El Dorado Jail Bookings
El Dorado 24 hour booking records cover the people arrested in El Dorado, Arkansas and booked into the Union County Detention Center. Officers with the El Dorado Police Department make city arrests. The Union County Sheriff runs the jail where the booking is logged. This page walks through where to find arrest reports, how to file a FOIA request, and how to track a person in custody. Use the search tool here to look up names, charges, and case data tied to El Dorado and the rest of Union County.
El Dorado 24 Hour Booking Overview
El Dorado Police and 24 Hour Booking
The El Dorado Police Department is based at 402 N West Avenue, El Dorado, AR 71730. The main phone line is (870) 863-4141. For any emergency, dial 911. The records division works Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The department keeps arrest reports, officer narratives, and call logs for the city. The formal 24 hour booking sheet lives at the Union County Detention Center.
For public records from the police, contact the Records Division. FOIA requests under Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-105 can be sent by mail, email, or in person. The custodian has three business days to respond. Copy fees cap at 25 cents per page. El Dorado is the county seat for Union County, so the police station, the jail, and the main county offices are all in the city.
For help with any FOIA question, the state Attorney General Office has a hotline at (501) 682-2007. The image below shows the Arkansas Counties Association directory page.
The Arkansas Counties Association page links to every county sheriff site in the state. Use it to jump to Union County for the latest contact info.
Union County Booking Facility
El Dorado arrests are booked at the Union County Detention Center. The Union County Sheriff runs the jail. The sheriff logs each booking with the full name, date of birth, charge, bond, and time of intake. Bookings from the last 24 hours show up as the newest entries on the roster.
The Union County jail takes bookings from El Dorado, Smackover, Junction City, and other towns in the county. All county arrests end up at the same facility. If an El Dorado arrest leads to a hold from a state agency or a federal agency, the person stays at Union County until the holding agency takes them.
Bond for an El Dorado arrest is set by a judge or by a bond schedule in the rules of the court. Most people post bond in the first day or two. Those who cannot make bond stay at the jail until the next court date. Cash, surety, property, and own recognizance are the four bond types in Arkansas.
Note: El Dorado is the county seat of Union County. The jail, sheriff office, and circuit court are all in the city, which makes in person FOIA requests easy.
El Dorado FOIA for Arrest Records
Arkansas FOIA gives Arkansas citizens the right to ask for public records. Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101 is the base rule. The Arkansas FOIA Handbook walks through how to send a request. Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-103 sets the key terms. An arrest report and a booking sheet both count as public records.
For an El Dorado arrest, file two FOIA requests to get the full picture. One to the El Dorado Police Records Division for the arrest report and any body camera footage. One to the Union County Sheriff for the booking sheet, mugshot, and jail logs. Each custodian has three business days to respond under Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-105.
Copy fees max out at 25 cents per page. Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-105(d) is the rule. Staff time is not billable. The Attorney General FOIA page has sample letters to help you draft a request. If either agency blocks a valid request with no good cause, Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-107 lets you sue in circuit court.
El Dorado Court Records After Booking
Misdemeanor cases out of El Dorado go to the El Dorado District Court. Felony cases go to Union County Circuit Court. Once the charge is filed, the case may show up on Arkansas CourtConnect. A name search on CourtConnect shows the case style, the filing date, the charge, the judge, and the next court date.
CourtConnect does not cover every Arkansas county, but new counties join each year. If Union County is not on the tool, you can get case data from the Circuit Clerk in El Dorado. Each Circuit Clerk has a full file for every charge that comes out of a 24 hour booking. The image below shows the CourtConnect search page.
CourtConnect does not show the booking sheet or the mugshot. For those, go back to the Union County Sheriff. The court and the jail keep separate records.
State Tools for El Dorado 24 Hour Booking
A few state tools help track an El Dorado 24 hour booking after the intake. VINELink is the free custody alert service from the state. Sign up with a name and get an email or text when the person moves or is released. VINE covers Union County and most other Arkansas jails.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections inmate search covers state prison inmates. An El Dorado arrest that leads to a state prison term will show up on ADC after the transfer. Local 24 hour booking data does not appear there.
The Arkansas Crime Information Center runs a name based history check at $22 per name. ACIC is part of the state Department of Public Safety. The Arkansas Division of Community Correction has a free search for people on parole or probation. The Arkansas Sex Offender Registry lists those who must register under state law.
What an El Dorado Booking Record Shows
A standard 24 hour booking record from El Dorado and Union County has a set group of facts. The sheet shows the full name, date of birth, booking date and time, charges with Arkansas Code cites, bond amount, and a mugshot. Some entries add the court date and the hold type.
Juvenile records are closed under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309. Medical notes are closed. Social security numbers are redacted. The rest of the sheet stays open while the case is live. Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-105(b) lists the main limits on what can be held back.
Mugshots are public in Arkansas. The FOIA Handbook is plain on this point. A few jails ask for a written request before the photo is released. Others post the mug on the public roster page. If a person is released right away, the mug stays on file for FOIA use. Union County may or may not post mugs online. Call the sheriff office to ask.
If a sheriff or a police chief blocks a valid FOIA request with no lawful reason, Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-107 is the tool to fix it. You can sue in circuit court. The judge can rule in a few days. If you win, the court can make the agency pay your fees.
Nearby Cities and Related Pages
El Dorado is the largest city in Union County and sits in the far south of Arkansas near the Louisiana line. The nearest larger cities with their own pages are Pine Bluff in Jefferson County to the north and Texarkana in Miller County to the west. For a full list of Union County offices and FOIA paths, see the Union County page. Nearby counties include Columbia County, Ouachita County, and Ashley County.
For small towns in Union County like Smackover, Junction City, and Strong, the same sheriff handles bookings. The FOIA path is the same. File with the city police or town marshal for the arrest report and with the Union County Sheriff for the booking sheet and jail roster entry.