Access Merced County Booking Records

Merced County 72 hour booking records are available through the Merced County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff operates the John Latorraca Correctional Center and provides a public inmate inquiry tool online. You can search for anyone booked into the Merced County jail by name. The results display charges, booking dates, bail, and custody status. Merced County sits in the Central Valley of California and handles a steady volume of bookings. California law requires all of this booking data to be public. This page explains how to use the Merced County inmate search, what data you can expect, and how to get records that are not available online.

Merced County Inmate Inquiry

The Merced County Sheriff provides an inmate inquiry tool at inmateinquiry.co.merced.ca.us. This is where you go to find 72 hour booking records for Merced County. The tool uses New World Systems, the same software platform used by several other California counties. You search by last name, first name, or both. Results come back showing everyone who matches in the jail system.

Each result in the Merced County inmate inquiry shows key booking details. You can see the person's name, booking date, charges, bail amount, and current custody status. The system covers the John Latorraca Correctional Center, which is the main Merced County jail facility. All arrests from across the county get processed here. That includes arrests by the Merced Police Department, the Los Banos Police, Atwater Police, Livingston Police, and the California Highway Patrol operating in Merced County.

The tool is free and available around the clock. There is no cost to search. You do not need to create an account or log in. Just visit the page and enter the name you are looking for.

Merced Inmate Search Screenshot

Below is the Merced County Sheriff inmate inquiry tool at inmateinquiry.co.merced.ca.us.

This search tool shows who is currently in custody at the Merced County jail. You search by name and see booking details for each match. The Merced County Sheriff runs this tool to comply with California's public records requirements for booking data.

Merced County Booking Law

California Government Code 7923.610 is the statute that makes booking records public in Merced County and all of California. The law says law enforcement must disclose booking information. The data points include the full name of the arrested person, date of birth, physical description, time and date of arrest, time and date of booking, arrest location, bail amount, charges filed, and which facility holds them. This is not optional. The Merced County Sheriff must share this information.

The Merced County inmate inquiry tool is how the sheriff makes this data available online. But the legal right to access booking records goes beyond the website. You can also request records by phone, by mail, or in person. The California Public Records Act covers all methods of request. If the online tool does not have what you need, contact the Merced County Sheriff's records division directly.

Note: Merced County booking data is public regardless of the severity of the charges filed.

Booking Process in Merced County

After an arrest in Merced County, the person is taken to the John Latorraca Correctional Center for booking. Jail staff take personal information, fingerprints, and a booking photo. They enter the charges and calculate bail. This creates the booking record that shows up in the public inmate inquiry system. Most new bookings appear online within a few hours of the person arriving at the jail.

Penal Code 851.5 gives everyone booked into the Merced County jail the right to make phone calls. The law requires at least three completed calls within three hours of booking. These calls are free. They can go to an attorney, bail agent, or family member. The Merced County jail must provide access to a phone for these calls regardless of what the person is charged with. It is a state law that applies at every jail in California.

After booking, the person may post bail and get released. Or they stay in custody and wait for their hearing at the Merced County Superior Court. Either way, the booking record stays in the system. The 72 hour booking window is when the record is most actively searched. But Merced County booking records remain available long after that initial period.

Merced County Sheriff Contact

Reach out to the Merced County Sheriff for booking records or jail questions.

• John Latorraca Correctional Center: 2584 W. Sandy Mush Road, Merced, CA 95341
• Sheriff's main phone: (209) 385-7445
• Jail information: (209) 385-7567
• Inmate inquiry: inmateinquiry.co.merced.ca.us
• Victim notification: VINELink

The records division at the Merced County Sheriff's Office can help with older booking records or formal records requests. Call during business hours or visit the office in person. Staff are required to provide booking data under the California Public Records Act. The DOJ Public Records page has more information about your rights when requesting records.

Additional Merced Booking Resources

VINELink provides custody tracking for Merced County. You can check if someone is still in the Merced County jail and register for release notifications. This service is free and built for victim safety. It is not as detailed as the sheriff's inmate inquiry tool, but it covers basic custody status across California.

The BSCC Jail Profile Survey publishes booking statistics for Merced County. It tracks total bookings per month, average daily jail population, and rated capacity. This data is helpful for anyone researching jail trends in Merced County. It does not show individual booking records. For that, use the inmate inquiry tool. Merced County processes thousands of bookings each year, and the online tool is the fastest way to search for specific people.

Nearby Counties

Merced County is next to these California counties. Each has its own jail and booking search system.