Dana Point is built around its harbour. Roughly 33,000 people live here, and the marina, the Ocean Institute and the whale-watching and sportfishing fleet put a very large transient and recreational population on the water and along Pacific Coast Highway.

That gives Dana Point a practical wrinkle inland cities do not have: an incident on the water may involve a different unit from one on the street.

Who makes the arrest in Dana Point

Dana Point contracts its law enforcement to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Several neighbouring south county cities are policed the same way, including San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo; further north, Stanton, Villa Park and Yorba Linda are too.

• Dana Point Police Services — 33282 Golden Lantern, Suite 140, Dana Point, CA 92629 — unlike some contract cities, the station really is in the city
• General information: (949) 248-3531, office hours Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Non-emergency dispatch, calls for service and traffic collisions: (949) 770-6011, or (714) 647-7000
• Emergencies: 911

The Sheriff describes the Dana Point assignment as 25 full-time deputies, six sergeants and six parking control officers, one of them funded by the Dana Point Harbor Department.

That changes the first few hours. There is no city jail to hold someone in while booking is sorted out. Deputies handle the arrest from the outset, which usually means a more direct route into the county system — typically the Orange County Intake Release Center at 550 N. Flower Street in Santa Ana, and if release does not happen first, county housing may be at the James A. Musick Facility in Irvine or Theo Lacy in Orange. The Sheriff publishes no fixed sequence and no timings, so confirm the current location rather than assuming it.

The water is covered by a different unit. The Sheriff states that its Harbor Patrol Bureau “provides around-the-clock law enforcement, marine fire fighting and search/rescue services along the 48 miles of Orange County coastline and within the county’s three major harbors at Newport Beach, Sunset-Huntington and Dana Point”, headquartered in Newport Beach. An incident on the water and one on the street can both end in the same county custody system, but the unit involved — and therefore who to ring first — may differ. Tell us where it happened.

Boating-related offences are governed by their own provisions rather than the Vehicle Code sections that apply to driving on land, and we are not attorneys — questions about how a particular charge will be treated belong with one.

Where a bond can actually be posted for a Dana Point arrest

Nothing about this happens in Dana Point. Neither the City nor the Sheriff publishes any local booking, custody or bail function at the Golden Lantern station, so do not drive there expecting to hand over a bond. Under Penal Code section 1269b the officer in charge of a jail may accept bail on the uniform countywide schedule, and the Sheriff lists only two places where that happens:

• Intake Release Center — 550 N. Flower Street, Santa Ana. Bonds are accepted 24 hours a day. (714) 647-6085.
• Theo Lacy Facility — 501 The City Drive South, Orange. Bonds are accepted daily 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (714) 935-6905.
• Bonds are not accepted at the James A. Musick Facility. It is the closest county jail to much of south county, and it is the one place people most often drive to by mistake.

The Sheriff lists the accepted forms of payment as cash, bank cashier’s cheques, personal cheques presented with two forms of identification, money orders and traveller’s cheques. Bail for a case in any court outside Orange County must be cash. Because these details change, ring the facility — or ring us on (714) 520-2002 and we will confirm before anyone sets off.

How to find someone after a Dana Point arrest

Start with the county inmate search rather than ringing round. A Dana Point arrest made by Sheriff’s deputies goes into the same county system, so the search is the quickest way to establish where the person actually is and what the bail amount is. Our guide to the Orange County jail system explains what the record shows and what it does not. If nothing appears yet, that usually means booking is still in progress — check again rather than assuming an error.

How bail is set

Under Penal Code section 1269b, the superior court judges of each county must adopt and annually revise a uniform countywide bail schedule, and the officer in charge of the jail where a person is held is among those authorised to approve and accept bail. In practice the amount is frequently fixed before anyone appears in front of a judge. Because that authority sits with the facility, posting on the schedule does not require waiting for a court date. We cannot promise how long any release takes.

Which courthouse handles the case

• Harbor Justice Center — 4601 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA 92660
• Phone: (657) 622-5400
• Handles traffic, minor offences and criminal matters

Harbor serves more than twenty south county communities, including Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

Our nearest office to Dana Point

American Freedom Bail Bonds has no office in Dana Point. Our three physical offices are Anaheim, Brea and La Habra, in the north of the county. Dana Point is a service area we cover from them, principally Anaheim.

Because sheriff-policed arrests here are routed north to the county Intake Release Center in Santa Ana — where our agents already work daily — distance matters far less than it looks. Paperwork can be completed electronically from anywhere.

Charges we are called about most

• DUI — Vehicle Code section 23152 sets 0.08% for most drivers and 0.04% for commercial drivers and those carrying passengers for hire.
• Public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
• Domestic violence — Penal Code section 1270.1 requires a hearing in open court, on two court days’ written notice, before release on own recognisance or at a non-schedule amount for certain of these charges.
• Misdemeanours and felony charges — Penal Code section 17 draws the distinction, with the wobbler rule in section 17(b).
• Drug charges and warrants.
• All bail services and payment plans.

Nearby areas we also serve

• San Juan Capistrano — inland, same courthouse and sheriff contract
• San Clemente — down the coast, same courthouse
• Laguna Beach — up the coast, but with its own police department
• Mission Viejo — inland, same courthouse

See also Orange County bail bonds and our service areas.

Common questions

The incident happened on the water. Does that change things?

It can change which unit handled it and therefore where we start looking, and offences on the water are governed by different provisions from driving on land. The county custody and bail process that follows is the same. We are not attorneys and cannot advise on the charge itself.

Why is there no Dana Point police station holding him?

Because the city contracts policing to the Orange County Sheriff and has no municipal jail. Expect the county Intake Release Center in Santa Ana.

Which courthouse?

The Harbor Justice Center at 4601 Jamboree Road in Newport Beach.

We are visiting. Do we need to be here in person?

No. Documents can be completed and signed electronically, and the posting happens at the facility holding the person.

Official sources

• City of Dana Point — Police Services (station address, general information line, office hours)
• Orange County Sheriff’s Department — Dana Point Police Services and Harbor Patrol Bureau
• Orange County Sheriff’s Department — cashier and bail information (Intake Release Center and Theo Lacy hours and payment forms)
• Superior Court of California, County of Orange — Harbor Justice Center location and communities served
• California Penal Code sections 1269b and 1270.1

Where the City and the Sheriff publish different numbers we list both, labelled, rather than choosing one for you.

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Please note: American Freedom Bail Bonds is a licensed bail bond agency, not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and we cannot guarantee a bail amount, a release time, eligibility for release, or the outcome of any case. Court and jail information can change — always confirm details directly with the facility or the court. California bail licence 1841014.