Sheriff's Office.

People sentenced on a felony often wait at the Detention Center for pickup by TDCJ, the state prison agency. At intake, TDCJ classifies each arrival and then assigns a unit that fits.

• Search with the TDCJ inmate search. Enter the last name plus a first initial, or use a TDCJ or SID number. The last name has to be an exact match.
• Only people inside a TDCJ unit right now appear. Results refresh on working days and lag at least 24 hours.
• Visiting and mail details for every unit appear on our Texas state prisons page.

Juvenile cases in Texas cover ages 10 through 16, and those youths stay out of the adult jail. Here, detained youths go to the R. J. Holmgreen Juvenile Justice Center, 1904 West SH 21, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-361-1831. The county's Juvenile Services Department runs it.

After taking a youth into custody, officers are required to call a parent or guardian right away, under Family Code 52.02. A detention hearing follows. Two working days is the usual limit. Youths detained on Friday or Saturday must be seen by the first working day. Counsel is present for the child (54.01). Youth records stay out of the adult jail search.

Arresting agencies in the county, with their non-emergency lines:

• Brazos County Sheriff's Office, 1700 West State Hwy. 21, Bryan, TX 77803, 979-361-4900. Deputies patrol outside city limits, and the Sheriff's Office polices Kurten.
• Bryan Police Department, 303 E. 29th St., Bryan, TX 77803. Main line 979-209-5300; non-emergency dispatch 979-361-3888.
• College Station Police Department, 800 Krenek Tap Road, College Station, TX 77840, 979-764-3600.
• Texas A&M University Police Department, 1111 Research Parkway at Raymond Stotzer Parkway, College Station. Mail: 1231 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843. Non-emergency 979-845-2345.
• Blinn College Police, Bryan campus, 979-277-7373.
• Constables for Precincts 1, 2 and 3 also serve the county. Ask the Sheriff's Office for their contacts.
• Texas Highway Patrol (DPS) troopers work the highways. Ask the Sheriff's Office which DPS office covers the county.

Not sure who patrols Wixon Valley or another small community? The Sheriff's Office can tell you.