Brownsville Felony Records Lookup
Brownsville felony records are maintained by the Cameron County District Clerk at the Cameron County Courthouse on E. Harrison Street in Brownsville. As the county seat of Cameron County and the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville is home to about 185,000 people, and its felony cases are processed entirely through the Cameron County District Court system. You can request records from the clerk's office in person, or use the statewide re:SearchTX portal for online case searches. This page covers how to find Brownsville felony records, what documents you can access, and what additional tools are available for criminal history research in the Rio Grande Valley.
Brownsville Overview
Cameron County District Clerk in Brownsville
Brownsville is the county seat of Cameron County, which means the District Clerk's office is located here in the city. All felony cases from Brownsville and the rest of Cameron County are filed at the Cameron County Courthouse on E. Harrison Street. The District Clerk manages all case files from the time an indictment is filed through final disposition, including any appeals.
Cameron County covers a large stretch of the Rio Grande Valley from the coast to the inland areas west of Brownsville. Cities like Harlingen, San Benito, and Port Isabel also send felony cases to the Cameron County District Court. But because Brownsville is the county seat, you don't have to travel elsewhere to access the records office.
| Office | Cameron County District Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 974 E. Harrison St. Brownsville, TX 78520 |
| Phone | (956) 544-0815 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
Staff at the Cameron County District Clerk can help you search for cases by name or cause number and can produce copies of documents from the file. Call (956) 544-0815 to confirm current copy fees and what you'll need to bring if you want certified documents. Some document requests can be made in writing by mail as well.
Searching Brownsville Felony Records Online
Cameron County participates in the Texas Office of Court Administration's statewide court records system. This is the most direct online route for finding Brownsville felony cases without visiting the courthouse in person.
Use the re:SearchTX portal to search Cameron County court records by name or case number. The portal shows case type, charges, court dates, and case status for both open and closed cases. Filter results to show felony cases specifically. This is a free tool run by the state government, so it's reliable and kept reasonably current. For people under TDCJ supervision following a Brownsville felony conviction, the TDCJ Offender Search is a free public database that shows current custody status. Texas DPS manages formal criminal history reports at DPS Crime Records.
If you don't get results online, calling the District Clerk is another good option. Staff can run a name search over the phone and tell you whether a case is on file before you make the drive to the courthouse. Some records from older cases may not be fully digitized, so in-person searches can turn up things the online tools miss.
Brownsville is entirely within Cameron County. All Brownsville felony records are at the Cameron County District Clerk. No other county has jurisdiction for city addresses.
Brownsville Police Department Records
The Brownsville Police Department handles arrests and incident reports within the city. For police reports from incidents that occurred in Brownsville, contact BPD directly. Arrest records from BPD document the initial detention and charges. Once a felony case is indicted, it moves to the Cameron County District Court and the District Clerk takes over the case file.
| Office | Brownsville Police Department - Records |
|---|---|
| Address | 600 E. Jackson St. Brownsville, TX 78520 |
| Phone | (956) 548-7000 |
| Website | cob.us/police |
Brownsville Municipal Court at 1034 E. Levee St. handles Class C misdemeanor and ordinance cases within the city. Those records are separate from Cameron County felony files. Call (956) 548-6376 for municipal court matters.
Federal Court Records in Brownsville
Brownsville also has a federal courthouse. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas has a division in Brownsville. Federal felony cases involving offenses on federal property, immigration violations, drug trafficking, and other federal charges go through this court, not Cameron County.
Federal court records are separate from state felony records. The federal court uses the PACER system (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) for case information. You can access federal Brownsville cases at pacer.gov. PACER charges per-page fees for document access but provides free case summaries. The Brownsville federal courthouse is at 600 E. Harrison St., Brownsville, TX 78520. This is distinct from the Cameron County state courthouse a short distance away.
If you're looking for a felony record and can't find it in the Cameron County system, it's worth checking PACER. Some serious offenses involving border activity, federal firearms charges, and large-scale drug cases are prosecuted federally even when the arrest was made by local Brownsville police or state agencies.
What Brownsville Felony Records Hold
A Cameron County felony case file from a Brownsville case will include documents from each step of the court process. Basic information like charges and disposition is available for most public cases.
- Grand jury indictment or criminal information
- Arrest warrant and affidavit
- Court motions filed by the state and the defense
- Plea agreement or trial transcript
- Judgment and sentencing order
- Probation or deferred adjudication terms
Cases sealed by court order, expunged under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55, or covered by a non-disclosure order won't appear in public searches. Juvenile records are sealed by default. If you're trying to verify that a record was sealed or expunged, contact the Cameron County District Clerk at (956) 544-0815 for guidance.
Statewide Tools for Brownsville Cases
Texas offers several statewide resources that cover Brownsville and Cameron County felony records alongside records from across the state.
The TDCJ Offender Search at offender.tdcj.texas.gov is free and covers people currently in state custody or under state supervision. If a Brownsville resident received a state prison sentence for a felony conviction, they will appear there. Search by name to find offense, sentence, and current location information. The Texas DPS Criminal History Repository at DPS Crime Records provides the most thorough conviction history across all Texas counties for a fee.
Cameron County Felony Records
Brownsville is the county seat of Cameron County, and all Brownsville felony cases go through the Cameron County District Court. Visit the county page for more information on the court system and records resources.