Los Angeles 72 Hour Booking Records
Booking records in Los Angeles are some of the most searched public records in all of California. The city has two main systems that handle bookings. LAPD runs its own jail network with 10 custody facilities across the city. The Los Angeles County Sheriff also books people into the county jail system. Both produce 72 hour booking logs that the public can search. If you need to find out if someone was booked in Los Angeles, you have more than one place to look. The LAPD Custody Services Division manages the city jails, and the LA County Sheriff runs the county-wide inmate search tools. This page covers how to search both.
Los Angeles Booking Quick Facts
Los Angeles County Booking System
Los Angeles sits in Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The county sheriff runs the main jail system, which includes Twin Towers, Men's Central Jail, and several other large facilities. When someone is arrested by the LAPD, they may first go to a city jail run by LAPD. After that, many are moved to the county jail system for longer holds. The county sheriff posts booking data through two free online tools. The LASD Inmate Information Center lets you search for anyone in county custody right now. You type a name and the system shows current inmates with their booking date, charges, bail, and location.
The second tool is the LASD Booking Log. This shows recent bookings across the county jail system. It is a broader look at who has been booked in the past 72 hours. You can search by name, date, or booking number. Both tools are free. No account is needed. They work on phones and computers.
Note: The LASD tools cover the full county system, not just the City of Los Angeles.
LAPD Custody Services
The City of Los Angeles is one of the few cities in California that runs its own jail network. The LAPD Custody Services Division manages 10 jail facilities spread across the city. These jails hold people after arrest and before they are either released or moved to county custody. LAPD jails are short-term. Most people stay less than 48 hours before transfer. The division handles the booking process at each facility, which includes recording the person's name, charges, bail amount, and physical details.
LAPD does not post its own online inmate search tool like the county does. If someone was just arrested by LAPD, you may need to call the jail division where the arrest took place to check on their status. Give it 12 to 24 hours and the person will likely show up in the LASD system once they transfer to county custody. For very recent arrests, the phone is sometimes faster than any database.
The 10 LAPD jail facilities are spread out to serve each area of the city. These include the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown, the Van Nuys Jail, the 77th Street Jail, and the Pacific Division Jail among others. Each handles bookings for arrests made by officers in that part of the city.
Los Angeles Booking Law
California law makes booking records public. Government Code 7923.610 says law enforcement must share booking data. This includes the full name of the person, their date of birth, a physical description, the time and date of arrest, charges filed, bail set, and where the person is held. No agency in Los Angeles can refuse to give this out. Both LAPD and the county sheriff must follow this law.
The California Public Records Act backs this up. Booking records are not part of the exemptions that apply to other law enforcement files. Even if an investigation is still open, the basic booking data must be public. Los Angeles handles a huge volume of bookings each year. The county jail system alone processes over 150,000 bookings annually. All of that data falls under the public records rule.
The CDCR inmate locator database is one of several state tools that help track people booked and held in California facilities.
For people who end up in state prison after a Los Angeles booking, the CDCR system is the place to search. County bookings use the LASD tools mentioned above.
Los Angeles Arrest Records
A booking record and an arrest record are not the same thing. The booking record is what the jail creates when processing someone. It has their name, charges, bail, and booking details. An arrest record is broader. It may include the police report, witness statements, and case details. In Los Angeles, LAPD handles arrest reports for incidents within city limits. The county sheriff handles arrests in areas it patrols.
To get a full arrest report from LAPD, you file a records request with their Records and Identification Division. There is a fee for copies. But the 72 hour booking record itself is always free to look up. That is the key difference. Booking data is public by law. Full arrest reports may have parts that are sealed or held back while a case is active.
Penal Code 851.5 gives arrested people in Los Angeles the right to make three phone calls within three hours of booking. Those calls can go to a lawyer, a bail bond agent, or family. The jail cannot charge for those calls.
Los Angeles Booking Search Tips
Searching for someone who was recently booked in Los Angeles takes a bit of know-how because the city is so large. Start with the LASD Inmate Information Center. Type the person's last name and first name. Use the full legal name if you have it. Nicknames and shortened names may not match. If you get no results, try the booking log next. The booking log shows all recent entries and can be browsed by date.
If the arrest just happened in the last few hours, the person may not be in the system yet. Booking takes time. In a busy city like Los Angeles, processing can take several hours. Try again later if you do not get a hit on the first search.
- Check the LASD Inmate Information Center for current custody
- Check the LASD Booking Log for 72 hour entries
- Call the LAPD jail division if the arrest was very recent
- Use the person's full legal name for best results
- Allow 6 to 12 hours for new bookings to appear online
Note: Booking records show current custody status and may not include people already released.
Los Angeles Booking by Mail
You can get a copy of a Los Angeles booking record by mail. For county bookings, send a written request to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Records Unit. Include the full name of the person, an approximate date of booking, and your contact details. The office may charge a small fee for printed copies. Response times fall within 10 business days under the California Public Records Act.
For LAPD bookings, contact the LAPD Records and Identification Division. You can call them at (213) 486-6010 or mail a request. Include as much detail as you can about the arrest date and the person's name. Certified copies for court use cost more than standard copies.
Nearby City Booking Records
Los Angeles borders many other cities that also have booking records available through the county system. These nearby cities all fall under Los Angeles County, so the LASD inmate tools cover them too.