Areas We Serve
Criminal Defense and Car Accident Lawyer for Hialeah
An arrest or a crash in Hialeah moves fast. This page puts the local facts in one place: who the police are, where the courthouse is, where the nearest emergency room is, and what to do in the first 24 hours.
Our office is at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250, Westchester. We represent clients arrested or injured in Hialeah.
Criminal defense in Hialeah
Hialeah is a city of its own, with its own police department, its own city hall and its own branch of the county courthouse. That matters on the worst day. When someone is arrested here, the paperwork usually starts with Hialeah Police, and the court that picks up the case may be the Hialeah Branch Courthouse on East 6th Street or the felony courts at the Gerstein Justice Building, depending on the charge.
We defend people charged in Hialeah with drug offenses, DUI, domestic violence, theft, and driving-license charges, along with more serious felonies. The court’s County Criminal Division handles minor criminal cases such as petit theft, simple battery and trespassing, and criminal traffic cases such as driving while license suspended, DUI and no valid driver’s license. The Circuit Criminal Division handles felonies. Many people in Hialeah speak Spanish, and so do we. You can explain what happened in the language you think in, and we will explain the court process back to you in the same language.
Police in Hialeah
Hialeah has its own police department:
Hialeah PD
5555 E 8th Avenue, Hialeah, FL 33013
Records window: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the city's directory page).
For an emergency, call 911.
Nearby emergency services
In an emergency, call 911.
Closest to the center of Hialeah, measured in a straight line, as listed by official sources on October 27, 2026.
Emergency room: Larkin Hospital Palm Springs ER (Hialeah)
1475 W 49th Pl., Hialeah, FL 33012
Open 24 hours.
Listed for convenience, not as a ranking or a recommendation. Confirm hours and phone numbers before you go.
Hurricane and flood readiness
In an emergency, call 911.
Parts of Hialeah fall in storm surge planning Zones D, E. Check your exact address. County storm surge zone map · Know Your Zone
Flood zones vary property by property. Look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and the county's flood zone map.
Nearby official evacuation routes: Okeechobee Road (US 27), Gratigny Parkway (SR 924), I-75, Florida's Turnpike. Follow official orders and road closures. The county route data was last updated in 2018 and the state map is undated. State evacuation route and zone map (PDF)
Evacuation centers and shelters
The county decides which centers open, and which accept pets, only when an evacuation is ordered, and not every center opens for every storm. Check official announcements, or call 311, before you go. Open evacuation centers map · County hurricane information
Also: the FEMA App, or text SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362. Storm forecasts come from the NOAA National Hurricane Center (storm information, not shelters). County emergency information: 311 in Miami-Dade, 305-468-5900 from outside the county, or 711 for Florida Relay. National Hurricane Center
The first 24 hours after an arrest
Every arrested person must be taken before a judge within 24 hours of arrest, in person or by audio-video technology, unless the person was already released in a lawful manner. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.130(a). That hearing is called first appearance. The judge tells the person the charges and addresses release conditions, which is why the first day matters.
If your relative was arrested by Hialeah Police, the department lists a non-emergency number, 305-687-2525, on the city's directory page. You can also search the county jail roster on our own inmate search page. Have the full name and date of birth ready.
What to do in the first 24 hours
- Say very little to the police. Be polite, give your name, and ask for a lawyer.
- Do not sign or agree to anything about a search or a statement without talking to a lawyer first.
- Write down what you remember now: where, when, which officers, who else was there.
- Families: find where the person is held, then call us. We answer day and night.
- If the person is not a U.S. citizen, tell the lawyer before anyone discusses a plea. A plea that looks small can still carry immigration consequences.
Where your case is heard
The Hialeah Branch Courthouse is at 11 East 6th Street, Hialeah, Florida 33010. The court lists it as one of its County Criminal locations. Court hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The court says there is limited free off-street parking and a paid garage across the street, behind City Hall.
For drivers coming up the Palmetto Expressway (826), the court's directions are: north to N.W. 74th Street, east to Palm Avenue, then south to East 6th Street. From I-95, take SR 112 West to the Okeechobee Road exit, then Palm Avenue north to East 6th Street.
The Hialeah branch is a county court location. It handles county court matters such as misdemeanors, traffic cases and small claims, not felonies. Misdemeanor cases are assigned when they are filed, so a Hialeah arrest can be set at the Hialeah branch or downtown; your paperwork shows which one. Felony cases are heard by the Circuit Criminal Division at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 N.W. 12th Street, Miami, and criminal jury trials are held there, not at the branch courthouses.
Hialeah Branch Courthouse (court guide)
Car accidents in Hialeah
A crash inside Hialeah city limits is usually worked by Hialeah Police. On the expressways and state roads that cross the city, another agency may respond instead. The report will show which one. At the scene, ask the officer for the report number and the agency name.
Get checked by a medical provider even if you feel fine. The Larkin Hospital Palm Springs emergency room is on West 49th Place in Hialeah and is open 24 hours (listed below). Take photos of the cars, the road, and any visible injury. Do not give a recorded statement to an insurance company until you have talked with a lawyer.
We handle car accident claims for people hurt in Hialeah, including head and brain injuries. If a crash involved a delivery truck or a company vehicle, tell us right away so the vehicle and the driver's records can be preserved.
Local roads and landmarks
Hialeah's busy corridors show up in the county's official evacuation-route list: Okeechobee Road (US 27), Gratigny Parkway (SR 924), I-75 and Florida's Turnpike. The court also uses the Palmetto Expressway (826) in its directions to the courthouse.
West 49th Street is a useful landmark for emergencies. Hialeah Fire Station 3 is at 800 W 49th Street, and the Larkin Hospital Palm Springs emergency room is at 1475 W 49th Place. Hialeah Police is at 5555 E 8th Avenue, and the court points drivers to a paid garage behind City Hall.
Getting to us
We do not have a Hialeah office. Our one office is in Westchester, at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250. We do not publish a drive time from Hialeah because it swings with traffic on the Palmetto and the Turnpike.
You do not need to drive to us to start. Call or message us on WhatsApp, in English or Spanish, at any hour. For arrests, we often start by phone with the family and meet at the courthouse.
Questions people ask about Hialeah
- Which police department handles an arrest in Hialeah?
- Hialeah has its own police department at 5555 E 8th Avenue. On state roads or expressways another agency may be the arresting one. The arrest report names it.
- When can I get Hialeah police records?
- The city's directory lists records hours of Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. We can request the reports for you once you hire us.
- Is there a courthouse in Hialeah?
- Yes. The Hialeah Branch Courthouse is at 11 East 6th Street. It is a county court location for misdemeanors, traffic cases and small claims. Felonies and criminal jury trials are downtown at the Gerstein Justice Building. Your paperwork shows where your hearing is.
- My relative was arrested in Hialeah. What do I do first?
- Find where the person is held, using the jail search on our site or the Hialeah Police non-emergency line, 305-687-2525. Then call us. A judge must see the person within 24 hours of arrest unless they were already released.
- Is my Hialeah address in a hurricane evacuation zone?
- Parts of Hialeah fall in storm surge planning Zones D and E. Zones are by address, so use the state's Know Your Zone lookup (linked below) with your exact address.
- Do you have an office in Hialeah?
- No. We have one office, in Westchester. We represent clients arrested or injured in Hialeah and can start by phone or WhatsApp.
Where to go next
Our work
- Drug charges
- Domestic violence charges
- Theft charges
- Immigration consequences of a plea
- Personal injury and car accidents