Access Petersburg Recent Bookings

Petersburg recent bookings are kept by the Petersburg Bureau of Police and the Petersburg City Jail at 40 Henry Street. When city officers bring a person in, the booking is logged at the city station and held in the city jail or moved out for longer holds. You can search Petersburg recent bookings by name through the city Records Management line, the state court case search, and city FOIA. This page shows you where to start, what info shows up on a booking record, and how to look up a name fast in Petersburg, Virginia.

Petersburg Police Recent Bookings

The Petersburg Bureau of Police books people for the City of Petersburg. Phone: 804-732-4222. The bureau handles all city arrests and works with the Petersburg City Jail on longer holds. The Records Management unit can be reached by email at pbprecordsmanagement@petersburg-va.org for FOIA requests and report copies.

The image below shows the Virginia Department of Corrections inmate locator, which is useful for any Petersburg recent bookings tied to a state inmate.

Read more on the Virginia Department of Corrections inmate locator page. The state tool covers more than 30,000 state inmates and refreshes twice a day.

Use this state tool when a Petersburg arrestee has been moved to a state facility. For brand new bookings the city Records Management line is the best first call.

Petersburg City Jail Roster

The Petersburg City Jail is at 40 Henry Street. The jail holds people booked in Petersburg and is run by the Petersburg Sheriff's Office. The jail is a city detention center for shorter holds. Some inmates are moved out to a regional facility for longer sentences. Once on the jail roster you will see the booking date, the charges, the bond, and the next court date if it has been set.

Bond hearings happen in the magistrate office right after intake. A person held without bond should ask for a bond hearing right away. Some Petersburg recent bookings end up in state custody after sentencing. For state inmates use the Virginia Department of Corrections inmate locator. Search by first letter and last name, or by inmate ID.

Petersburg Court Records

After a recent booking the case moves to a Petersburg court. Felonies and serious cases go to the Petersburg Circuit Court, which sits in the 11th Judicial Circuit. Misdemeanors and traffic cases go to the Petersburg General District Court. New cases show up in the state court case search within a day or two of the booking. Search by name on OCIS 2.0 for circuit court cases or on the general district court system for misdemeanors and traffic.

OCIS is free and works any time. Pick the court name from the dropdown. Enter the last name and the first name. You will see the case number, the judge, the charges, and the next hearing date. Juvenile cases are not online.

For older Petersburg court files go in person to the clerk at the courthouse. The clerk can pull paper files going back many years. Bring a photo ID and the case number if you have it.

Petersburg FOIA Requests

Most Petersburg recent bookings records are public under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Virginia Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. You do not need a reason. The city must reply within 5 working days. They can ask for 7 more if they need them.

Send the request by email to pbprecordsmanagement@petersburg-va.org. The Records Management unit handles arrest reports, incident reports, and FOIA. The city must give a cost estimate if the request will take more than a short time to fill.

Some details are pulled before the record goes out. Juvenile records are sealed. Active investigation files are held back. Names of victims and witnesses can be redacted under Virginia Code § 2.2-3706. The basic name, charge, and intake date of an adult booking are open.

The Virginia FOIA Advisory Council has free sample request letters and a hotline at 866-448-4100.

State and Federal Petersburg Bookings

The Virginia State Police is the central keeper of criminal history. You can ask for your own record on Form SP-167 for a $15 fee. The form must be notarized and mailed to Richmond. See the Virginia State Police criminal records page for the form and the mailing info.

Some Petersburg bookings end up in federal custody. Use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator to find a person held by the BOP. Results show the current site and the projected release date.

VINElink is a free national tool that lets you track a person in jail or prison. Visit vinelink.com or call the Virginia VINE line at 800-467-4943. For free legal help, the Virginia State Bar runs a referral line. Free civil legal aid is at Virginia Legal Aid. The Virginia Sheriffs Association directory has phone and address info for every sheriff in the state.

Are Petersburg Bookings Public

Yes. Petersburg recent bookings, jail rosters, and arrest logs are public records. The Virginia FOIA backs this up. Anyone can ask the Petersburg Bureau of Police or the city jail for a current roster or a copy of a booking sheet. Most of the data is online so you do not have to file a request.

Some details are kept back. Social security numbers, the home addresses of victims, and any info about minors are not released. A judge can also seal a record in rare cases. But the basic name, charge, intake date, and bond status of an adult booking are open to anyone in Petersburg.

Petersburg recent bookings move from the city station to the city jail through a few set steps. First, the arresting officer fills out the intake sheet and lists the charge. Next, the magistrate sets bond or holds the person without bond. Then the inmate is held at 40 Henry Street or moved out for a longer hold. Most of this happens within hours. The fastest way to track a Petersburg recent booking is to call the Bureau of Police at 804-732-4222 and give the full last name and first name. The Records Management email at pbprecordsmanagement@petersburg-va.org is the best place to send a FOIA request for older reports.

For state inmate moves out of Petersburg, use the VADOC inmate locator. For federal moves, use the BOP inmate locator. The state court case search will list a Petersburg case within a day or two of the booking. Family members can also sign up for VINElink alerts to get a phone call when a Petersburg inmate is moved or set free. The free alert system covers state and local jails, which makes it the easiest way to stay in the loop on a Petersburg recent booking without having to call the jail every day. The Petersburg Circuit Court clerk can also help with older case files for any closed Petersburg recent bookings on record.

Nearby Recent Bookings Pages

Other nearby Virginia cities and counties also have recent bookings pages on this site.