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.
Bedford County, Tennessee, has about 54,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Bedford County is held at the county jail, run by the Bedford 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: Bedford County public records, Bedford County arrest records, Bedford County warrants, Bedford County criminal records, Bedford County court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Bedford County
The county jail, run by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Bedford County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Bedford County Sheriff's Office at bedfordcountytn.gov/departments/sheriff_office.php (page title: Welcome to Bedford County), phone (931) 684-3232, 110 Northcreek Drive, Shelbyville TN 37160, Monday thru Friday from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, 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 (931) 684-3232.
The Bedford County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 300 people, up from about 220 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2024 was 399 beds, and it ran at 75 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Bedford County has about 54,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 55 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Bedford County Jail
The Bedford County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Shelbyville and Wartrace make the arrests that end in a booking in Bedford County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Bedford County Sheriff's Office's 1,457 for 2025, Shelbyville's 892 for 2025 and Wartrace's 0 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Bedford County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,349 arrests to the FBI that year. 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 Bedford County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Tennessee Department of Correction lists its inmates at foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Bedford County?
Ask the Bedford County Sheriff's Office at (931) 684-3232; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at bedfordcountytn.gov.
How many people are in the Bedford County jail?
About 300 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 399 beds.
What is the phone number for the Bedford County jail?
(931) 684-3232, the number on the page of the Bedford County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Bedford County go?
To a facility of the Tennessee Department of Correction; its inmate locator is at foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp.
Is this the official Bedford County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.