Access Free Orange County Arrest Records (Lookup Tools)

Find Orange County arrest records for free to reveal details about anyone in custody here. With one of the largest law enforcement jurisdictions in the country, thousands of detainees are held after arrest at any one time in the Orange County jail system.

Whether searching for the location of an inmate, trying to find records of an arrest, attempting to bail out an arrestee, or wanting to protect yourself as a crime victim, these important records are available to search at no cost.

This streamlined resource helps interested parties seamlessly track down arrest records in Orange County, California.

How Do I Search Recent Orange County Arrest Records & Mugshots for Free?

Any interested party can search and obtain the basic details or an arrest and information about detainees in Orange County. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office provides online information to help the public find arrest and inmate records pursuant to statutes 6250-6270, the California Public Records Act (CPRA).¹

Records of arrest, inmate information, and court case disposition are publicly available, except for juvenile records. Some other information such as full criminal records, police reports, and mugshots are only available to certain parties.

Record seekers should begin with the helpful Orange County Sheriff’s Who’s in Jail online arrest log tool. Users should know at least the first and last name of the party that they are searching for. The system will then return a list of any matches of people currently in custody or who have been arrested and released within the last 30 days.

For in-person or phone inquiries, searchers can contact the Inmate Records Division. Call first to schedule an appointment or receive help locating the location where an inmate is held. Use the following contact information:

Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Inmate Records
550 N. Flower Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703

Phone: (714)-647-4666

For 24 hour service, interested parties can also contact the Intake & Release Center, the most likely place that a detainee is processed and held after arrest:

Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Intake & Release Center
550 North Flower Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703

Phone: (714) 647-6085

Some record seekers also want more information about the circumstances of an arrest. They may seek a police report. Access to police reports is limited to victims, injured parties, people who sustained property damage, witnesses, lawyers, and parties with a legal stake in the incident such as insurance companies.

Juvenile records are only available to the parents of the named individual. Arrestees and general members of the public generally do not have a right to these records.

To request a record, begin by calling the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 714-834-6454 to make sure they can locate the record. The phone desk is answered between 8:00am and 5:00pm, but the office doors close at 4pm for in-person assistance. Note that it typically takes at least 7-10 days for a report to be completed and filed.

Next, access the Request Authorization Form.² To send in your request by email, begin by downloading the form. Then complete it, save, and attach to an email sent to [email protected].

You can also print out the form to send it by fax, postal service, or in-person drop off. Requests can be faxed to: 714-834-5466. For in-person record requests, use the following address between 8:00am and 4:00pm:

Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Records Division
320 N. Flower Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703

To request a report via mail, address your letter to the Records Division. Use the following address for mailed requests:

Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Records Division
Records Request
PO Box 449
Santa Anna, CA 92702

Though most arrestees are processed through the Orange County system, many municipalities also have a police force and a small jail. Arrestees are often detained for a short time in these jails until they are arraigned in court. For example, the Anaheim Police Department (APD) maintains a small Detention Facility that holds about 100 detainees awaiting a court hearing.

The APD maintains an arrest log where any interested party can see the list of recent arrests.³ Any searcher can also access the Online Inmate Search Tool to see if someone is detained in Anaheim Detention Center.⁴

Additional information can be obtained from the jail at:

Anaheim Detention Center
425 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92805

Phone: (714) 765-1988

Additionally, the US Immigration & Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security provide a federally maintained system for victims and witnesses in cases involving an alien. When the alien is released from custody, these parties can be altered via VINELink.

These local or county search steps will help searchers find current information about arrests and detainees. Some record seekers will also seek older records and more detailed information.

How To Retrieve Information on Prior Criminal Activity & Arrests Made Within Orange County California

Interested parties may seek more detailed records about crimes or arrestees. There are some limitations to what is public record in California. First, record searchers must distinguish between arrest records, court records, and criminal records.

A criminal record, sometimes termed a “rap sheet”, is a list of all arrests and convictions based on a search of an individual’s name. These are only available to the person themselves, their lawyer, and public employees such as law enforcement.

To search for details of past arrests and activity, again use the previously mentioned Orange County Sheriff’s Office Records Division’s helpful Who Is in Jail online arrest log tool to find current or released detainees. The search result will yield records of all arrests and court adjudications for the individual. You can also write to request records to:

Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Records Division
PO Box 449
Santa Anna, CA 92702

Phone: (714)-834-6454

If a researcher seeks more detailed information about the adjudication of an incident or further outcomes from an arrest, they can seek records from the Orange County Superior Court. Users can navigate to the Orange County Criminal & Traffic Access tool. Searchers can conduct a Calendar Search which returns details on the Justice Center, prosecutor and hearing date etc.

Some additional information can also be obtained from the local municipalities. Those interested in Anaheim criminal proceedings can use the Local Criminal History Search Tool.

To perform a statewide search for arrest and criminal records, searchers can also use the California Department of Justice’s system. However, access to these “Rap sheets” are limited to certain parties such as police, government agencies, parole and probation officers, jail officers, child welfare workers and other similar organizations.

An individual can access their own criminal record through the Office of the Attorney General. To verify identity, the individual must scan their fingerprints to gain access by using the Live Scan Fingerprint Form.⁵

Then the record seeker goes to a live scan site to prove their identity. Fill out an Application to Obtain Copy of State Summary Criminal History Record.⁶ Send the application and $25 fee to:

California Department of Justice (DOJ)
Bureau of Criminal Identification & Analysis
Record Review & Challenge Section
PO BOX 160207
Sacramento, CA

Wait for a Record Review response in the mail. Requesters can also apply for a fee waiver if they are on public assistance or have a low or no income and include it in the mail instead of the processing fee.

Important arrest and criminal activity records can be found through a variety of agencies in California. When an arrest occurs, sometimes friends or family members are looking for information to help a loved one who has been arrested. Resources also exist to explain bail procedures.

How To Handle Orange County Bail & Utilize a Bail Bondsman

As a large prison system, the Orange County jail system has a published process for “self bail”. Friends, family members, or representatives of an arrestee can go to one of two facilities to pay the full bail amount to the cashier.⁷

The Jail Cashiering hours vary by facility:

The Intake & Release Center is open 24 hours a day.

Inmate Intake & Release Center
550 North Flower Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703

(714) 647-6085

The Theo Lacy Jail Facility is open all 7 days, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Theo Lacy Jail
501 The City Dr. S.
Orange, CA 92868

(714) 935-6905

Self bail may be paid in cash, bank check, money order, or travelers check. Personal checks are also accepted if the payer uses a California bank, has a state driver’s license, and the amount is $7,500 or less.

Many people prefer to use the services of a bail bond company. These services can be especially helpful in cases where the arrestee has a high bail where it is hard to obtain enough cash.

Bail bonds are a type of surety bond that can be presented to the court as a guarantee of payment should the release individual flee or fail to appear in court. The bail bond company posts this surety bond in exchange for a non refundable fee paid by the arrestee of between 5-10% of the bail.

As part of a bail bond agreement, the released individual must attend all court hearings until the case is completed and must pledge collateral that can be seized to pay for the bail in case they flee. If they fail to appear, the bond can be cashed by the court.

The fleeing person is then responsible for the full amount. The bail bonds company can even send bounty hunters to capture a fugitive to return them to the court and force them to pay back the amount of the bond.

Bonds can be posted at either the Theo Lacy Facility or the Intake & Release Center. The hours are slightly different than the self-bail hours:

Intake & Release Center
550 N. Flower St.
Santa Ana, CA 92703

714-647-6085
Operating Hours: 24 hours a day

Theo Lacy Jail Facility
501 The City Dr. S.
Orange, California 92868

714-935-6905
Operating Hours: Daily 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Bail bonds are provided by private companies. The Sheriff cannot recommend or provide bail bonds companies. A defense lawyer can assist in securing a bail bonds company from a legitimate vendor.

Most municipalities have their own small jails with bail procedures. For example, the Anaheim Detention Facility houses people recently arrested by the Anaheim police.⁸

For Anaheim, or any small jail, detainees are typically there only a short time before being transferred to the Orange County system. So it is important to act quickly to post bail for an arrestee at the municipal location.

First, you should confirm that the arrestee is being held at the municipal facility. In Anaheim, searchers can use the Online Custody Search Tool to determine if an individual is in jail. Alternatively, phone the facility at (714) 765-1988.

Anaheim Detention Facility
425 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92805

The jail is open for posting bail 24 hours a day through self bail or bail bonds. Bail may be paid in cash, bank check, money order, travelers check, or by bail bond.

However, be prepared to adapt and use the information about the Orange County system. Inmates at the local jails are often moved to the county facilities quickly before there is time to get all the information and post the bail.

No matter the circumstances, an arrest is an important record of an incident that may have criminal implications. Individuals searching for their own previous records, concerned citizens, or family members trying to post bail all benefit from timely and accurate information about arrests, detention, and bail.

Use this resource to conduct free Orange County arrest records that return valuable information for all record seekers.