Sheriff's Office
The Broward Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement, jail, records, civil process, and other public safety services in Broward County. This article explains which part of the agency handles common requests, how to use its official information and search pages, what to prepare before contacting an office, and where people often confuse Sheriff’s Office services with court or municipal services.
What the Sheriff’s Office Handles
The Broward Sheriff’s Office, commonly called BSO, is a county public safety agency with several distinct departments. Its work includes patrol in areas it serves, specialized law enforcement operations, regional emergency communications, detention facilities, fire rescue, and the service of certain legal documents. A person looking for a deputy’s report, an inmate, or the status of a writ may therefore need a different BSO office or system for each request.
BSO provides law enforcement in unincorporated Broward County and in municipalities that contract with the agency. It also has responsibilities at locations such as the county courthouse, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Port Everglades, and parts of the county’s waterways and Everglades. The agency’s overview of BSO services describes these functions, along with its detention and fire rescue operations.
Location matters when reporting an incident or requesting a report. A city police department may have handled an event even though it happened in Broward County. BSO generally maintains incident and accident reports taken by its own deputies; a report made to another law enforcement agency should be requested from that agency. If you are unsure who handled an incident, identify the location and the responding agency before submitting a records request.
Emergencies and Nonemergency Calls
Dial 911 for a life-threatening situation or another emergency requiring an immediate response. For a nonemergency situation handled through Broward’s regional communications system, call (954) 764-HELP (4357). The Regional Communications Bureau explains both options and its text-to-911 service.
BSO advises people to call 911 when they can and text only when they cannot place a voice call. Emergency texts must come from an SMS-enabled cell phone. Do not send pictures, video, emojis, or group texts; use English without abbreviations or slang. Text-to-911 is for emergencies, not general questions or routine service requests.
Be ready to give the dispatcher your exact location and describe what is happening. BSO explains that operators ask about the nature of the emergency, injuries, and details responders may need. Giving a precise location is especially useful when calling from a cell phone because call routing may not identify the appropriate response area on its own.
Law Enforcement Service Areas
BSO’s Department of Law Enforcement handles patrol and other law enforcement work in its service areas. The department also includes specialized operations such as aviation, marine and dive rescue, SWAT, and the crime lab. Those units serve particular operational needs; a resident seeking to report an ordinary incident should use emergency or nonemergency communications as the situation requires.
A Broward County address does not automatically mean that a BSO deputy provides the local patrol service. Some municipalities have their own police departments, while others contract with BSO. This distinction also affects records: the agency whose officer or deputy took a report is generally the place to begin looking for that report. BSO’s contact page provides routes to its district offices if you need to identify the appropriate BSO location.
Vacation Home Watch
BSO offers a free Vacation Home Watch program to residents in its jurisdictions who will be out of town and want a daily check while they are away. The Department of Law Enforcement page directs residents to the request page. Confirm that your home is in a BSO service area before relying on the program, and submit the request through the agency’s instructions rather than treating a general message to BSO as an enrollment.
Crime Map Information
BSO also publishes a crimes map with filters and a date range. It can help readers review incidents displayed for a selected area and period. A map entry is separate from an incident report, an arrest record, and a court case. If you need an official copy of a report, use the records request process instead of treating the map as the report itself.
Arrest and Inmate Information
BSO’s Department of Detention and Community Programs operates four county jail facilities: the Main Jail Bureau, which includes Central Intake Bureau for booking; Joseph V. Conte Facility; North Broward Bureau; and Paul Rein Detention Facility. The detention department page also directs readers to information about jail facilities, visitors, and attorneys.
For an online lookup, begin with BSO’s arrest search page. The search is presented within an embedded component, so the page may not display its lookup fields in every browser or accessibility setup. If you cannot use the online display, BSO directs people with questions about arrest procedures, bail, visiting, or contacting an inmate to its detention information line at (954) 831-5900.
Keep the person’s identifying information and any arrest or booking details you have available when seeking help. An arrest search concerns BSO custody and arrest information. It does not serve the same purpose as a court’s case search, a warrant search, or a request for a copy of an incident report. In particular, a case number on a legal document should not be assumed to be a booking identifier.
Visits and Bond Questions
Before arranging a jail visit, consult BSO’s current visitor information and confirm the schedule that applies to the person in custody. BSO’s published guidance says visitors need government-issued photo identification and appropriate dress, and that minors must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or legal guardian. It also says visitors may not give items to, or take items from, an inmate. Confirm the applicable facility and visiting details before traveling.
If you intend to post a bond, first confirm that the person is in a Broward County jail and obtain the charge and bond information. BSO says its Main Jail information window can provide those details. For a cash bond, the agency identifies cash, cashier’s checks, and money orders as accepted payment methods; it does not accept personal checks or credit cards for bail. Cashier’s checks and money orders for bail must be payable to the Sheriff of Broward County. Bond payments and refunds are handled by BSO’s Cash Bond Unit, so do not apply payment instructions from the Civil Division to a jail bond.
Reports and Local Records Checks
The BSO public records request page directs requests for records maintained by the Sheriff’s Office to its online Public Records Unit portal. Examples include incident reports, accident reports, and local records checks. Online requests are received, tracked, and fulfilled electronically. Requesters can communicate with the technician handling a request and receive updates by email.
Before submitting a request, identify the record you want and the event or person it concerns. For an incident or crash report, determine whether a BSO deputy took it. For a local records check, make clear that you are requesting BSO’s Broward County search. A local records check covers arrest records submitted to BSO by law enforcement agencies within the county. It is not a complete criminal history check, does not include involvement that did not lead to an arrest, and does not include information from outside Broward County. BSO directs people seeking a statewide records check to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Fees, Delays, and Duplicate Requests
Some records requests carry fees based on the type of record and the work required to fulfill the request. BSO says it provides an estimate before beginning work on a request that requires payment. For records requests, the agency accepts checks, money orders, and credit or debit cards. These are records payment options; they should not be confused with the different payment rules for civil process or bail.
BSO says the Public Records Unit processes requests in the order received and is experiencing a backlog. It asks requesters not to submit a duplicate request for the same report or record because doing so can add to the delay. If the online portal is inaccessible to you, BSO also permits a request by phone or in writing to the Public Records Unit. Its mailing address and phone number appear in the office list below.
Warrants and Court Records
BSO points people seeking public warrant information to the Broward County Clerk of the Courts website. A warrant lookup is therefore a different task from searching BSO arrests or requesting a Sheriff’s Office report. Court case information also belongs to the court record system, while BSO’s records portal handles records maintained by BSO.
This distinction is useful when you have more than one reference number. A court case number identifies a court matter; an arrest number relates to an arrest; and a report number relates to a law enforcement record. Use the number requested by the particular system or office. Do not assume that a search with one kind of number will return records held by another agency.
Civil Process and Sheriff’s Sales
BSO’s Civil Division serves legal process and executes writs delivered for the sheriff’s action. Its work includes summonses, complaints, subpoenas, writs of possession, injunctions for protection against domestic violence, child pick-up orders, writs of garnishment, and writs of execution. The division also conducts sheriff’s sales related to collecting money judgments.
The Civil Division carries out service or execution involving documents that originate elsewhere, including courts and governmental agencies. A person seeking a court filing, a ruling, or general case information should identify the court process involved rather than assuming the Civil Division created the underlying document.
Document Status and Evictions
To check the status of documents submitted to the Civil Division, BSO instructs users to go through the “Inside BSO” menu to “Civil Division,” then select “Civil Service Inquire/Search.” The search accepts a name in last-name, space, first-name order or a case number. Enter a case number exactly as it appears on the legal document. This civil service search is separate from BSO’s arrest search and the Clerk’s court records.
For a writ of possession involving an eviction, BSO says work is completed in the order received and gives an approximate period of 10 to 15 working days after posting. That period is an agency estimate for the stage described, not a guaranteed completion date from the time a document is first prepared. The status search is the appropriate place to review the progress of a document already submitted for service.
Civil Division Payments and Delivery
The Civil Division does not accept personal checks or credit cards. It accepts cash in person only, in the exact amount, with a valid photo ID. Money orders, cashier’s checks, and business checks are also accepted; BSO requires a valid photo ID and contact information for payment. Make payments payable to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. BSO says a returned bank payment will incur a fee under the county administrative code.
Documents may be dropped off at the Civil Division during its posted weekday business hours or mailed to its post office box. The street and mailing addresses are listed below. Because civil process, public records, and jail bonds have different procedures and payment rules, address and label a submission for the specific BSO unit handling it.
Employee Complaints and Commendations
BSO accepts complaints about an employee through a supervisor or its Division of Internal Affairs. According to the agency’s contact information, complaints may be made verbally or in writing, in person, by telephone, by mail, or electronically. BSO also provides a complaint form. Internal Affairs has a daytime number, and complaints outside business hours may be directed to BSO’s communications center or a supervisor.
The agency separately provides a way to commend an employee for outstanding service. A commendation and a complaint are different submissions, so choose the option that matches the feedback you want to give. For a question about a report, civil document, or person in custody, contact the unit responsible for that service instead of using an employee feedback form.
Department and Office Contacts
Broward Sheriff’s Office — 2601 West Broward Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312. (954) 831-8900.
BSO Civil Division — 2601 West Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312. Mailing address: P.O. Box 9507, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310. (954) 831-8787.
BSO Public Records Unit — P.O. Box 9507, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33310. (954) 831-8700.
BSO Internal Affairs — 2601 West Broward Blvd., 1st Floor, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312. (954) 321-1100.
BSO Cash Bond Unit — P.O. Box 9507, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310. (954) 831-5929.
Sheriff's Office FAQs
How do I get a cash bond refund?
BSO requires the cash appearance bond receipt number, the court disposition or notice that the case was not prosecuted, and a copy of the driver’s license of the person who posted the bond. If you lost the original blue receipt, obtain a certified copy from the court file and request a lost bond form from BSO’s Cash Bond Unit. The refund depends on the court’s disposition and may be reduced by fines or court costs. See BSO’s cash bond refund instructions before submitting your documents.
Can BSO help me after I witness a crime?
BSO’s Victim Services Unit assists crime victims and witnesses and offers programs for people affected by crime. Its Victim/Witness Handbook explains rights and provides other practical information. When reporting what you saw, describe the person or vehicle from memory, including distinctive features or a license plate if you noticed one. Do not put yourself or anyone else in danger to gather more details. BSO’s frequently asked questions explain the assistance available and offer guidance for witnesses.
What should I do if my license plate was stolen?
File a police report and keep the case number; BSO says you will need it to replace the plate. If the theft occurred in a BSO patrol jurisdiction, report it to BSO. If a city police department serves the location, report it to that department instead. Confirm which agency covers the address before filing so you can give the replacement office the correct report number.
Where can I apply for a job with BSO?
Review current positions through the Broward Sheriff’s Office Online Career Center. Openings and application requirements depend on the position, so read the specific posting before applying. Check its qualifications, required documents, and closing date rather than assuming that every law enforcement, detention, fire rescue, or civilian role follows the same process.