Explore Free Knox County Arrest Records: Online Resource

Search free Knox County arrest records to find someone in custody or obtain background information on a new acquaintance, tenant or employee.

Members of the public are able to find and view arrest records per the Tennessee Open Records Act, but being familiar with the most effective ways to access this information is vital to an effective lookup. Citizens may seek arrest records from state, county and local public agencies by making online, in-person, or mail-in requests.

This brief resource empowers interested parties seeking information on current and former inmates by providing helpful links directly from official channels in Knox County, Tennessee.

How To Acquire Recent Knox County Arrest Records, Inmate Details & Mugshots for Free

The ability for the public to view arrest records allows them to find relatives and friends to secure their release from custody and ascertain that they are not missing.

The Tennessee Public Records Act – T.C.A. § 10-7-501 ensures that records produced by government entities are available for public consumption; this includes arrest information.¹ There are certain exemptions to records that members of the public can access—they include expunged documents or medical information regarding offenders.

Moreover, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) obliges federal agencies to give members of the public access to the records and documents it produces, barring certain exceptions. These include but are not limited to classified information and data that would if disclosed invade someone else’s privacy.

Interested persons who need to search for arrest records must have information about the subject in custody. At the bare minimum, they should know their first and last names. Moreover, they need to know where the individual was arrested, i.e., the county or jurisdiction.

Sometimes, knowing the county of residence of the inmate will be helpful. However, this only applies if they were arrested in that county; this is often not the case.

Some public agencies may need the requestor to supply the date of birth (DOB). Lastly, knowing some tertiary information on the subject, such as their physical descriptors (sex, race, identifying marks, etc), can help pinpoint and find the person.

In Knox County, patrons can contact several agencies to find inmates in jails, primarily the Sheriff’s Office and the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office.

Acquire Arrest Data via the Knox County Sheriff’s Office: The Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) provides interested individuals with a viable source of arrest data because they are the primary law enforcement agency in the county.

The office operates a county jail and processes bookings of arrests into the facility. This law enforcement agency provides two convenient online tools to find recent arrests: 24 Hour Arrest List and Knox County Inmate Population Roster.²

Both lists provide the same data and are free for public use. The 24-hour arrest list however provides information on individuals who have been in custody in county jail for the past twenty-four hours. The inmate population roster is versatile in that it allows users to search through its index for current detainees using the first and last name of the inmate.

The information shown on the rosters includes the following.

• Full Names
• Mugshot (Photograph)
• Date of Birth (DOB)
• IDN Number
• Charges
• Bond Type & Amount
• Court Date & Event
• Division

The sheriff’s office advises that information from both databases should not be solely relied upon and that patrons must confirm the data. They can do this by contacting the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Services at 865-281-6700 or visiting the office locations at the addresses below.³

Retrieve Arrest Records From the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office: When individuals are taken into custody, they’ll have subsequent hearings to determine the status of their charges. When this happens, records are created at the court, which makes these agencies ideal candidates to find arrest records.

The Knox County Criminal Court Clerk is the custodian of criminal records and gives citizens several means to access this information, including online, in-person, and mail-in requests.

The Clerk’s Office provides a convenient online tool to search court records—the Knox County Criminal Case Search Tool.⁴ These records provided by the Fourth Circuit & General Sessions – Criminal Division are for cases filed since November 2017. The tool requires users to register for an account at no cost and is also free.

Upon registering for an account, users can click on the ‘Search’ button, where they can query court records by the docket number or party name. Searching by name also allows the requestor to locate a docket number, which can be used to find details on a case.

Records will show the date filed, docket number, and document type. This instrument further allows patrons to purchase court records if necessary. The cost appears in the record set.

As another option, patrons may visit the Knox County Courthouse on the main and first floors of the City-County Building, whose address is below.⁷ They can view arrest records from the clerk at no cost during their office hours.

Office of the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk
Suite 149, 400 Main Street South West
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

Phone: (865) 215-2375
Office Hours: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm | Monday – Friday

Citizens can contact the Knox County Clerk by calling 865.215.2375 or emailing the clerk at [email protected].

Find Arrest Data Through Local Jurisdictions: Citizens can also search for inmates via local jurisdictions such as city police departments and municipal courts. These agencies will sometimes provide a quicker way to find arrest data. This is because offenders taken into custody through city police departments eventually end up in county jails.

This processing takes time and can last anywhere between 24 and 48 hours.

The most populated city in Knox County is Knoxville, and it will showcase the search for records at a local level. Law enforcement and the apprehension of suspects in this city falls under the jurisdiction of the Knoxville Police Department (KPD).

However, this agency doesn’t have a dedicated online roster of its inmates. Therefore, requesters must either fill out a public record request form (submit by fax, mail, or in person), contact the police department via phone at 865.215.4010, or visit its headquarters or its other offices at the addresses listed below.⁸

The KPD charges $0.15 per page for copies of reports.

Knoxville Police Department
800 Howard Baker Junior Avenue
Knoxville, Tennessee 37915

Second Office
1650 Huron Street
Knoxville, Tennessee 37917

Lastly, citizens can contact third-party vendors such as VINELink to acquire arrest records from county and state agencies. This company provides this data for free to requesters on data derived from official channels.

Information in this section highlights the search for arrest records that have recently been created from offenders being taken into custody. This helps find individuals who’ve just been arrested.

However, citizens may need to view prior arrest records and charges that have been filed to obtain background information or get insight into a person’s character—the section below highlights how to do this.

How To Obtain Details of Prior Arrests & Charges in Knox County Tennessee

Searching for arrest information for apprehensions that have occurred is critical to finding inmates; however, often, members of the public will need to search for older arrests and criminal records of individuals. This may be for vetting tenants, employers or curious citizens needing to gain an insight into someone’s past.

Citizens may contact the agencies above in the previous section for prior arrests and criminal records. In addition to these channels, requesters may also contact state agencies, particularly the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).⁹

Search Criminal & Older Arrest Records via the Sheriff’s Office: The Knox County Sheriff’s Office provides citizens access to older arrest and criminal information—they may visit its public records window or mail in a request.

To request a background (prior arrest and criminal records) check on oneself, interested persons may appear in person at the Public Records window. They must have a valid ID and fill out the request form; the cost is $15.00.

Alternatively, they may mail a completed Release of Criminal Record Form, which must be notarized.¹⁰ This form will be mailed along with payment (same as above) made in exact cash or check and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). Mail and in-person requests are completed at the Knoxville office address below:

Knox County Sheriff’s Office
400 West Main Street
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

To find criminal records or prior arrest information on someone else, interested parties can also visit the Public Records Window at the City/County building address as above. They’ll need to provide proof of Tennessee residence through valid ID such as a TN driver’s license.

Requestors must provide the subject’s full name and identifiers, such as the date of birth (DOB). While there’s no charge to view records, copies carry a $0.15 per page charge.

Acquire Criminal Records via the Criminal Court Clerk: Court documents of hearings attended by those arrested serve as a permanent record for criminal data and can be sought to obtain someone’s run-in with the law.

Thus, citizens who require this information can contact the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk, who provides citizens with a myriad of ways to seek these records, including online and in-person requests.

The clerk’s office provides a convenient way for citizens to obtain past criminal data via a Background Search Request Portal. This form can search past criminal information for oneself or someone else. When searching records for oneself, providing the last 4 digits of the Social Security Number (SSN) is compulsory; for someone else, it’s not.

These checks cost $15.00 for a search of 3 distinct background checks. Any additional searches will cost $5.00 each. Records originate from Knox County and Knoxville and go back to the 1980’s.

Alternatively, users may utilize the online Knox County Criminal Case Search Tool whose functionality was detailed in the previous sections.

Moreover, patrons can visit the Knox County Clerk’s Office, which will supply copies of court records from the vault and archives during these court office hours; copy charges from this fee table apply. For more information, contact the Knox County Clerk using this form, calling 865.215.2375, or emailing the clerk at [email protected].

Find Prior Arrest Records & Criminal Data From Local Channels: Some local jurisdictions, such as city police departments and municipalities, can be a source for criminal records since these agencies also perform apprehensions.

The Knoxville Police Department (KPD) once again serves as an example to acquire arrest and criminal records at the local level. Citizens can make a Public Information Request for Police Records; these can be faxed to 865.215.7344, submitted in person or mailed at the addresses outlined below.

These criminal background checks cost $10.00 and are paid in cash or check; requesters must furnish the Records Unit with a valid ID and SSN card to complete the checks.

Knoxville Police Department
800 Howard Baker Jr. Avenue
Knoxville, Tennessee 37915

Mailing Address:

Attention: Samantha McClain
1617 Saint Mary Street
Knoxville, Tennessee 37917

Interested parties can reach the Records Division by calling 865.215.7231 or emailing [email protected].

View Arrest Records via the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is the state’s primary custodian of criminal records. It draws its information from county and local enforcement agencies; these records include – but are not limited to – arrests, criminal, and warrant information.

Anyone can request criminal records, including those of others; these requests are name-based and cost $29.00.

Citizens may acquire records online or by mail. Online requests are completed via the Tennessee Open Records Information Services (TORIS), where applicants can pay for the checks using a credit card—they may also create billable accounts.¹¹

To request records by mail, applicants may fill out a Tennessee Criminal Background Check Form (Spanish) and mail it along with payment, which can be a money order or credit card (with supplied credit card information).¹²

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation – TORIS
Unit 901 R.S. Gass Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37216

Once a subject has been successfully located in jail, the next step would be to get them released. This can be done by paying a bond amount if one has been set or contacting a bond agent to post a surety bond—this is outlined in the following section.

How To Post Bail for an Arrest Made in Knox County: A Summary

Being in custody, even for a short duration, can be a traumatizing event for many, including relatives of the inmate; therefore, every step should be taken to release them from custody as soon as possible.

Citizens have several options to do this, including paying a bond amount to secure an inmate’s release. It should be stated that an inmate can only be released from custody if a bond amount has been set by the Criminal, General Sessions – Criminal & Fourth Circuit Courts or by jails that have standard bond schedules for common forms of crimes, typically within a few hours of arrest.

Individuals can post bond in Knox County at the Clerk of the General Sessions Court, Criminal Division, during their business hours Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM.¹³ Outside these hours, they may also pay the bond amount at Knox County Detention Facility.

The addresses for both these agencies appear below:

Office of the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk
Suite 149, 400 Main Street South West
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

(865) 215-2375

Knox County Detention Facility
400 West Main Street
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

When a bond is paid in cash, the courts will hold the funds until the disposition of the case. Court costs will be assessed and the amount refunded less these charges.

Typically, bail amounts are not set high and are not a means for the government to raise money or to punish the defendant pursuant to Tennessee’s Constitution, Article 1, Section 16 and the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.¹⁴

However, on some occasions – particularly for serious crimes – the bond amount may be too high for many individuals to afford. Citizens can turn to bond agents to post bail on their behalf to avoid this.

Bail bonds are, therefore, a way to post bail when defendants can’t afford to pay the full amount. These agents will charge a percentage of the total amount of the bail—typically around 10% of the total amount. The clients will pay this amount but won’t be refunded for it; this is how bond agents derive their income.

Bond agents may also require clients to put up collateral such as jewelry, title deeds or bank accounts to safeguard the surety bond.

These agents will then organize the release of the defendant from custody. Note that being released from custody doesn’t mean the subject will not have to answer for their charges. They must attend their court hearings or risk being re-arrested.

Bond agents can be sought online, over the phone or in person.

The ability to search for Knox County arrest records helps citizens find loved ones who may be languishing in jail or to get background information on alleged crimes; this article provides citizens with helpful aggregate links from official channels to find the necessary information.