Sunnyvale Recent Arrests

Searching for recent arrests in Sunnyvale starts with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's inmate lookup system. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety handles law enforcement in the city, combining police and fire services into one agency. People arrested in Sunnyvale get booked into the Santa Clara County jail system. The county maintains the online search tool where you can find current inmates. Arrest reports and booking data from Sunnyvale feed into this county database. The search is free and does not require an account. You just need a name or booking number to get started.

Sunnyvale Arrest Records Through Santa Clara County

The Santa Clara County Sheriff operates the jail system that processes Sunnyvale arrests. The main jail sits at 150 West Hedding Street in San Jose. When Sunnyvale officers arrest someone, that person is transported to a county facility for booking. All booking data enters the county database at that point. The information includes the person's name, charges, bail amount, booking date, and housing location within the jail.

The Santa Clara County inmate search is your main tool for finding someone arrested in Sunnyvale. You need either a booking number, a person file number, or the person's name plus their date of birth or booking date. The system is available almost all the time. There is a short maintenance window every Monday between 12:30 AM and 2:00 AM when it goes offline. Outside that window, you can search any time.

You can also call the inmate information line at (408) 299-2305. It runs seven days a week from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM. The Records Division phone number is (408) 808-4705 for report requests.

Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Records

Sunnyvale is unusual among California cities. It runs a Department of Public Safety rather than a separate police department. Officers are cross-trained in both law enforcement and fire response. For arrest records, this does not change much from a practical standpoint. The DPS records division handles requests for reports the same way a regular police department would. You contact them for copies of arrest reports, incident reports, and other records generated by Sunnyvale officers.

The Sunnyvale DPS is located at 700 All America Way in Sunnyvale. The general number is (408) 730-7100. For records requests, you may need to submit a written request or use the city's online portal. Response times follow the California Public Records Act, which gives agencies 10 days to determine whether records are disclosable. Copies of reports typically cost a small fee.

Note: The DPS does not house inmates long-term, so booking searches go through the county system.

How to Find Sunnyvale Arrest Information

There are multiple paths to finding arrest records in Sunnyvale. The right one depends on what you need and how recent the arrest is. Here is a rundown of your main options.

• Use the Santa Clara County inmate search for current jail custody status
• Call the county inmate line at (408) 299-2305 for phone-based lookups
• Contact Sunnyvale DPS at (408) 730-7100 for local arrest report copies
• Register with VINE at 877-411-5588 for automated custody change alerts

The county inmate search covers every agency in Santa Clara County, not just Sunnyvale. If someone was arrested by Sunnyvale DPS but transferred to another facility, they still show up in the same search. The database updates frequently. If someone was just booked, it may take a short time for their information to appear. Check back if an initial search comes up empty and you believe an arrest was recent.

For older records that are no longer in the active inmate system, you will need to contact the records division directly. The county or Sunnyvale DPS can help depending on who made the arrest. Archived records may take longer to retrieve.

Sunnyvale Arrest Disclosure Under California Law

California requires all law enforcement agencies to release basic arrest information. Government Code 7923.610 spells out exactly what must be shared. This includes the arrested person's full name, occupation, physical description, date of birth, the time and date of the arrest, the time and date of booking, the arrest location, the circumstances around the arrest, bail amount, release details, and all charges. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety must follow this law. So does the Santa Clara County Sheriff.

There are narrow exceptions. If releasing a specific detail would put someone in danger or would hurt an ongoing investigation, the agency can withhold that one detail. But the rest still has to come out. This law has been in effect since January 1, 2023, and it makes Sunnyvale arrest records more transparent than they were under the old rules.

Sealing Sunnyvale Arrest Records

Not every arrest leads to a conviction. If you were arrested in Sunnyvale and the case was dismissed or never filed, you may be able to seal that record. Penal Code 851.87 provides a way to petition the court. Once the record is sealed, most background checks will not show it. You can legally say you were not arrested for that charge. The petition goes to Santa Clara County Superior Court.

The CDCR CIRIS database shown below can be used to look up individuals serving state prison sentences after a Sunnyvale arrest.

The CIRIS system from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation covers state prison inmates only. Someone who was arrested in Sunnyvale and sentenced to state prison would appear here. County jail inmates show up in the Santa Clara County search instead.

California also offers automatic relief under AB 1076. The DOJ reviews records monthly and clears qualifying arrests from January 2021 forward. Dismissed misdemeanor charges and arrests with no filing within a year are eligible. You do not need to file anything for this process.

Note: Automatic relief does not cover felony arrests or cases that resulted in a conviction.

California DOJ Background Check for Sunnyvale

The California Department of Justice record review lets individuals check their own criminal history. This covers arrests from Sunnyvale and every other jurisdiction in California. You submit Live Scan fingerprints and pay a $25 fee. Fee waivers exist for those who cannot afford it. The DOJ sends your complete criminal history summary by mail. This is the most thorough way to see what shows up on your record from a Sunnyvale arrest. Third-party requests are not processed. Only your own record.

The DOJ Record Review Unit can be reached at (916) 227-3849. The mailing address is P.O. Box 160207, Sacramento, CA 95816-0207. If your record has errors, you can challenge them using form BCIA 8706 after receiving your review results.

Sunnyvale Arrest Records County Info

Arrests in Sunnyvale are processed through the Santa Clara County jail system. The county sheriff handles booking and maintains the inmate database for all cities in the county.

Nearby California Cities

These cities are near Sunnyvale and share the same county or regional jail systems. Each has its own arrest records page.