Crime Statistics
According to data published in the Florida Annual Uniform Crime Report, in 2016 Okaloosa recorded a total of 799 violent crimes and 4915 reported property crimes. A further breakdown revealed that larceny-thefts and burglaries were the most common crimes with 3,792 and 842 reported incidents respectively. This was followed closely by motor vehicle thefts, which totaled 281 in 2016.
Criminal Records
The Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office is the main law enforcement agency of the county of Okaloosa, and its Records Section primarily maintains and administers written and electronic records as per state laws. Okaloosa county criminal background records may be obtained from the office or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
How to Get Criminal Records
The Records Unit of the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office responds to requests for all criminal records, police records and arrest records. Requests for these records may only be made in person or via email. Requestors will be required to provide information about the subject/incident with which to facilitate the search and may be charged a fee depending on the complexity of the request. However, the details of the search requirements will be determined after the query has been made. Requests may be directed to:
Central Records
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
50 2nd Street,
Shalimar, FL 32579
recordsrequest@sheriff-okaloosa.org
Alternatively, requests for background checks may be directed to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement which manages the central repository of criminal history records for the state. Requestors may obtain criminal history information by using the Instant Florida Criminal History Search Tool or by requesting criminal history information via mail.
Instant searches can be conducted online using the Search Tool and only require the name of the subject and a non-refundable payment of $25. However, the records retrieved using this method are not certified.
Requests for certified records may be made using the Criminal History Information Request Form. Completed applications may be sent along with the indicated fees to:
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Criminal History Services
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302
How to Find the Sex Offender Registry and Other Sex Offender Information
All Florida sex offender information is maintained by the FDLE and is available for public viewing on the Florida Sexual Offender Predator System. Interested persons may access information concerning Okaloosa county sex offenders by searching the system using the name or address of the offender. The system is also fitted with a Neighborhood Search feature, which can be used to search for offenders by their proximity to specific addresses or zip codes. Also, residents may subscribe to the Florida Alert System to receive free email alerts when registered sex offenders arrive into an indicated neighborhood.
How to Get Inmate and Jail Information
The Okaloosa County Department of Corrections manages information relating to former and currently serving inmates of the county jail. Interested persons may access information about former and current detainees by using the Inmate Search Tool of the Department of Corrections website. Inmates may be searched by their number, last name, age or booking/release date.
Other information relating to inmate welfare, visitation guidelines and reports may also be obtained on the Information Page of the site or by querying the Department of Corrections at:
1200 E James Lee Blvd
Crestview, FL 32539
Okaloosadoc@Myokaloosa.Com
Court Records
Where and How to Get Court Records and Official Records
Court records and other official records of Okaloosa county are maintained by the Records Services Unit of the Office of the Okaloosa County Clerk of Courts. The office provides public access to records of non-confidential cases filed within its jurisdiction, as well as real property, tax, and public records indices.
Interested persons may access court records by using the Court Records Search Tool. However, to obtain access to the tool, requestors are required to complete and submit an Okaloosa County Access Agreement form which should be sent via mail to onlineaccess@okaloosaclerk.com. After receiving email and login credentials from the office, the requestor may then proceed to search the index by the name, case number, citation number or filing date of the court record and may be required to pay a nominal fee depending on the nature of their request.
Other official records may be accessed using the Official Records Search Tool of the Clerk's office. Using this tool interested members of the public may retrieve all documents bearing their name, or search the index by book and page number, case number, clerk file number or record date depending on the record of interest.
Location of All Courts in County
Listed below are the locations and contact information of all courthouses in Okaloosa County, Florida:
Okaloosa County Court and Circuit Court
Okaloosa County Courthouse
601-B North Pearl Street,
Crestview, FL 32536
(850) 689-5000
Okaloosa County Court and Circuit Court
Okaloosa County Courthouse Annex Extension
1940 Lewis Turner Boulevard,
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
(850) 651-7200
Where and How to Get Bankruptcy Records
Okaloosa County bankruptcy records are managed by the court clerk of the Northern District of Florida US Bankruptcy Court. To obtain copies of these records interested persons may either self-serve using the court's public terminals or send a written request via mail to the office.
To make mail requests, interested members of the public are required to complete a Request for Copies Form which should be submitted along with the fees indicated on the application to:
Request for Copies
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, NDFL
110 E. Park Avenue, Suite 100
Tallahassee, FL 32301
In-person requests may also be made at the above-stated address. While copies may be obtained at a charge of $0.10 per page, there is no search fee required for using the public terminals available in the office.
Vital Records
Okaloosa county vital records are maintained and issued by the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics which is the state repository for birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Locally, these records are co-managed by the Okaloosa Vital Records Office and the County Clerk's Office. Thus, interested persons may access these records at the state or county level.
Where and How to Get Divorce Records
Records of divorces granted by the Okaloosa county court are managed and disbursed by the County Clerk's Office. Interested parties may obtain copies of these records by using the Court Records Search Tool querying the clerk's office in person at:
101 E. James Lee Blvd
Crestview FL 32536
(850) 689-5000
www.okaloosaclerk.com
Alternatively, requests may be directed to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Requests can be made using the Application for Divorce Report Form which should be completed by the requestor and submitted along with the fees stated on the form to:
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Attn: Vital Record Section
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042
Where and How to Get Marriage Records
Records of marriages that were licensed in Okaloosa County are managed by the Recording Department of the Okaloosa County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Interested parties may obtain copies of these records by sending a written request which should state the names of the spouses, the marriage license number and the date of the marriage to:
Okaloosa County Clerk of Circuit Court
Recording Department
101 East James Lee Blvd
Crestview, FL 32536
(850) 689-5000
Where and How to Get Birth and Death Records
Requests for birth and death records are processed by the Okaloosa Vital Records Office. However, access to either birth or death records are restricted to:
- Persons named on the record
- Their parents or legal guardian
- Their spouses and descendants
- Their legal representatives and other legally authorized persons.
Eligible persons may obtain copies of birth or death records by completing an Application for Florida Birth Record or Application for Florida Death Record. Completed applications may be sent along with a copy of a government-issued ID and the fees stated on the forms to:
Okaloosa Co Vital Records,
221 Hospital Dr. NE,
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
In addition to government agencies, county public records may also be obtained from third-party websites. These non-government platforms come with intuitive tools that allow for expansive searches. Record seekers may either opt to use these tools to search for a specific record or multiple records. Users are able to search third-party websites remotely for multiple records at a time with just the name of the record subject and their last known location, including the city, county, or state. Third-party sites are not sponsored by government agencies. Because of this, record availability and results may vary.
