Find an Inmate in Orange County or Los Angeles County
Someone was arrested and you do not know where they are. This page walks you through finding them, in the order that actually works.
Before anything else — we do not host inmate data
Every lookup below goes to the official government system run by the Sheriff or the city. We do not keep our own copy of custody records, and you should be cautious of any bail site that appears to.
Step 1 — Gather these five things
Full legal name
Exactly as it appears on ID. A nickname or shortened name will usually return nothing.
Date of birth
Most systems need it to distinguish between people with the same name.
Roughly when the arrest happened
Date and approximate time. This matters more than people expect — see Step 4.
Which city the arrest happened in
The city determines the agency, and the agency determines which system to search first.
Booking number, if anyone has it
Not required, but it makes every lookup instant.
Step 2 — Which county?
This is the single most important branch. Orange County and Los Angeles County are entirely separate systems with different locators, different jails and different release rules.
Orange County
The Sheriff publishes an Inmate Information System and a Booking Log. Records department: (714) 935-6940.
Heads up: the OC system needs an account
Orange County’s Inmate Information System now sits behind a sign-in. You will be asked to create an account with an email address and password the first time you use the Public Services Portal.
If you prefer not to register, the Intake Release Center can be reached directly on (714) 647-4666. You are also welcome to call us and we will check for you.
Cities: Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton, and the rest.
Los Angeles County
The Sheriff runs a single Inmate Information Center locator for the whole county. Inmate information line: (213) 473-6080.
LASD Inmate Locator — official
Cities: Long Beach, Whittier, and the rest.
Step 3 — City jail or county custody?
Check the city first if the city runs its own jail
Several cities we serve operate their own jail, and a person arrested there may never enter county custody at all. Searching the county system first is the most common wasted step.
- Long Beach — own city jail at the Public Safety Building, 400 W. Broadway. Inmate visitation line (562) 570-7260.
- Whittier — own Type I jail; also polices Santa Fe Springs under contract.
- Anaheim, Brea, La Habra, Santa Ana — municipal police with short-term holding during booking.
If the arresting city is sheriff-policed, the person goes to county custody directly.
Step 4 — Why they might not appear yet
A recent booking can take hours to show online
Booking involves fingerprints, photographs, property, medical screening and a warrant check before a record is published. Not finding someone in the first hour or two does not mean anything has gone wrong, and it does not mean they are not there. Check again, and call the facility if it has been several hours.
Step 5 — Understanding what you find
Booking is not the same as housing
In Los Angeles County the Inmate Reception Center is the central control for processing male prisoners — it also has functional supervision over the reception unit at CRDF, the jail wards at LAC/USC Medical Center, and the booking function at every Sheriff’s station. It is a booking and release operation, not the whole men’s jail system.
In Orange County the equivalent is the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana, with housing afterwards at Theo Lacy or Musick.
Men and women are held at different facilities
In Los Angeles County, women are held at Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood. Driving to a downtown facility to see a female relative is a wasted trip.
Los Angeles County may release without bail at all
Under Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols, in effect since 1 October 2023, many misdemeanours and lower-level felonies are handled by citation, book-and-release, or a magistrate’s review rather than a bail amount. Orange County does not operate PARP.
Step 6 — If you still cannot find them
- Confirm the spelling of the full legal name and the date of birth.
- Confirm the arrest city — people often name the wrong one.
- Try the other county if the arrest was near a boundary. La Palma, La Habra and Cypress all sit on the Orange–Los Angeles line.
- Call the arresting agency directly and ask whether the person was booked there or transferred.
- Or call us — locating someone is something we do many times a day, and it costs nothing.
Related resources on this site
Jails & custody
Every facility we cover in both counties.
Courthouses
Which court hears the case, and where it is.
Cities we serve
Agency, jail and court for each city.
What bail costs
How premiums are priced in California.
We will find them for you
Give us the full legal name and roughly when the arrest happened. We will confirm which facility holds them and what the scheduled bail is. Someone answers at any hour, including weekends and holidays.
Call a 24/7 Bail Agent — (714) 520-2002Send a message
Please note: American Freedom Bail Bonds is a licensed bail bond agency, not a law firm, and is not affiliated with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department or the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 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. Inmate records and booking information can change — always confirm details directly with the facility. California bail licence 1841014.