Los Angeles County
Whittier Bail Bonds
Own police department, own jail, own courthouse — and a published 96-hour limit
Whittier is the most self-contained city in the part of Los Angeles County we work. It runs its own police department, its own jail, and the courthouse for its district sits inside the city limits. It also polices its neighbour.
The short version
The Whittier City Jail is a Type I facility at 13200 Penn Street, jail line (562) 567-9220. Because it is Type I, the city states it is only authorised to hold inmates a maximum of 96 hours, emergencies aside. So a Whittier arrestee may never enter Los Angeles County custody at all — check here first, not downtown.
Straight answers to the questions people actually ask
My husband was arrested by Whittier Police. Where is he?
Most likely the Whittier City Jail, inside the police department at 13200 Penn Street, Whittier, CA 90602. Call the jail directly on (562) 567-9220. Unlike most cities around it, Whittier runs its own force and its own jail, so he may not have gone into Los Angeles County custody at all.
How long can someone be held in the Whittier City Jail?
The city states that because it is a Type I jail facility, they are only authorised to hold inmates a maximum of 96 hours, precluding any emergencies. That is a published limit rather than an estimate – which is unusual and genuinely useful. It sets the outer boundary, not a prediction of how long any individual stay will be.
Can I bail someone out of the Whittier City Jail?
The city states that all inmates booked in the Whittier City Jail are eligible to be released on bail or bond, unless specified by warrant, court order, bail schedule, or the level of the inmate’s intoxication makes it unsafe to release them. Those four exceptions are the realistic reasons a release stalls.
What is the difference between bail and bond at the Whittier jail?
The city defines them separately. Bail is the deposit of cash, a cashier’s check, a money order, or a personal check drawn on a California bank, for the entire amount specified. Bond is the deposit of a surety bond by a licensed bail bond company for the amount of the bail. In other words, bail means paying the full figure yourself; a bond means a licensed agency posts it on your behalf.
What are the Whittier jail visitation rules?
Visiting is first-come, first-served only, and may be changed or cancelled at any time as circumstances in the facility warrant. A maximum of two adults and two children may visit an inmate at any one time, and all visitors must register and produce valid state, military, tribal or other government identification.
Does Whittier really police Santa Fe Springs?
Yes, and it is unusual. Santa Fe Springs operates a Department of Police Services that blends contract Whittier Police Department officers with city public safety officers, rather than contracting to the Sheriff. So a Santa Fe Springs arrest is handled by Whittier officers and may be held in the Whittier jail. That will change: the City of Santa Fe Springs has announced its own municipal police department from 1 March 2028, ending a contract that has run since 1 October 1995. Until then it is a Whittier Police matter.
The Whittier Police Department and city jail
- Whittier Police Department — 13200 Penn Street, Whittier, CA 90602
- Main line: (562) 567-9200 · Jail line: (562) 567-9220
- Type I facility, privately operated and staffed by jailers from G4S Secure Solutions
- Bed space for 22 males and 9 females
- Maximum 96-hour hold, emergencies aside, because it is a Type I facility
- Emergencies: 911
The 96-hour figure, in context
Most bail pages guess at how long a city-jail stay lasts. Whittier does not require guessing — the city publishes the limit: a maximum of 96 hours, precluding emergencies, because Type I facilities are not authorised to hold people longer.
Read that as a ceiling, not a forecast. Most stays end well before it, through release or transfer. But it does mean that if someone is in the Whittier jail, there is a defined outer edge to how long that can continue.
What the booking process involves
The city describes it plainly: staff complete the booking of each inmate on arrival, and search, photograph and fingerprint them. Inmates are asked a series of medical questions to evaluate their physical and mental health, and are informed of their ability to contact family, employers and legal counsel. Jail staff also assist families with information about people held in custody, and with visitation.
That last point is worth knowing. The department itself will help you confirm whether someone is there — you do not need an intermediary to find that out.
Bail and bond, in the city’s own words
Bail is the deposit of cash, a cashier’s check, a money order, or a personal check drawn on a California bank, for the entire amount specified.
Bond is the deposit of a surety bond by a licensed bail bond company for the amount of the bail.
And the eligibility rule: all inmates booked into the Whittier City Jail are eligible for release on bail or bond — unless specified by a warrant, a court order, or the bail schedule, or unless the level of intoxication makes release unsafe.
Visitation
- First-come, first-served only; may be changed or cancelled at any time as circumstances warrant
- Maximum two adults and two children at any one time
- All visitors must register and produce valid state, military, tribal or other government identification
Do not assume a bond is needed at all
Since 1 October 2023 the Superior Court’s Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols mean many people arrested in Los Angeles County for non-violent, non-serious felonies and misdemeanours are cited and released at the scene, or booked and released on their own recognisance, with no money bail at all. Money bail still applies to serious and violent felonies, to arrests on a warrant, where a judge sets or increases bail under Penal Code sections 1269c or 1270.1, and where the court restricts the source of bail under Penal Code section 1275.1. Our Los Angeles County guide explains it in full — and if you do not need us, we will say so.
If the case moves into Los Angeles County custody
Men and women go to different facilities
This is one reason LA County families are told there is no record of their relative. Men are processed at the Inmate Reception Center in downtown Los Angeles — 24-hour intake (213) 473-6080. Women are held at the Century Regional Detention Facility, 11705 S. Alameda Street, Lynwood — (323) 568-4500. They are about twelve miles apart.
Our find an inmate guide explains how to search each system, and our Los Angeles County jails page covers how county custody works.
For Whittier specifically, the sequence is: check the city jail on Penn Street first, then county custody. That order is the opposite of what most people assume about Los Angeles County, and it is where the hours get lost.
Whittier also polices Santa Fe Springs
Unusually, Santa Fe Springs contracts its police services to the Whittier Police Department rather than to the Sheriff, blending contract Whittier officers with city public safety officers. So a Santa Fe Springs arrest is handled by Whittier officers — and may be held in the Whittier jail.
A city contracting to a neighbouring city’s force rather than to the county is rare in Los Angeles County. If you are calling about either city, that connection is the thing to know.
Which courthouse
- Whittier Courthouse — 7339 S. Painter Avenue, Whittier, CA 90602
- Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Southeast District
The district also includes the Norwalk and Downey courthouses. Note that the surrounding unincorporated areas are policed differently — south and east unincorporated Whittier by the Sheriff’s Norwalk Station, and the Bassett and North Whittier areas by the Industry Station. Which agency made the arrest decides where the paperwork sits.
What to gather before you call
- The full legal name and date of birth
- Roughly when and where — city or unincorporated area
- Whether it was Whittier Police or the Sheriff
- Any booking number or paperwork
- The code section on the paperwork
- Whether a protective order has been mentioned
The charges we are called about from Whittier
Domestic violence
- PC 243(e)(1) — domestic battery. No injury required.
- PC 273.5 — corporal injury. Requires a traumatic condition; felony 273.5 restricts release.
- PC 273.6 — order violation. Misdemeanour, but any violation restricts release.
- PC 273a — where a child was present.
- Protective orders and EPOs · after a DV arrest · the main guide
Penal Code 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 felony PC 273.5, PC 422 and any PC 273.6 violation.
DUI
Common on Whittier Boulevard and the routes to the 605 and 5. Vehicle Code section 23152 sets 0.08% for most drivers and 0.04% for commercial drivers and those carrying passengers for hire. See DUI bail bonds.
Warrants
Directly relevant, because a warrant is one of the four exceptions the city lists to jail bail eligibility — and because LA County’s release protocols address arrest without a warrant. See warrants.
Everything else
Misdemeanours and felony charges — Penal Code section 17 defines the categories, with the wobbler rule in section 17(b). Also drug charges, warrants and all bail services.
Paying for the bond
Premium is based on rates filed with the California Department of Insurance — not invented by the agency. What differs between agencies is flexibility on how it is paid. See payment plans.
Our nearest office to Whittier
American Freedom Bail Bonds has no office in Whittier. Our three physical offices are Anaheim, Brea and La Habra, all in Orange County.
La Habra — (562) 690-8303 — sits just across the Orange County line from the Whittier area, and it is the office that works that line. The Whittier Courthouse is right there too.
Nearby areas we also serve
- La Habra — our office, directly across the county line in Orange County
- Santa Fe Springs — policed by Whittier PD under contract
- La Mirada — south-east, sheriff-policed
- Pico Rivera — west, sheriff-policed
- Montebello — north-west, own police department
See also Los Angeles County bail bonds and our service areas.
More questions
Which courthouse handles Whittier cases?
The Whittier Courthouse, 7339 S. Painter Avenue, Whittier, CA 90602, part of the Superior Court’s Southeast District, which also includes the Norwalk and Downey courthouses.
Do we definitely need a bail bond?
Quite possibly not. Since October 2023, Los Angeles County’s Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols mean many non-violent, non-serious arrests are resolved by citation or release on own recognisance with no money bail at all. We will check what actually applies before you spend anything.
Call us about a Whittier arrest
Give us the name and roughly when the arrest happened. For Whittier we check the city jail on Penn Street first — and we will tell you honestly if the release protocols mean no bond is needed at all.
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. Agency, jail and court details are quoted from official sources and can change — always confirm directly with the facility or the court. California bail licence 1841014.
Our three offices
Anaheim, CA 92801(714) 520-2002
Brea, CA 92821(657) 286-5038
La Habra, CA 90631(562) 690-8303