Find Fall River 72 Hour Booking

Fall River 72 hour booking records are kept by the Fall River Police Department and the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. As one of the largest cities in southeastern Massachusetts, Fall River processes a high number of arrests each year through its police station on Pleasant Street. When someone is arrested in Fall River, a booking record is created within the first hours of custody. You can search for these records by phone, in person, or through a written public records request. This page explains every step for getting 72 hour booking records from Fall River.

Fall River Police 72 Hour Booking

The Fall River Police Department is at 685 Pleasant Street, Fall River, MA 02721. The main phone number is (508) 676-8511. You can also contact them by email at police@fallriverma.gov. When Fall River officers make an arrest, the person is brought to the station for booking. The process creates a record with the person's name, date of birth, address, physical description, charges, and the time of arrest. This is the 72 hour booking record.

The 72 hour window starts at the time of arrest. Within that period, the person must appear before a judge for an arraignment or bail hearing. If no hearing is held, the person must be released. Fall River handles arrests for crimes within city limits. State police or other agencies making arrests in Fall River may process their bookings at the Fall River station or at their own facilities, depending on the situation.

Under M.G.L. c. 276, § 12, Fall River officers can arrest without a warrant when they witness a crime or have probable cause to believe a felony was committed. This is the same authority given to all police departments in Massachusetts.

The Fall River city website provides department contact information and resources for accessing police records and other city services.

Search Fall River 72 Hour Booking Records

Call the Fall River Police at (508) 676-8511 to check on a recent booking. Ask for the booking desk. Give them the person's full name and date of birth and they can check whether that person is in custody. This is the fastest way to search for a 72 hour booking in Fall River. For records that are more than a couple days old, a phone call may not be enough. You will likely need to submit a written public records request.

The Bristol County Sheriff's Office handles inmates after they leave the Fall River lockup. People arrested in Fall River who cannot post bail are transferred to a Bristol County facility. The Ash Street Jail in New Bedford is one option. The sheriff can be reached at (508) 995-6800. Bristol County does not have a public online inmate lookup at this time. Phone calls and written requests are the main ways to search.

For a wider search, the VINELink system tracks inmates in some Massachusetts facilities. You can register for alerts when someone's custody status changes. The state DOC inmate locator covers state prisons but not county jails. If someone arrested in Fall River was later convicted and sent to state prison, they would show up in the DOC system.

Fall River Public Records Requests

To get a copy of a Fall River 72 hour booking record, submit a public records request. Under M.G.L. c. 66, § 10, the Fall River Police Department must respond within 10 business days. You can email your request to police@fallriverma.gov or mail it to the station at 685 Pleasant Street. Include the person's name, date of birth, and the approximate date of the booking. Be clear about what records you want.

Fees follow state rules. The first four hours of search time are free. Copies cost five cents per page for black and white. If the request takes more than four hours of staff work, the department can charge $25 per hour. You have the right to ask for a fee waiver if your request serves the public interest. If Fall River Police deny your request or set an unreasonable fee, appeal to the Supervisor of Records at the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. The state sets these rules, and every agency must follow them.

Note: Fall River Police accept records requests by email, which is often faster than sending by mail.

Massachusetts Law and Fall River Bookings

Several state laws control how 72 hour bookings work in Fall River. The booking record itself is a public record under Massachusetts law. Under M.G.L. c. 4, § 7(26), certain records can be withheld from public access. This includes active investigation files, informant identities, and records that would create an unwarranted invasion of privacy. A standard 72 hour booking record from Fall River with name, charges, and booking date is almost always available to the public.

The daily arrest log is another resource. Under M.G.L. c. 41, § 98F, the Fall River Police Department must keep a log of all arrests that is open to the public. Walk into the station and ask to see it. The log shows the name, charges, time, and location of each arrest. It is free to view. No formal request is needed. Juvenile arrests and some domestic violence details are kept off the public version.

Mental health holds work differently. Under M.G.L. c. 123, § 12, a clinician can hold a person for up to 72 hours for psychiatric evaluation. These are not criminal arrests. The records are protected by health privacy laws and cannot be obtained through a public records request in Fall River or anywhere else in Massachusetts.

Bristol County and Fall River 72 Hour Booking

Fall River sits in Bristol County. The county covers a large part of southeastern Massachusetts. Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton are the three biggest cities in the county. The Bristol County Sheriff's Office runs jail facilities across the region. When someone is arrested in Fall River and held past the initial booking, they are transferred to a Bristol County facility. The 72 hour booking record from the Fall River Police follows them to the county system.

Bristol County and Fall River share the same public records rules. Both agencies must respond to requests within 10 business days. Both follow the same fee schedule. If you want the full set of records from an arrest, consider requesting from both the Fall River Police Department and the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. The police department has the initial booking record. The sheriff has records from the county facility. Together they give the complete picture of what happened after the arrest.

Fall River BCI and CORI Records

The Massachusetts Bureau of Criminal Investigation keeps criminal history files that include data from Fall River 72 hour bookings. If someone booked in Fall River was later convicted, that conviction appears on their CORI report. You can check your own CORI online for $25 through the iCORI portal. Employers use a separate CORI check process through the same system.

CORI pulls from every county in the state, not just Bristol. It shows convictions, pending cases, and some arrest data. Sealed records are hidden. Dismissed cases may drop off after a set period. For Fall River booking records with specific details like bail amount, time of arrest, and arresting officer, go straight to the police department. CORI reports cover the broad criminal history but do not include that level of booking detail.

The Massachusetts General Laws set the rules for what appears on CORI and how long records stay visible. Convictions remain longer than arrests that did not lead to a conviction.

Nearby Cities

Other cities near Fall River also have 72 hour booking pages with local details and contact info. Check the links below if you need records from a neighboring city in southeastern Massachusetts.