Frequently Asked Questions

Q - Where do I pay a ticket/fine?

A - CIRCUIT COURT/FELONY (CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS)

BY MAIL: 215 E. Highland Ave. Ste.119, Malvern, AR 72104

IN PERSON: Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office Front Window

PHONE: 888-604-7888

You will need your citation or docket number and our pay location code in order to pay online or by phone. Pay location code is a000zo.

Payments must be CASH, CASHIER'S CHECK OR MONEY ORDER. Cashier's checks and money orders must be made payable to: Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office

A - DISTRICT COURT/MISDEMEANOR (TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS)

You can pay in person by cash, cashier's check, or money order at the District Court building which is located at:

305 Locust St. Ste#3
Malvern, AR 72104

If you wish to pay online by debit/credit card you must use https://pay.arcourts.gov/pay/. Should you choose to utilize this payment method you must have the following information:

Court: Malvern, Hot Spring County District Court

PayPlan Number: You must contact District Court for this information.

Last Name: Last name on PayPlan/Citation

If you have any questions, call District Court at 501-332-7604.

Q - How do I get a copy of a Police report?

A- Obtaining Copies of Reports and Records: Most Sheriff’s Office records are public information under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and are available for public viewing, and for copying for a nominal fee. There are several exceptions to this, including specifically reports and paperwork relating to criminal cases remaining open and under investigation, certain personnel records, records sealed/expunged by court order, and records relating to juveniles (under 18 years of age).

Q - How much does it cost to obtain a copy of a report?

A - Effective 03/11/2019

Motor Vehicle Accident - $10.00

Incident Report - $5.00

Q - CHILD SAFETY SEAT-At what age does my child have to be in a child safety or booster seat?

A -

Birth to 12 months: A child under the age of one always rides rear-facing, or facing the back of the car. These children can ride in a rear-facing only carrier, a convertible car seat, or an all-in-one car seat.

1 to 3 years: Children should continue to ride rear-facing as long as possible. This is the safest way for children to ride in a motor vehicle. They should stay in the rear-facing car seat until they reach the upper weight or height limit allowed by that seat for rear-facing, until at least age 2. These children ride in a rear-facing-only carrier, a convertible car seat, or an all-in-one car seat.

4 to 7 years: Children should ride in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the upper weight or height limit of that car seat. The top tether should always be used when forward facing, unless the weight limit has been reached. These children ride in a convertible or a combination car seat.

8 to 12 years: Children should use a high back booster or a backless booster when they have outgrown the forward facing seat with a harness until they can properly fit a seatbelt. Boosters are used with lap and shoulder seatbelts only.

13 years and up: Children should only move to a lap and shoulder seatbelt when they properly fit. They should be able to pass the five-step test to move out of the booster seat:

Does the shoulder belt lay flat on the shoulder (not on the neck/face or on the arm)?
Does the lap portion stay low on the hips or thighs (not on the stomach)?
Do the knees bend over the seat and feet rest flat on the floor without slouching?
Is the child able to sit all the way back against the vehicle seat?
Are they able to stay seated this way the entire ride (not unbuckling, putting belt behind their back, etc.)?

Children should not be front-seat passengers until they are at least 13 years old.

Any child over six (6) and under fifteen (15) years of age must be secured in a seatbelt.

Q - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH- How do I form one?

A - Neighborhood Watch Programs are administered through the Sheriff's Office. For more information, please call (501) 332-3671.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests

All person's requesting any information must provide proof of Arkansas residency.

Pursuant to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), specifically Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-105(a)(1)(A), public records are only open for inspection and copying by Arkansas citizens during the regular business hours. Please provide proof of Arkansas residency, or information sufficient for the custodian to determine your residency, when making your FOIA request.

How can I request information under the FOIA? (Note that information with an asterisk {*} is required for any request).

In Person at the Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office 215 E. Highland Ave., Malvern, AR 72104
Mail your request to: Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office ATTN: FOIA Request 215 E. Highland Ave Malvern, AR 72104

Information to provide in your request:
- Your name*, complete address*, and phone number*
- Your driver's license number or other form of identification proving you are a resident of Arkansas* (reference AR Code Ann. § 25-19-105(a)(1)(A)),
- Date of the request*
To facilitate your request, please be as specific as possible about the information for which you are asking.
Please state:
- Type of information you want (i.e., incident report, vehicle accident report, jail booking reports (ADR's), etc.),
- Date/s of incident or a date range (start and stop) for the dates of the information you are asking for,
- Subjects name and date of birth (if known),
  - Records can also be located using address, social security number, driver's license number,
- Any additional information about the records you are seeking that may be helpful in locating them.

What information will most likely be redacted? The Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office takes reasonable steps to segregate and release only nonexempt FOIA material in its publicly releasable documents as required by the FOIA. We strive to ensure all exempted information such as, but not limited to, that stated herein has been redacted prior to public distribution through both automated and manual means. The length of the documents, videos, etc., the style of writing, and other factors, as well as the manual labor required to redact exempted information may affect the time required to complete a FOIA request.

The following information is redacted in all reports in accordance with its relevant statute unless it is to the person, guardian, parent or Attorney of record of the person to whom the
information belongs.

Juvenile Names (Juvenile Records Confidentiality (AR Code §14-14-110);
Name, Address of minor occupant in motor vehicle accident (AR Code § 27-53-202);
Addresses (Personal Contact Information (AR Code §25-19-105, AR Personal Information Protection Act {PIPA});
VIN/License Plates (unclear guidance);
Names of Parents of Juvenile Driver (other material that personally identifies a juvenile AR Code §9-28-17);
Insurance Policy # (account # AR Code §4-110-103/104);
Dates of Birth ("information that could reasonably be used to identify an individual", AR PIPA, AR FOI Handbook 19th Ed., FOIA 1967);
Medical Transport Information (i.e., ambulance records, etc.) Ark. Op. Attorney Gen. No. 99-110);
Witness Address, Phone number and email (Personal Contact information AR Code § 25-19-105, FOIA 1967).

The Arkansas Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) requires the SCSO to safeguard sensitive information of individuals acquired during the course of regular business. As such, the following information is redacted on all materials requested under FOIA:

Social Security Number
Driver's License Number & State
Any Account Number
Any medical information, including names of physicians and/or medical diagnosis/conditions
Biometric data such as fingerprints or photos

Who can request information under the FOIA? Any citizen of the State of Arkansas.

At this time, the Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office does not have an official custodian of records. When presented with a request of records, our office personnel must take time from their official duties to complete these requests. Requests will be completed in a timely manner but may require additional time to complete.

How will I receive my requested information? Most records, when fully redacted, can be emailed or transferred/accessed using google drive. Due to security concerns, unredacted information that is protected by law will not be emailed or faxed. It must be printed (or downloaded to electronic medium) for pick-up in person or mailing certified mail.

How much will my FOIA request cost?

$0.25 per printed page, one side only
$0.35 per printed page, both sides
- Should documents need to be printed and scanned to complete your request (even if receiving by electronic medium), each printed paper incurs a cost per page
  - That cost doubles if the information needs to be printed, then redacted, then printed again for consumer pick-up or receipt by mail (because each page is printed twice)
$0.30 standard letter white envelope
$0.63 postage stamp (price subject to change based on weight of envelope and current price of USPS postage stamp)
$1.00 large manila envelope
$1.35 (price subject to change based on weight of envelope and current price of USPS postage stamp)
$ VARIED COST of certified mail
- Certified mail will be used to mail unredacted protected information to the requestor
- The price is based on USPS price for certified mail. Most often, if a less expensive method is available that ensures requestor receipt of documents by USPS, it will be used

When must I pay for my FOIA request? Walk-ins will make their payment before leaving with their requested documents. If certified mail is requested, most payments must be made in advance of mailing.

Can I have my documents downloaded to a flash drive? Yes. The requestor MUST provide a NEW and UNOPENED flash drive. If the requested documents have to be printed for any reason prior to being downloaded onto the flash drive, the cost is $0.25 per single sided page and $0.35 per double sided page.

Can I request information for any incident in Hot Spring County? The HSCSO does not hold incident reports for incidents handled by other police departments (i.e., city police such as Malvern PD, Rockport PD, Arkansas State Police and/or surrounding city/county departments). All incident reports held in our systems are incidents to which an officer of the Sheriff's office responded within Hot Spring County.

Can I request 911 calls/recordings? HSCSO is not the holder of records for 911 calls/recordings. These requests must be made to the 911 Administrator at Hot Spring County 911/Dispatch 215 E. Highland Ave., Malvern, AR 72104.

Can I request mass records or information on a certain topic from police reports over a period of time? (Ex: the number of deaths by vehicle accident from 2010-2020 or all police reports for death by firearm in 2021)? If the record does not already exist in this form, HSCSO will not be able to assist in this research effort due to limited resources.