Holmes County Police Blotter

Holmes County police blotter records are maintained by the Holmes County Sheriff's Office at 211 North Waukesha Street in Bonifay. The sheriff's office handles law enforcement for the entire county as no incorporated cities within Holmes County operate their own police departments. You can request police blotter information from the sheriff's office for incidents throughout the county, including incident reports, arrest records, traffic crash reports, and daily booking logs. The agency maintains records on deputy responses to calls, investigations, arrests, crash reports, and other law enforcement activity. These records document police activity throughout Holmes County and are available to the public under Florida public records law at Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.

Holmes County Sheriff's Office

The Holmes County Sheriff's Office serves as the primary law enforcement agency for all areas within Holmes County. The main office is located at 211 North Waukesha Street in Bonifay. You can reach the sheriff's office by phone at 850-547-3681 during regular business hours. The agency maintains its website at holmescountysheriff.org where you can find contact information and departmental updates.

Deputies patrol the entire county responding to calls for service, conducting investigations, making arrests, and enforcing traffic laws. The sheriff's office maintains all records related to these law enforcement activities. This includes incident reports when deputies respond to crimes or disturbances, arrest records when someone is taken into custody, and traffic crash reports for collisions on county roads.

The sheriff's office works with other agencies throughout Florida including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol. For traffic crash reports specifically, all Florida agencies file reports with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles which operates a statewide portal at services.flhsmv.gov/CrashReportPurchasing for purchasing reports online.

How to Request Police Blotter Records

To request police blotter records in Holmes County, contact the sheriff's office directly. You can visit in person at 211 North Waukesha Street in Bonifay during business hours. Call ahead at 850-547-3681 to verify what information you need to provide. Most requests require the date and location of an incident plus the names of people involved.

Written requests can be submitted to the Holmes County Sheriff's Office at the Bonifay address. Include specific details about the records you want such as incident date, case number if known, location, and names of parties involved. Provide your contact information so staff can reach you with questions or when records are ready. More specific requests help staff locate documents faster and reduce your costs.

Florida law requires agencies to respond to public records requests promptly and in good faith. Under Florida Statutes Section 119.07, every person has a right to inspect and copy public records. The sheriff's office must acknowledge your request and work to provide responsive documents within a reasonable time.

Some requests can be fulfilled the same day especially for recent incident reports. Complex requests that need staff to search through many records or redact exempt information may take longer. The agency will inform you of any delays and provide a reasonable timeline for completion.

Note: You do not need to be a Florida resident or provide a reason for your request to access public records in Holmes County.

Types of Police Records Available

Holmes County maintains several types of police blotter records. Incident reports are the most common type requested. Deputies write these reports after responding to calls for crimes, disturbances, suspicious activity, or other events requiring law enforcement attention. Each report documents what happened, who was involved, what deputies observed, and any actions taken.

Arrest records show when the sheriff's office takes someone into custody. These records include the arrestee's name, the charges filed, the date and time of arrest, the arresting deputy, and the bond amount set. Jail booking records add details like booking photo and where the person is being held.

Traffic crash reports document collisions that occur on Holmes County roads. Deputies respond to crashes, investigate what happened, and file reports with the state. After 60 days, these reports become public and anyone can purchase them through the Florida Crash Portal. During the first 60 days, only parties involved, their lawyers, insurance companies, and certain government agencies can access crash reports under Florida Statute 316.066.

Police blotter records typically include:

• Date and time of the incident
• Location where it occurred
• Names of people involved
• Nature of the incident or charges
• Deputy information and badge number
• Case number or incident number
• Witness statements when applicable

Some information in police records may be redacted before release. Under Florida Statutes Section 119.071, certain details are exempt from public disclosure. This includes victim identities in certain crimes, active criminal investigation information, and confidential informant details. The sheriff's office will redact exempt information and provide the rest of the record.

Florida Public Records Law

Chapter 119 of Florida Statutes governs public records access throughout the state including Holmes County. This law establishes that all state, county, and municipal records are open for inspection and copying by any person unless specifically exempted by law. Police blotter records fall under this broad public access policy.

The law requires agencies to provide access during regular business hours. They can charge fees for the actual cost of making copies. Standard rates are $0.15 per single-sided page and $0.20 per double-sided page. Extensive requests requiring significant staff time may result in additional service charges based on employee hourly rates.

Holmes County must respond to your request within a reasonable time. While Florida law does not set a specific deadline, agencies cannot ignore requests or delay unreasonably. If you encounter problems accessing records, the Florida Attorney General's Office operates a mediation program at 850-245-0140 to help resolve public records disputes.

The Attorney General provides extensive guidance on open government at myfloridalegal.com/open-government. The Government in the Sunshine Manual available at myfloridalegal.com/open-government/sunshine-manual explains your rights under Florida public records law in detail.

Police Blotter Record Fees

Holmes County charges fees for copying police blotter records. The standard statutory rate is $0.15 per single-sided page and $0.20 per double-sided page for paper copies. Small requests may be provided free of charge at the discretion of the records custodian.

Service charges apply when a request requires extensive staff time to search for records, review documents, or redact exempt information. The sheriff's office calculates these charges based on the hourly wage of employees working on your request plus benefits. You will receive an estimate before staff begins work on time-consuming requests.

For traffic crash reports, use the Florida Crash Portal which charges $10.00 per report plus a $2.00 online convenience fee. This statewide system provides reports from all Florida law enforcement agencies including Holmes County after the 60-day confidentiality period ends.

Payment methods typically include cash, money order, business check, or credit card. Personal checks may not be accepted. Contact the sheriff's office at 850-547-3681 to confirm current fees and accepted payment methods before submitting your request.

Statewide Police Records Resources

Several state agencies maintain police records systems that cover Holmes County. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement at fdle.state.fl.us serves as the state repository for criminal history information. FDLE maintains records on arrests, criminal charges, and officer complaints from agencies throughout Florida.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles operates the statewide crash report system. Their main website at flhsmv.gov provides information on traffic crash reports. The online purchasing portal at services.flhsmv.gov/CrashReportPurchasing allows you to buy crash reports from any Florida agency including Holmes County Sheriff's Office.

For questions about public records access, the Attorney General's Office provides guidance through their open government portal. Visit myfloridalegal.com/open-government/frequently-asked-questions for answers to common questions about Florida public records law. The office also operates a voluntary mediation program to resolve disputes between requesters and agencies.

Nearby Counties

Holmes County borders several other counties in the Florida Panhandle. Each county operates its own sheriff's office with separate police blotter records systems.