Westminster Police Department Custody

Westminster runs its own police department with a state-classified Temporary Holding facility — a 24-hour window rather than the 96 hours a Type I city jail has. It is also one of the few Orange County cities where the courthouse handling the case is in the same city.

Facility details

Facility classification from the California Board of State and Community Corrections list of local detention facilities; contact details from the City of Westminster. Verified 18 September 2026. We publish no bail-acceptance procedure for this facility because the City publishes none — confirm before travelling with a payment.

Why 24 hours changes everything

Under California Code of Regulations, Title 15, § 1006, a Temporary Holding facility is used for the confinement of persons for 24 hours or less, pending release, transfer to another facility, or appearance in court. That is a quarter of the window a Type I city jail such as Anaheim or Huntington Beach has.

The practical meaning: in Westminster the useful work happens on the phone, quickly, not in a car park. Either the person is released or cited, or they are moved into county custody at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana — and once that happens the release is processed there, in a far longer queue. See jail transfers.

The courthouse is in Westminster too

The Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center is in Westminster, and it hears criminal cases from across west Orange County — Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Stanton, Fountain Valley and Seal Beach among them. That does not shorten booking or release, both of which the custody facility controls, but it does mean one trip rather than two once the case is in court.

The department also points crime victims to VINE, the Victim Information and Notification Everyday service, on 1 (800) 721-8021, for custody status information about people held in Orange County Jail.

Getting the charge, and therefore the bail figure

The Sheriff’s Inmate Information System now requires an account and does not display inmate charges, so even a successful search will not give you a number. Call the department directly, call OCSD Inmate Records on (714) 647-4666, or ask us — the Sheriff’s own page notes that bail bonds personnel continue to use an existing channel for charge information. Then work it through with Orange County bail amount lookup.

What to do first

1. Call the department and confirm the person is there and whether they have been transferred.
2. Get the charge as booked. It sets the bail figure.
3. Check for warrants and holds — how to check for a warrant. Posting bail clears only the offence it was posted on.
4. Have the bond ready so the release is not waiting on paperwork. How long release takes explains what actually controls the clock.

Questions we get asked most

How long can Westminster hold someone?

the Westminster Police Department facility is classified by the state as a Temporary Holding facility (with juvenile approval). Under Title 15 § 1006 that means confinement of 24 hours or less, pending release, transfer or a court appearance.

Where is someone taken after that?

Into Orange County Sheriff’s custody through the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana, where releases are processed.

Can bail be posted at the Westminster Police Department facility?

The City publishes no bail-acceptance procedure for the facility, so confirm directly before travelling with a payment.

Which courthouse hears Westminster cases?

The Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center.

Related resources

Westminster bail bonds · Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center · California jail facility types · Orange County jail guide · Orange County inmate search · Jail transfers