City Jail vs. County Jail in Dallas County: Where Is the Defendant Held?
Explains the difference between municipal city jails (Irving, Garland, Mesquite, etc.) and the Dallas County Jail at Lew Sterrett — why defendants are transferred, how to track the transfer, and where bond is actually posted.
When someone is arrested in Dallas County, where they are initially held depends on which law enforcement agency made the arrest. Arrests made by the Dallas Police Department are booked directly into the Dallas County jail system at Lew Sterrett Justice Center, because the City of Dallas does not operate a separate long-term municipal jail. However, many of the surrounding cities within Dallas County — including Irving, Garland, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, and Richardson — operate their own municipal jails where defendants are held temporarily after arrest. These city jails are short-term holding facilities, and inmates are typically transferred to Lew Sterrett Justice Center within 24 to 72 hours for magistration and formal processing.
The transfer from a city jail to Lew Sterrett is important because bond cannot be posted on a Dallas County charge until the defendant has been magistrated at the county facility. During the transfer window, the defendant may not appear in the Dallas County online inmate search, which can be confusing and stressful for families trying to locate a loved one. If you know your family member was arrested by a city police department — for example, the Irving Police Department or Garland Police Department — you can call that city’s jail directly to confirm the arrest and ask about the expected transfer timeline. Once the defendant appears in the Dallas County system at Lew Sterrett, a bail bond agent can begin the posting process.
The Lew Sterrett Justice Center is a complex that includes three separate detention facilities and can house up to 7,100 inmates. It sits adjacent to the Frank Crowley Courts Building at 111 W. Commerce St., Dallas, TX. Regardless of which city jail initially held the defendant, all Dallas County bonds are ultimately posted and processed through Lew Sterrett. If you need help locating an inmate or posting bond after a transfer from a city jail, call Act Quick Bail Bonds at (214) 744-1414.