The Sheriff's lookup covers everyone held in the county jail buildings at Lew Sterrett. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the Sheriff's jail search.
2. Fill in the surname box before the first-name box. Fewer letters can catch a misspelling.
3. Try other spellings, both parts of a hyphenated name, and any nickname or maiden name.
4. When you find the right person, write down the book-in number. Mail, account deposits and video visits all ask for it.
5. If the arrest happened in the last few hours, or the results look confusing, call 214-761-9025. Staff answer for all of the county's jails, day and night.

Arrested in Mesquite? That city keeps its own Mesquite jail roster, which lists booking time, charges, warrant numbers and bond or fine amounts. The city warns it may not match actual custody, so call to confirm.

Common reasons a name is missing:

• Still at a city jail. Suburban police hold people first and transfer bigger cases later. Garland, for example, sends Class B and higher cases to the county once they are ready to file.
• Already released. A bond may have been posted, or charges may not have been filed.
• Moved. The person may now be with another county, TDCJ, the U.S. Marshals or ICE. Each has its own search below.
• Under 17. Children go to juvenile detention, which the adult search won't show.
• A typo. Try again with fewer letters or a different spelling.

The fastest fix is a phone call to 214-761-9025. For older records, the District Clerk's criminal records desk is on the 2nd floor of the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-653-5954.

The Sheriff runs four active buildings, all at 111 West Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202, with one shared information line, 214-761-9025. Together they can hold more than 7,100 people.

• Lew Sterrett Justice Center: the main complex, finished in 1983. Every new arrest goes through intake and release here. Staff then assign housing based on record, charge, age, health and behavior.
• North Tower Detention Facility: maximum security. It holds up to 3,292 people and has 188 single cells.
• West Tower Detention Facility: men in medium and maximum custody, plus medical, infirmary, suicide watch, protective custody, substance abuse and mental health housing. Up to 1,530 beds.
• Suzanne Lee Kays Detention Facility, also called the South Tower: the county's first direct-supervision jail, where officers work inside the housing units. Up to 2,304 beds.

The former jail at 600 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202 holds no one now. City police jails hold people for a short time:

• Garland Detention Center, 1900 W State Street, Garland, TX 75042, 972-485-4890. Open 24/7, 137 adult beds, for pretrial holds and city court sentences.
• Grand Prairie Detention Center, 1525 Arkansas Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 75052, 972-237-8951. 210 beds; stays usually run under 72 hours.
• Irving City Jail, 305 N. O'Connor Road, Irving, TX 75061, 972-273-1010. 172 adult beds plus a juvenile holding area.
• Mesquite City Jail, 777 N. Galloway Ave., Mesquite, TX 75149, 972-216-6243.
• Richardson City Jail, 972-744-4820. Holds people until bond, transfer or court; arraignments run about 11:00 a.m. daily.
• Hutchins police holding facility, 550 West Palestine Street, Hutchins, TX 75141, 972-225-2225. Class C holds and people waiting for transfer on warrants.
• Carrollton Jail, at the police station, 2025 E. Jackson Road, Carrollton, TX 75006.
• Seagoville police jail, at the police station, 600 N Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159.

People arrested by City of Dallas police skip the city stage and go straight to Lew Sterrett.

Want a booking photo? Put the request in writing to the Sheriff's Office as a public information request. Texas law makes basic arrest information public (Gov't Code 552.108(c)). Call the Sheriff's dispatch line at 214-749-8641 to ask where the request should go.

Some official pages do show photos:

• The county's wanted person search has a filter called "People with photos only." It covers people with warrants, not people in jail.
• The Texas 10 Most Wanted page shows photos of the state's top fugitives.

Private sites that post mugshots are not run by the government. Under Texas law, a site that charges $150 or more to remove a record must fix or take down a wrong or incomplete one for free. It also can't publish a record cleared by expunction or by an order of nondisclosure (Business and Commerce Code ch. 109). Federal booking photos are rarely released, apart from an occasional fugitive photo from the Marshals. Ask ICE itself for its photos, using its FOIA request form.

Yes. Texas IVSS-Counties is the state's free custody alert system, run with TDCJ.

• Look someone up by whole or partial name at ivss-counties.tdcj.texas.gov.
• Sign up for notices with or without making an account.
• Alerts cover booking, release, court events and transfers, such as a move to TDCJ.
• Phone help, in English or Spanish, runs around the clock at 866-268-8959.
• Signing up is confidential: the inmate won't learn you registered.

Alerts can lag behind real events. Before you drive to pick someone up, confirm with the jail at 214-761-9025.

Within 48 hours, a magistrate at Lew Sterrett goes over the charges and legal rights, accepts any request for appointed counsel, and sets bond. That hearing is required by CCP art. 15.17. Pretrial Release staff screen each person for a personal bond.

• Where to pay: the Sheriff's Bond Desk inside Lew Sterrett, 111 West Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202, open 24/7.
• How: cash, cashier's check or money order. No credit or debit cards for cash bonds.
• Personal bond fee: $20 or 3% of the bond, whichever is greater.
• Bondsmen: the county bail bond board keeps a list of licensed companies.
• Scam warning: county bonds are posted in person. Never send bond money by app, wire or gift card. Pretrial Services can verify a request at 214-875-2302.

Holds can keep someone in after bond, such as another county's warrant, a parole warrant or an ICE detainer. In family violence cases, Texas makes the jail wait at least four hours after bond before release (CCP art. 17.291). For every step, see our full bail guide for this county, and our page on Texas bail laws covers the state rules.

Start with the jail information line at 214-761-9025. Staff can confirm the charge and bond for each case. After the case is filed, these sources show more:

• The county court portal covers felony and misdemeanor cases.
• District Clerk case information shows the charge, outcome and case history for felonies.
• The County Clerk's criminal office answers misdemeanor questions at 214-653-7099.
• re:SearchTX, free with an account, shows charging papers from courts across Texas.

Texas sorts charges by level. Class C is fine-only. Class B and Class A misdemeanors can bring county jail time. Felonies run from state jail felonies up to capital cases. Our court page explains each range.

The person asks the magistrate for one at the first hearing and signs a sworn form about money. The magistrate must help with the paperwork (CCP art. 15.17). The court has until the close of the first business day after it gets the request to appoint counsel (CCP art. 1.051).

Who qualifies in a felony case? Usually it's someone whose household income doesn't exceed 150% of federal poverty guidelines. Their assets must also be $15,000 or less. People on SNAP, Medicaid, SSI or TANF, or living in public housing, qualify too.

• Public Defender's Office: 9th floor, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-653-3550.
• Already out on a felony and still need a lawyer? Go to Room A14, 5th floor, in the same building, at the Criminal District Court Manager's Office.
• Hiring privately? The jail handbook lists a lawyer referral service at 214-220-7400.

Visits here are by video. Families connect either from home or from a kiosk on-site. Book through the Sheriff's provider, which is linked from the Sheriff's video visitation page.

• Schedule at least 72 hours ahead. Each visit lasts 20 minutes.
• Visits from home have no weekly cap. On-site visits are limited to two a week.
• On-site hours on the Sheriff's page: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. There are no visits on Wednesday.
• The person registering must be 17 or older with a government photo ID. Children under 17 can't come on-site on weekdays.
• Breaking the dress code can lead to a 30-day, 60-day or permanent ban.

The December 2025 inmate handbook shows a different on-site schedule, with evening slots split by last name and children allowed only on weekends. Check the tablet or kiosk notice, or call 214-761-9025, before you go. Our visiting page gives general advice too.

You need the person's full name and book-in number. The Sheriff points families to these deposit methods:

• Lobby kiosk: cash at the kiosk in each jail lobby, open 24 hours.
• Online: through Access Corrections, with fees starting at $2.95.
• By phone: 866-345-1884, with fees starting at $3.95.
• At a store: cash at retail locations through CashPayToday, for a $5 fee.

The jail does not take personal checks, payroll checks, money orders or benefit checks for accounts. That rule has been in place since February 14, 2022. Never mail cash.

Account money pays for commissary, which can be capped at $50, and for some tablet services and medical visits. Our money page and commissary page have details.

People held here can call out and send messages once someone sets up a prepaid account with the Sheriff's phone provider. Set up an account by calling 727-349-1561 or through the provider site linked on the Sheriff's telephone page.

• Tablets offer books, classes, games and messaging. Some features cost money.
• A damaged tablet can bring a $300 charge to the person's account.
• Books are bought as e-books on the tablet.

General tips are on our phone page and messaging page.

Personal mail does not go to the jail building. Address it like this:

[Inmate name] #[book-in number]
c/o Mail Processing Center
PO Box 9226, Seminole, FL 33775-9226

Letters are scanned and delivered electronically, and the paper originals are destroyed. To avoid a returned letter:

• Write on one side only of 8.5 by 11 inch paper. Two-sided letters come back.
• Include your complete return address.
• Don't send cash, checks or money orders.
• Skip greeting cards, stickers, tape, crayon and marker.
• Photos may measure up to 8 by 10 inches; Polaroids are refused.

Mail from lawyers, government checks, voter registration forms and ballots go to PO Box 660334, Dallas, TX 75266. Mail sent to the Florida address is not treated as confidential. Printed magazines are accepted only as prepaid subscriptions from the publisher, and only for housing areas without tablets. See our mail page for more.

Property is stored at Lew Sterrett, 111 West Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202. The Sheriff's rules for pickup:

• Bring a valid photo ID.
• Everything is released together. Staff can't hand out single items.
• The person in custody signs a release form. Bring that signed form to the front-lobby control center.
• Eyeglasses can be dropped off at building control.
• Extra property must be collected within 30 days.

At release, the person should keep the armband or ID with its barcode. Without it, their account balance is held 24 hours, then paid out at the Lobby Information Window. Questions: 214-761-9025.

Medical care in the jail comes from an outside public health provider. The West Tower holds the medical, infirmary and mental health units.

• Each sick call or incident that needs an assessment costs $10. That includes a check started by a family member's call.
• The fee is waived if it would drop the balance below $6. People with under $5 for 72 hours count as indigent.
• If staff think someone may have a mental illness, Texas law gives them 12 hours to alert a magistrate, under CCP art. 16.22.

To share a health concern, call the jail line at 214-761-9025. The county directory lists jail health at 214-653-2621. Veteran Services can be reached at 972-692-4939. Inmates must file grievances within 7 days. Concerns can also go to the state's jail regulator, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, via its online complaint form or at 512-463-5505.

Deputies, constables and city officers all serve warrants here. For county warrants, phone the Sheriff's warrant information line, 214-761-9026, or search the county's wanted list, which can be narrowed to people with photos. City of Dallas warrants have a 24-hour recorded line, 214-670-0109, and a police warrant page. Grand Prairie handles city warrants at 972-237-8947. DPS posts the state's top fugitives on its Texas 10 Most Wanted page. A warrant stays active until handled: a lawyer can arrange a planned surrender, or the judge who signed it can reset the case. Misdemeanor warrants: County Clerk, Room A-1, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207, 214-653-7099.

Most criminal hearings happen at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207. Ask a clerk for the next setting:

• Felony cases: District Clerk criminal section, 2nd floor, 214-712-3088.
• Misdemeanor cases: County Clerk criminal office, 2nd floor, 214-653-7099.
• Class C tickets: call whichever JP or city court is printed on the ticket.

Online, the court portal searches by party name or cause number. Clerk offices are open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. See our court guide for each courthouse and stage of a case.

Before trial, people charged in federal court are held by the U.S. Marshals Service. Its North Texas office is in the Earle Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1657, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-767-0836. The Marshals can tell you which jail is holding someone. In 2022, Lew Sterrett held some federal prisoners.

• A federal judge decides release after a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The court clerk for the Dallas Division is in Room 1452 of the same building, 1100 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-753-2200.
• The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator lists federal prisoners after sentencing. It may not list people still waiting for trial.
• FCI Seagoville, a federal prison, is in the county at 2113 North Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159, 972-287-2911.

In rough order, an ICE hold goes like this:

1. Immigration officials send Lew Sterrett a Form I-247A, which requests more time in custody.
2. Jail staff may then hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas law requires jails to honor detainers. The hold must end once the person proves citizenship or lawful presence. That rule is in CCP art. 2A.060.
4. Federal agents collect them and take them to an ICE detention site. North Texas is served by ICE's field office at 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
5. Find them on the ICE Online Detainee Locator, entering the nine-digit A-number, or a full name along with birth country.

Under Gov't Code 752.053, no Texas county may adopt a policy blocking immigration enforcement. Separately, S.B. 8, passed in 2025, requires sheriffs who run jails to request a 287(g) partnership with ICE by December 1, 2026. Whether this county's agreement is in place is not known; the Sheriff's Office can say.

A state jail or prison sentence means a transfer from Lew Sterrett to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. They first pass through an intake unit, where they are assessed. Then they are placed at a unit matching their needs.

• Use the TDCJ inmate search and enter a TDCJ number, SID number, or last name plus first initial.
• Only people now held in a TDCJ facility appear. It refreshes each business day, so expect a one-day lag.
• Our Texas state prisons page covers visits, mail and money for each prison.

Texas treats ages 10 through 16 as juvenile cases. A 17-year-old goes to the adult jail (Family Code 51.02). A detained child stays in the Dr. Jerome McNeil Jr. Detention Center, housed in the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center, 2600 Lone Star Drive, Dallas, TX 75212. Central Control: 214-698-4212.

• A detention hearing happens within 48 hours. After that, detention is reviewed every ten working days or sooner.
• Visits run Monday to Thursday, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., for 15 minutes. Last names A to L visit Monday and Wednesday; M to Z visit Tuesday and Thursday. Two visits a week, two parents or guardians each time, photo ID required, no items.
• Juvenile Department main line: 214-698-2200. Intake screening: 214-698-4313.

Other youth sites run by the county:

• Marzelle Hill Transition Center, 2600 Lone Star Drive, Dallas, TX 75212, 214-698-4200 on weekdays.
• Letot Center, 10505 Denton Drive, Dallas, TX 75220, 214-357-0391.
• Youth Village, 1566 East Langdon Road, Dallas, TX 75241, 972-225-9700.
• Medlock Treatment Center, 1566 E. Langdon Road, Dallas, TX 75241, 972-225-9780.

The arrest report or bond paper names the agency. If you don't know it, the jail line at 214-761-9025 can tell you who booked the person. Numbers below are the ones confirmed on official pages; for other departments, call the Sheriff's dispatch line at 214-749-8641 and ask to be connected.

Central:

• Dallas Police Department, Jack Evans Headquarters, 1400 Botham Jean Blvd, Dallas, TX 75215
• Highland Park Police, 4700 Drexel Dr, Dallas, TX 75205
• University Park Police, 3800 University Blvd, Dallas, TX 75205
• Cockrell Hill Police, 4125 W. Clarendon, Dallas, TX 75211

North:

• Addison Police, 4799 Airport Parkway, Addison, TX 75001
• Carrollton Police, 2025 E. Jackson Road, Carrollton, TX 75006
• Coppell Police, 130 Town Center Blvd., Coppell, TX 75019
• Farmers Branch Police, 3723 Valley View Ln, Farmers Branch, TX 75244
• Richardson Police jail, 972-744-4820

East:

• Garland Police, 1891 Forest Lane, Garland, TX 75042; jail 972-485-4890
• Mesquite Police, 777 N. Galloway Ave., Mesquite, TX 75149; jail 972-216-6243
• Rowlett Police, 4401 Rowlett Rd., Rowlett, TX 75088
• Sunnyvale Police, 364 Long Creek Rd., Sunnyvale, TX 75182
• Seagoville Police, 600 N Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159

West:

• Irving Police, 305 N. O'Connor Road, Irving, TX 75061, non-emergency 972-273-1010
• Grand Prairie Police, 1525 Arkansas Lane, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; detention 972-237-8951

South:

• Cedar Hill Police, 285 Uptown Boulevard, Bldg 200, Cedar Hill, TX 75104
• DeSoto Police, 714 E Belt Line Rd, DeSoto, TX 75115
• Duncanville Police, 203 E Wheatland Rd, Duncanville, TX 75116
• Lancaster Police, mailing address P.O. Box 940, Lancaster, TX 75134
• Hutchins Police, 550 West Palestine Street, Hutchins, TX 75141, 972-225-2225
• Wilmer Police, 219 E. Belt Line Rd., Wilmer, TX 75172

Sheriff and constables:

• Sheriff's Traffic Division, 7201 S. Polk Street, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75232, 214-589-2315
• Constable Precinct 1, 8301 S. Polk Street, Suite 1200, Dallas, TX 75232, 972-228-0006
• Constable Precinct 2, 140 N. Garland Avenue, Garland, TX 75040, and 500 S. Galloway Avenue, Suite C100, Mesquite, TX 75149, 214-643-4766
• Constable Precinct 3, 6820 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1400, Dallas, TX 75240, 214-904-3160
• Constable Precinct 4, 106 West Church Street, Suite 110, Grand Prairie, TX 75050, 214-751-4065
• Constable Precinct 5, 702 E. Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 1200, Dallas, TX 75203, and 9731 Lake June Road, Dallas, TX 75217, 214-943-1765

Town not listed, such as Balch Springs? Ask the Sheriff's dispatch which agency patrols it. State troopers and campus officers also make arrests here, and their prisoners go to Lew Sterrett too.