Santa Clara Arrest Records

Recent arrest records for the city of Santa Clara are available through two main channels. The Santa Clara Police Department publishes a public arrest log, and the county sheriff maintains the jail inmate database. People arrested in Santa Clara by city officers get booked into the Santa Clara County jail system. The county's online inmate search tool lets you look up anyone currently in custody. It is free and open to the public. Santa Clara has about 130,000 residents and sits in the heart of Silicon Valley, right next to San Jose. The city runs its own police force, but jail operations fall to the county.

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Santa Clara Arrest Log and Police Records

The Santa Clara Police Department publishes an arrest log on its website. This log shows recent arrests made by city officers. It provides a local view of booking activity specific to Santa Clara. The log typically includes the arrested person's name, the date and time of the arrest, and the charges. It is one of the few city-level arrest logs available in Santa Clara County.

The police department is located at 601 El Camino Real in Santa Clara, CA 95050. The general phone number is (408) 615-4700. The records section handles report requests. If you need a copy of an arrest report from a Santa Clara case, contact the records team. Response times follow the California Public Records Act, which gives agencies 10 days to determine if they will release the records.

Note: The arrest log shows activity from Santa Clara PD only, not from other agencies that may operate in the area.

Santa Clara Arrests in the County Jail System

After booking, people arrested in Santa Clara are housed in Santa Clara County jail facilities. The main jail is at 150 West Hedding Street in San Jose, CA 95110. The county sheriff runs the entire jail system. All booking data goes into the county database, which is where the public search tool pulls from.

The Santa Clara County inmate search lets you find anyone in county custody. You need either the booking number, the person file number, or the person's name combined with their date of birth or booking date. The system runs nearly all the time. Maintenance happens every Monday from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM. Outside that window, the search is available. Results include charges, bail, housing location, and booking information.

The inmate information line is (408) 299-2305. It operates seven days a week, from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM. The Records Division can be reached at (408) 808-4705 during business hours. Both are resources for getting information about Santa Clara arrests that went through the county system.

How to Look Up Santa Clara Recent Arrests

There are several ways to find arrest information in Santa Clara. You can use the city's arrest log for recent activity, the county's inmate search for jail data, or call for phone-based lookups.

Check the Santa Clara PD arrest log for recent local arrests
Search the Santa Clara County inmate lookup for current custody status
Call the county inmate line at (408) 299-2305
Contact Santa Clara PD Records at (408) 615-4700 for arrest report copies
Register with VINE at 877-411-5588 for custody status notifications

The city arrest log and the county inmate search serve different purposes. The arrest log tells you who Santa Clara PD recently arrested. The county search tells you who is currently in jail. Someone could appear on the arrest log but not in the county search if they posted bail quickly. Or they could be in the county system but not on the city log if a different agency made the arrest within Santa Clara's jurisdiction. Using both gives the most complete picture.

Santa Clara Arrest Disclosure Under State Law

California Government Code 7923.610 controls what arrest data must be public. It applies to Santa Clara PD and every other law enforcement agency in the state. The law says agencies must disclose nine categories of information about each arrest. That includes the full name and occupation, physical description, date of birth, arrest time and date, booking time and date, location of the arrest, the factual circumstances, bail amount, release or custody status, and all charges including warrants and holds.

The DOJ online request form below shows one way California residents can request public records from the state Attorney General.

California DOJ online public records request form for Santa Clara arrest data

The DOJ Public Records Act form lets you submit requests electronically. It goes directly to the Public Records Coordinator. Note that this form does not handle criminal history requests. For your own record, you need the Live Scan process. For Santa Clara PD records, contact the city directly.

Clearing a Santa Clara Arrest Record

A Santa Clara arrest that resulted in no conviction can potentially be sealed. Under Penal Code 851.87, you can petition the Santa Clara County Superior Court. If granted, the arrest record gets sealed from public access. Most background checks will not reveal it. You can legally say you were not arrested for that charge. This helps with employment, housing, and other situations where a clean record matters.

AB 1076 created an automatic version of this relief. The DOJ reviews records monthly and clears qualifying misdemeanor arrests from January 2021 forward. Dismissed charges and arrests with no case filing within a year are eligible. The person does not need to do anything. The system processes it automatically. For people who were arrested in Santa Clara and had charges dropped, this is a significant benefit.

California DOJ Record Check for Santa Clara

The DOJ record review lets you see your full criminal history from Santa Clara and every other jurisdiction in California. You submit fingerprints through Live Scan and pay $25. Fee waivers are available for qualifying individuals. The DOJ sends results by mail. This is the most complete way to see what is on your record. If you find errors from a Santa Clara arrest, use form BCIA 8706 to challenge them. The Record Review Unit phone is (916) 227-3849.

The CDCR CIRIS database is available for looking up state prison inmates. Someone sentenced to state prison after a Santa Clara arrest would appear there. County jail inmates are only in the Santa Clara County search. CIRIS is free and you can search by name or CDCR number.

Note: The DOJ record review only returns your own record, not information about other people.

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