Los Alamitos is one of the smallest cities in Orange County — roughly 11,500 residents in about four square miles, tucked against the Los Angeles County line beside Long Beach and the unincorporated community of Rossmoor.

Small does not mean simple. Two practical details shape most Los Alamitos calls.

The Friday problem

The Los Alamitos Police Department is at 3201 Katella Avenue, Los Alamitos, CA 90720, with a published number of (562) 431-2255. The department publishes business hours of Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Fridays, weekends and holidays.

That is the public counter only. If your question is a counter question, a Friday or weekend visit will not get it answered — but you are not stuck until Monday. The City publishes a 24-hour service and dispatch line on (562) 594-7232, and a Watch Commander on (562) 431-2255 extension 426. Hours do change, so confirm before you drive over. We are available at any hour regardless.

Dispatch is not run in-house. The City describes it as the “West Cities Police Communications Center (West-Comm), a Joint Powers Authority serving Los Alamitos, Cypress, Seal Beach, and Orange County Park Rangers” — roughly 25,000 emergency 911 calls a year for a combined population of about 100,000. It is the same centre that answers for its neighbours, which is worth knowing if you are told to call a different city’s number.

The county line

Los Alamitos borders Los Angeles County directly. An arrest made by Long Beach police or the Los Angeles County Sheriff is an entirely separate system — different jails, different courthouse, and a separate countywide bail schedule under Penal Code section 1269b, which requires each county’s judges to adopt and annually revise their own uniform schedule.

The city is also home to the Joint Forces Training Base, and the 605 and 22 freeways meet nearby — both of which put a lot of through-traffic into a very small city.

Where someone is held

Los Alamitos publishes no jail page, no custody division and no bail procedure. Its Records Bureau handles records management, subpoenas, property and evidence, court paperwork, case tracking from arrest to disposition, record checks and vehicle releases — but bail is not among the published functions. So we will not describe a city holding stage as though it were documented.

• Los Alamitos Police Department — 3201 Katella Avenue, Los Alamitos, CA 90720
• Main line: (562) 431-2255 · Watch Commander extension 426
• 24-hour service and dispatch: (562) 594-7232
• Lobby: Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Fridays, weekends and holidays
• Emergencies: 911

Where custody moves to the county, that runs through the Orange County Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. If release does not happen first, county housing may be at Theo Lacy in Orange or Musick in Irvine. The Sheriff publishes no fixed sequence and no timings, so confirm the current location rather than assuming it.

Where a bond can actually be posted for a Los Alamitos arrest

Los Alamitos publishes no bail-posting procedure — no jail page, no payment methods, no bail counter hours — and bail is not listed among the Records Bureau’s published functions. We are not going to tell you bail is taken at Katella Avenue when the City does not document it. Ask on the 24-hour line, (562) 594-7232, which is reachable when the lobby is not. Under Penal Code section 1269b the authority to accept bail on the countywide schedule sits with the officer in charge of the facility actually holding the person.

On the county side the position is published and does not close for the weekend. The Intake Release Center, 550 N. Flower Street, Santa Ana, accepts bonds 24 hours a day on (714) 647-6085. Theo Lacy, 501 The City Drive South, Orange, accepts them daily between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on (714) 935-6905. Accepted forms are cash, bank cashier’s cheques, personal cheques (two forms of identification), money orders and traveller’s cheques — and bail for any court outside Orange County must be paid in cash.

How to find someone after a Los Alamitos arrest

Start with the 24-hour line on (562) 594-7232. For anyone in county custody, use the Sheriff’s locator — see find an inmate for the search path, or Orange County jails for the facilities themselves. Have the full legal name and date of birth ready, and note that a very recent booking may not appear straight away. If the arrest turns out to be on the Los Angeles County side, it is a different sheriff and a different locator entirely — see our Los Angeles County guide.

Which courthouse handles the case

• Stephen K. Tamura — West Justice Center — 8141 13th Street, Westminster, CA 92683
• Phone: (657) 622-5900
• Handles traffic, minor offences and criminal matters

The nine cities it serves are Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton and Westminster. Full security facility — weapons screening and x-ray on entry.

Our nearest office to Los Alamitos

We have no office in Los Alamitos. American Freedom Bail Bonds has three physical offices — Anaheim, Brea and La Habra — and Los Alamitos is a service area covered from them. Our La Habra and Anaheim offices both work this corner of the county, and because we operate on both sides of the county line we can establish which system applies.

Charges we see most often in Los Alamitos

• DUI — Vehicle Code section 23152 sets 0.08% for most drivers and 0.04% for commercial drivers and those carrying passengers for hire.
• Misdemeanours and felony charges — Penal Code section 17 defines the categories and section 17(b) the wobbler rule.
• Domestic violence, drug charges and warrants.
• All bail services and payment plans.

Nearby cities we also serve

• Seal Beach — to the south-west, same courthouse
• Cypress — to the north-east, same courthouse
• La Palma — to the north, a different courthouse
• Westminster — to the south-east, where the courthouse sits

See also Orange County bail bonds and our service areas.

Common questions

The police station is closed on Friday. Does that stop bail?

No. Those are public counter hours. Under Penal Code section 1269b the authority to accept bail on the countywide schedule sits with the officer in charge of the facility holding the person, not with a front desk. The City also publishes a 24-hour service and dispatch line on (562) 594-7232. We are reachable at any hour.

Is this an Orange County or a Los Angeles County case?

It depends on which agency made the arrest. Los Alamitos Police means Orange County. Long Beach police or the LA County Sheriff means Los Angeles County, with a different courthouse and a separate bail schedule. We work both.

Which courthouse?

The West Justice Center at 8141 13th Street in Westminster. Los Alamitos is one of the nine cities it serves.

Do we need to come to an office?

No. Paperwork can be completed electronically and an agent can meet you at the jail or the court.

Official sources

• Los Alamitos Police — About Us — address, lobby hours, 24-hour dispatch and Watch Commander
• Los Alamitos Police — Investigations and Administrative Services — West-Comm and the Records Bureau functions
• OC Sheriff — cashier and bail information — county posting hours and payment forms
• OC Sheriff — inmate information system — the county locator
• Orange County Superior Court — West Justice Center — the cities it serves

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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.