How to Find Out Where Someone Is Being Held in Southern California

The fastest way to find out where someone is being held in Southern California is to search the online inmate locator run by the Sheriff in the county where they were arrested. You will need their full legal name, and a date of birth helps when the name is common. If they don't show up right away, that usually means they are still being booked or are sitting in a city police jail, not that they are lost.

Below is where to search in each of the five big Southern California counties, what to do when the search comes back empty, and how to check federal and state prison systems.

What information do you need before you search?

Have these ready before you start. They save time on the website and on the phone.

• Full legal name, spelled the way it appears on their ID. Try their legal first name, not a nickname.
• Date of birth. Not every locator asks for it, but it helps you pick the right person when several people share a name, and jail staff often ask for it on the phone.
• Where and when they were arrested, as closely as you know. This tells you which county to search first and which police agency made the arrest.
• Booking number, if you find one. Write it down. It is the easiest way to look the person up again and the first thing a bail agent will ask for.

Riverside County

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department links its Inmate Locator from its Corrections page. The same page lists each jail and its phone number, including the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio and the Blythe Jail.

If the online search is not loading, call the jail closest to where the arrest happened. Our guide to the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside covers what families should know about that jail. For more on the county's courts and jails, see our Riverside County bail bonds page.

San Bernardino County

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department runs an Inmate Locator on its website. Once you find the person, the same page lets you schedule a visit online, Tuesday at midnight through Saturday at 11:59 p.m., or by calling (909) 887-0364 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

One of the county's main jails is the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Our San Bernardino County page covers the other facilities.

Orange County

The Orange County Sheriff's Department posts its Inmate Information System on ocsheriff.gov, along with a separate Booking Log. Two things to know before you start:

• You have to create a free account on the Sheriff's Public Services Portal, using an email address and password, before you can search.
• The current version of the system does not show charges. You may need to call to get those details.

The county's booking jail is the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. See our Orange County page for the county's other jails, including Theo Lacy.

San Diego County

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office runs a search called Who's In Jail. You search by last name and first name, and each needs at least two letters. A few things the Sheriff notes on that page:

• The site goes down for maintenance every Wednesday at noon, usually for about 30 minutes.
• Release dates shown may not be accurate right now, so call the facility to confirm.
• Arrests by the Chula Vista Police Department are listed on a separate Chula Vista PD site, not in Who's In Jail.

Our guide to San Diego Central Jail downtown explains what to expect there. Our San Diego County page has the rest.

Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department runs the Inmate Information Center, linked as "Find an Inmate" on lasd.org. The LAPD also directs families to this same search for people arrested by LAPD, and notes that bookings from the last two hours may not appear yet.

Our guide to the Inmate Reception Center in downtown Los Angeles explains what to expect there. For more, see our Los Angeles County page.

Why someone might not show up yet

An empty search is one of the most stressful moments for a family, but it is very common. These are the usual reasons.

They are still being booked

Booking is a process, and a new arrest may not appear online until it is done. The LAPD, for example, notes that bookings from the last two hours may not show up in the search. If you searched right after the arrest, wait a couple of hours and try again.

They are in a city police jail

Many cities run their own jails. A person arrested by a city police department may be held there first and moved to the county jail later, or released from there. While they are in a city jail, they may not appear in the county Sheriff's locator.

They were transferred

People get moved between facilities for court, housing or medical reasons. If a record shows one jail and the jail says the person isn't there, ask where they were sent. Search again in a few hours.

The name or county is different than you think

Try alternate spellings, hyphenated last names, a middle name used as a first name, and nearby counties. An arrest on a freeway or near a county line can land someone in a jail you weren't expecting.

They were already released

Some people are cited and released, or released on their own recognizance, before family members ever hear about the arrest. Try their phone and the people they would call.

City police jails

If you know which city police department made the arrest, call that department's non-emergency line and ask for the jail. For example, the City of Fullerton says arrestees are typically housed in the Fullerton Police Department Jail while they wait to go to court, and that its jailer can tell you whether the person is still there or has been moved to the Orange County Jail.

In Los Angeles, LAPD's Custody Services Division runs three jails: the Metropolitan Detention Center, the 77th Street Regional Jail and the Valley Regional Jail. Its main line is (213) 356-3400.

Not every city has its own jail, and policies are different from city to city. When in doubt, call the arresting agency and ask where the person was taken.

Federal custody: the BOP Inmate Locator

If the case is federal, the person won't show up in a county search. The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present. You can search by name (first and last required) or by a BOP register number. The BOP notes that a result showing "Not in BOP Custody" can mean the person is being held by another agency.

Federal cases also use a different bail system than California county cases. A county bail bond doesn't apply to a federal hold.

State prison: the CDCR locator

If someone has already been sentenced to state prison, look them up with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's CIRIS search. It covers people in CDCR custody and shows their current location, CDCR number and commitment county. People in county jail awaiting trial will not appear there.

Once you find them

Write down the booking number, the facility name and the bail amount, if one is listed. Some records will show "no bail" or no amount yet, which can mean the person is still being processed or has to see a judge first. A bail agent can check the details with the jail and tell you what your options are. If you want to understand the steps before you call, read how bail works in California.

Need help now?

If you can't find your loved one, or you found them and want to post bail, OnCall's licensed bail agents answer 24/7 in English and Spanish. We can help you track down where someone is being held, and you can sign everything from your phone. Call (951) 339-3801 or start bail online.