Find Riverside Booking Records
Riverside 72 hour booking records cover all arrests processed through the Riverside County jail system. Riverside is the county seat and the largest city in Riverside County with about 315,000 residents. The Riverside Police Department handles arrests in the city. All jail bookings go through the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which operates the county's detention facilities. You can search for inmates on the sheriff's online database at no cost. California Government Code 7923.610 requires that booking data be made public within 72 hours.
Riverside Booking Quick Facts
Riverside Booking in Riverside County
Riverside County is one of the fastest-growing counties in California. The county sheriff's department runs several jail facilities. The Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside is the main booking facility for people arrested in the city. There are also detention centers in Indio, Murrieta, and Banning that serve other parts of the county.
The Riverside Police Department is a large agency with over 400 sworn officers. RPD handles all law enforcement within city limits. After an arrest, the person is taken to the Presley Detention Center for booking. Staff take fingerprints, a photo, and record the charges and bail amount. This data becomes part of the public booking record. The same process applies whether the arrest is for a traffic warrant, a misdemeanor, or a felony.
Multiple agencies work in the Riverside area. The California Highway Patrol, UC Riverside Police, and the Riverside County Sheriff all make arrests that end up at the same booking facility. The county's inmate database covers bookings from all agencies.
Riverside County Inmate Search
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department runs an online inmate search tool. You can use it to find anyone currently in custody at any of the county's jail facilities. The search lets you look up people by name and shows the booking date, charges, bail, and which detention center the person is held at. It is free and available around the clock.
The Riverside Police Department has a records bureau that handles report requests. You can learn more about the records process at the RPD records bureau page.
Through the RPD records bureau, you can request copies of police reports, accident reports, and other documents related to Riverside arrests. For booking data, the county sheriff's inmate search is the direct route. The police report gives more detail about the circumstances of an arrest, while the booking record covers the jail intake process. You may want both depending on what you need.
The inmate search only shows people who are currently held. Once someone is released, they are removed from the search results. For past booking data, you need to file a records request with the sheriff's department.
Note: The Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside processes the highest volume of bookings in the county due to its location near the courthouse.
Riverside Booking Process
When RPD makes an arrest, the officer transports the person to the Robert Presley Detention Center. At intake, jail staff begin the booking process. Fingerprints and a booking photo are taken. The person's name, date of birth, and physical description are recorded. The arresting officer provides the charges. Bail is set based on the Riverside County bail schedule.
Many misdemeanor arrests result in a quick release after bail is posted. Some misdemeanors can be handled through cite and release, where the person gets a court date without going to jail. Felony charges typically mean a longer hold. Certain serious felonies have no bail, and the person stays in custody until a judge makes a bail decision. The booking record is created at the time of intake and remains in the system.
Riverside County uses an electronic booking system. Data usually appears in the online inmate search within hours of the booking being completed. The state law gives agencies up to 72 hours, but most Riverside bookings show up much faster than that.
Riverside Booking Law
Government Code 7923.610 governs public access to booking records in Riverside. The law lists what must be released: the person's full name, date and time of booking, charges, bail amount, arresting agency, and booking location. This applies to every booking at every Riverside County facility.
Penal Code 851.5 covers the rights of people being booked. Each person gets at least three free phone calls within three hours of booking. They can call a lawyer, a bail agent, or a family member. The Riverside County jails must allow these calls at no charge. This is a statewide rule that cannot be waived.
The California Public Records Act gives anyone the right to request booking records. If the Riverside County Sheriff or RPD denies a request, the person can challenge it. Agencies have 10 days to respond to PRA requests. In most cases, the online inmate search handles what people need for recent bookings.
Request Riverside Booking Records
To get records beyond what the online search shows, file a public records request. The Riverside County Sheriff accepts written requests. Include the person's full name, approximate arrest date, and any other details you have. Expect a response within 10 days. Fees may apply for copies of records.
RPD handles police report requests through its records bureau. Walk-in requests are taken during business hours at RPD headquarters. You can also submit requests by mail. For the booking sheet and jail-specific records, the sheriff's records division is the right contact. You may need to reach out to both agencies depending on what records you are looking for.
For a statewide criminal history check, the California Department of Justice processes those separately. That process requires fingerprints and takes longer. It is mainly used for background checks, not for looking up an individual recent booking.
Nearby City Booking Records
Several cities near Riverside are also in Riverside County or in neighboring San Bernardino County. Here are links to nearby city booking pages.
Corona and Moreno Valley are both in Riverside County and use the same jail system. Ontario and San Bernardino are in San Bernardino County, which has its own sheriff and jail facilities. For any Riverside County arrest, the county sheriff's inmate search covers all of the county's detention centers in one search.