Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Bartow, Florida, in Polk County, has about 22,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Bartow is held at the county jail, run by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Bartow public records, Polk County inmate search, Bartow arrest records, Bartow warrants, Bartow criminal records, Bartow court records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Bartow
The county jail, run by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Bartow, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Polk County Sheriff's Office at polksheriff.org/detention/jail-inquiry (page title: Jail Inquiry | Polk County Sheriff's Office), phone 863-292-3400, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 863-292-3400.
The Polk County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 2,600 people on an average day, up from about 2,550 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2016, the last year with a capacity figure, was 2,579 beds, and it ran at 98 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Polk County has about 853,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 31 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Polk County Jail
The Polk County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Bartow (filed by the FBI as Bartow Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Bartow.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies, one campus police department and one state police unit in Polk County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Lakeland reported 2,858 arrests to the FBI for 2025. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Bartow arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Polk County serves the sentence in a facility of the Florida Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at fdc.myflorida.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Bartow?
Ask the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 863-292-3400; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at polksheriff.org/detention/jail-inquiry.
How many people are in the Polk County jail?
About 2,600 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 2,579 beds.
What is the phone number for the Polk County jail?
863-292-3400, the number on the page of the Polk County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Polk County go?
To a facility of the Florida Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at fdc.myflorida.com.
Is this the official Bartow website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.