How to Find Where Someone Is Held
County sheriff inmate locators, what to search for, and why a name comes back empty.
Details
Booking in California happens at the county level, so the sheriff's department for the county of arrest is the place to start. Nearly every county publishes an online inmate locator covering its own facilities, and the record usually appears once booking is finished rather than at the moment of the arrest.
Search with the full legal name and the date of birth. Nicknames, married names, hyphenated surnames, and transposed first and middle names are the most common reason a search returns nothing at all. If a person was arrested in one city but the county runs the jail, the record will show under the county, not the city police department.
If you still cannot find the record, call (310) 846-8980. A licensed California agent can often confirm the facility, the housing status, and whether bail has been set from the information you already have.
More resources
Other guides
Courts, Arraignment, and What Comes Next
Which courthouse handles the case, and how the first appearance fits with bail.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
The short list of details that lets an agent start work on the first call.
Bail Agent or Defense Attorney?
Two different jobs, and which one to call first.
Next step
Where to go from here
Call (310) 846-8980 now
Lines are answered live, every hour of every day. Have the person's full name, date of birth, and the city or jail where they were booked, and a licensed California bail agent can start work on the first call.