Search Santa Clara County Arrests

Santa Clara County recent arrests are searchable through the sheriff's inmate lookup tool. The county is the most populous in the Bay Area, with nearly two million residents spread across cities like San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara. The Sheriff's Office runs the Main Jail in San Jose, where most people booked in the county end up. You can search by name, booking number, or person file number. The tool is free to use and available around the clock. Results show charges, bail, booking dates, and the facility where the person is being held. Anyone can look up recent arrest records without creating an account.

Santa Clara County Inmate Search

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office operates an online inmate search portal where you can look up current booking records. The system requires you to provide either a booking number (called CEN), a person file number (PFN), or the inmate's name along with a date of birth or booking date. This is a bit more specific than what some other California counties ask for. Having the exact name and at least one date helps the system pull the right record quickly. Results include the person's charges, bail amount, booking date, and housing location within the jail system.

The Main Jail sits at 150 West Hedding Street in San Jose. This is where most arrests in Santa Clara County are processed. The Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas also holds inmates. Both locations feed into the same online search system. You can call the Inmate Information Line at (408) 299-2305 seven days a week from 5 AM to 1 AM if you prefer to check by phone. The Records Division is reachable at (408) 808-4705 for formal records requests.

Note: The online system goes down briefly every Monday between 12:30 AM and 2 AM for scheduled maintenance.

Santa Clara County Arrest Lookup Portal

The sheriff's Find Inmate tool is the primary way to search recent arrest records in Santa Clara County.

This page shows a search form that connects to real-time booking data from the county's jail facilities. The database updates throughout the day as new arrests come in.

Once you find a record, you can see all the charges listed against the person. Bail amounts follow the Santa Clara County bail schedule. Some people have multiple charges with separate bail amounts for each. The total bail is the sum of all individual amounts. If a charge carries no bail, the person must wait for a judge to set conditions at a court hearing. Santa Clara County processes a large volume of bookings each week given its population, so the tool may show dozens of new entries on any given day. The search only shows people who are currently in custody, not those who have already been released.

Arrest Record Laws in Santa Clara County

California law mandates that law enforcement agencies share certain arrest details with the public. Government Code 7923.610 lists exactly what must be made public: the arrested person's full name, physical description, date of birth, time and date of both the arrest and the booking, arrest location, the circumstances of the arrest, bail amount, and all charges. This law took effect on January 1, 2023. It replaced older provisions and gave the public a clear right to access booking data from agencies like the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.

The law does include exceptions. If sharing a specific piece of information would put someone at risk or compromise an investigation, the agency can hold it back. But those situations are rare for routine booking data. Most recent arrests in Santa Clara County are fully visible through the online system.

For more detailed records, you can submit a public records request under the California Public Records Act. The agency has 10 days to respond. Arrest reports may have some portions redacted, but the basic booking information is almost always available.

Santa Clara County Booking Process

When someone gets arrested in Santa Clara County, the arresting officer transports them to a booking facility. San Jose Police, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, and other local agencies all bring arrested people to the Main Jail on Hedding Street or to Elmwood in Milpitas. The booking process starts with recording the person's name, date of birth, and physical description. Fingerprints are taken. A booking photo is captured. All charges from the arresting agency go into the system. A bail amount is set based on the county schedule.

The whole booking process can take several hours. Once it is complete, the arrest record appears in the online search system. Some people are released quickly on bail or on their own recognizance. Others stay in custody until a judge sees them. Court hearings for new arrests in Santa Clara County typically happen within 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays. The inmate's housing assignment within the jail depends on the severity of charges and other factors.

Sealing Arrests in Santa Clara County

If you were arrested in Santa Clara County and the case did not end in a conviction, you may qualify to have the arrest record sealed. Penal Code 851.87 allows people to petition the court for this relief. You file the petition with Santa Clara County Superior Court. If granted, the record is sealed. You can legally say you were not arrested for that charge going forward. Most background checks will not show it.

There is also an automatic process under Penal Code 851.93 (AB 1076). The California DOJ reviews records on a monthly basis. If a misdemeanor arrest from January 1, 2021, or later resulted in dismissed charges or no filing within one year, the DOJ grants automatic relief. No petition is needed. This covers Santa Clara County arrests the same as arrests made anywhere else in the state.

Other Santa Clara County Resources

The state's CDCR inmate locator (CIRIS) can help if someone arrested in Santa Clara County was later sentenced to state prison. CIRIS only covers state prison inmates, not county jail. For county-level booking data, stick with the sheriff's search tool. The California DOJ also offers a record review process for people who want a copy of their own criminal history. It costs $25 and requires Live Scan fingerprints.

Victims can sign up for VINE alerts by calling 877-411-5588. VINE notifies you when an inmate's custody status changes. It covers releases, transfers, and other status updates. This is useful if you want to know when someone leaves Santa Clara County jail without having to check the online tool repeatedly.

Note: Criminal history records obtained through the DOJ record review are for personal use only and cannot be used for immigration or visa purposes.

Santa Clara County Arrests by City

Several large cities in Santa Clara County have their own police departments. Arrests made by these departments are processed through the county jail system. Here are cities with their own arrest records pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Santa Clara County and each has its own arrest record lookup system.