Alameda County Arrest Records
Alameda County police blotter records show recent arrests and jail bookings across the county. The sheriff office runs an online inmate locator that tracks people booked into county facilities. You can search by name or booking number to find arrest information. Law enforcement agencies in Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, and other cities report bookings to the county system. Most records appear online within hours of an arrest. The database includes names, charges, booking dates, and current custody status for people held in Alameda County jails.
Alameda County Quick Facts
Alameda County Sheriff Office Records
The Alameda County Sheriff Office maintains all jail records for the county. Two main facilities handle bookings. Santa Rita Jail in Dublin holds most adult inmates. Glenn Dyer Jail sits in downtown Oakland. Both jails feed data into one online system. Staff update the database throughout the day as new arrests come in.
You can search arrest records on the Alameda County Sheriff inmate locator. The site lets you look up current inmates by name. Results show booking dates and charges. The system also displays housing location and bail amounts. Not all arrests appear immediately. Some records stay hidden under Government Code Section 6254(f) for active investigations. Most bookings show up within a few hours of processing at the jail.
The sheriff office phone line is (925) 551-6500 for general questions about arrest records. Staff can help if you cannot find someone in the online database. Visiting hours and inmate mail rules are posted on the sheriff website. For records requests beyond booking logs, contact the Records Division in person or through their public records portal.
Search Alameda County Arrest Logs
Start your search on the online inmate locator. Enter a first and last name. You can also search by booking number if you have it. The system checks both Santa Rita Jail and Glenn Dyer Jail at once. Results come back fast. Click on a name to see more details about the arrest and current custody status in Alameda County.
The database shows current inmates only. Once someone gets released or transferred, their record may disappear from the search tool. For historical arrest information, you need to file a public records request. The California Public Records Act lets anyone ask for booking logs from past dates. Requests take up to ten days under state law. Use the contact information above to submit a written request for old arrest records in Alameda County.
Police Departments in Alameda County
Many cities in Alameda County run their own police departments. Each department makes arrests and books people into county jail. Oakland Police Department serves the largest city. Fremont Police, Hayward Police, and Berkeley Police also handle significant call volumes. Albany, Piedmont, and Emeryville have smaller departments. All of them use Santa Rita Jail or Glenn Dyer Jail for adult bookings.
Some cities contract with the sheriff office for law enforcement. These include Dublin, Pleasanton, and parts of unincorporated areas. When sheriff deputies make an arrest in these areas, the booking goes straight into the county system. Either way, you can search for arrest records through the same sheriff website regardless of which agency made the arrest in Alameda County.
Oakland maintains its own records portal at oaklandca.nextrequest.com for police reports and other documents. Fremont and Berkeley also have records request systems. These portals handle incident reports but not live booking logs. For current arrest information across the whole county, use the sheriff inmate locator as your main search tool in Alameda County.
California Law and Arrest Records
State law requires police to release certain booking information. Government Code Section 7923.600 lists what agencies must make public. This includes the name and occupation of every arrested person. Agencies must share physical descriptions like date of birth, eye color, hair color, sex, height, and weight. The time and date of arrest must be disclosed along with the booking time. Location of the arrest and the factual circumstances get released too. Bail amounts are public information under this law in California.
Some arrest records stay confidential during active investigations. Penal Code Section 11105 protects detailed criminal history summaries from public view. These are available only to law enforcement and authorized agencies. The California Department of Justice keeps master records for the whole state. Local agencies like the Alameda County Sheriff compile their own summary records under Penal Code Section 13300. These local summaries can be released if doing so would enhance public safety.
You have the right to review your own criminal record in California. The DOJ Record Review process lets you see what arrests and convictions are on file. You must submit fingerprints at a Live Scan location. The fee is $25. Processing takes several weeks. If you find errors, you can challenge them through the Record Review Unit. This helps ensure Alameda County arrest records stay accurate and complete for background checks.
Alameda County Jail Facilities
Santa Rita Jail is one of the largest county jails in California. It sits in Dublin at 5325 Broder Boulevard. The jail holds over 2,000 inmates at any given time. Men and women are housed in separate units. Booking happens around the clock. New arrests come in from police departments across the county. Processing can take several hours depending on how busy the jail is that day.
Glenn Dyer Jail operates in downtown Oakland. This facility handles some overflow from Santa Rita. It also serves as a holding area for court appearances at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse next door. Both jails follow the same rules for visits, phone calls, and mail. Family members can check the inmate locator to see which facility is holding their loved one after an arrest in Alameda County.
The jail phone system lets inmates make collect calls. You can also set up a prepaid account to receive calls. Mail sent to inmates goes through security screening. Photos and letters are allowed but packages are not. Visit the sheriff website for the complete list of rules about what you can send to people in custody at Alameda County jails.
Note: Inmates are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Other Record Sources in Alameda County
Court records provide more detail about what happens after an arrest. The Alameda County Superior Court handles all criminal cases. You can search case information online through the court website. Docket entries show charges, hearings, and outcomes. Some records are sealed or confidential. Most adult criminal cases are public once filed with the court in Alameda County.
The District Attorney prosecutes felonies and serious misdemeanors. Their office keeps files on active cases. You can request public records from the DA through standard channels. The Public Defender represents people who cannot afford a lawyer. Both offices are located at the courthouse complex in Oakland. They handle cases that begin with arrests reported in the police blotter for Alameda County.
For people in California state prison, use the CDCR inmate search instead of county resources. State inmates are no longer in county custody. The CIRIS database tracks prison locations and release dates. County jails hold people awaiting trial or serving short sentences under one year. Longer sentences get served in state prison. Use the right database depending on where the person is housed after their arrest in Alameda County.
Major Cities in Alameda County
Several large cities in Alameda County have their own pages with local arrest information and police department details.
Other cities in Alameda County include Livermore, San Leandro, Alameda, Pleasanton, Union City, Newark, Dublin, Emeryville, Albany, and Piedmont. All arrests in these cities are processed through Alameda County jail facilities.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Alameda County. Each has its own sheriff office and jail system with separate booking logs and inmate search tools.