San Diego County Booking Records
San Diego County 72 hour booking records are kept by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and posted through an online tool called "Who's In Jail." This is one of the most used jail search tools in all of Southern California. The county runs multiple jail sites, with the main ones being the San Diego Central Jail, Vista Detention Facility, George Bailey Detention Facility, East Mesa Reentry Facility, and the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility. All bookings across these sites feed into one search system. The data is free to look up and open to anyone. San Diego County is the second most populated county in the state, so the booking volume is high.
San Diego County Booking Quick Facts
San Diego County Booking Law
California law makes booking records public. Government Code 7923.610 lists what must be shared when someone is booked into a county jail. The law says the person's full name, date of birth, charges, bail amount, booking date and time, arrest location, and facility name must all be made available. No sheriff or police chief can hold this back. It is required by state law.
The San Diego County Sheriff follows this law and goes further by posting the data on a public website. Some counties only give out booking data if you ask for it in person. San Diego makes the search easy with a tool anyone can use from home. The booking record also includes a photo in many cases, which helps with identification. The county has been posting this data online for years and keeps the system up to date throughout the day.
Penal Code 851.5 gives arrested people rights during the booking process. Each person booked in San Diego County gets at least three free phone calls within three hours. Those calls can go to a lawyer, a bail bond agent, or a family member. The jail cannot charge for these calls or block them.
San Diego Who's In Jail Search
The San Diego County Sheriff runs a tool called "Who's In Jail" at apps.sdsheriff.net. This is the main way to search San Diego County 72 hour booking records from home. You type in a name and the tool pulls up results from all county jail sites. It shows the person's name, booking number, facility, charges, and bail amount. The system uses Securus Technologies on the back end, which is a platform used by jails across the country for inmate data and communication.
The San Diego County Sheriff's "Who's In Jail" search tool at apps.sdsheriff.net lets you look up current booking records and custody status across all county facilities.
The search results update as new bookings come in. If someone was arrested an hour ago, it may take a bit for the record to show up in the system. Processing time at the jail varies. A busy night at the San Diego Central Jail could mean a longer wait before the booking data is in the system. In most cases, records show up within a few hours of the arrest. You do not need to sign up or pay to use this tool. Just go to the site and start your search.
The Who's In Jail tool covers all San Diego County detention sites. That includes Central Jail downtown, the Vista Detention Facility in North County, George Bailey in Otay Mesa, East Mesa near the border, and Las Colinas in Santee. If a person was booked at any of these, the record will show up in one place.
Note: San Diego County booking records shown online reflect current custody status and may not include individuals who have already been released.
San Diego County Jail Facilities
San Diego County runs several detention facilities. The largest is the San Diego Central Jail, located at 1173 Front Street in downtown San Diego. This is where most bookings happen for arrests in the city of San Diego and nearby areas. The jail is open around the clock for booking. Law enforcement from San Diego PD, the sheriff's department, and other agencies bring arrested people here.
The Vista Detention Facility serves the North County area. It is at 325 South Melrose Drive in Vista. People arrested in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Escondido, and Vista are often booked here. The George Bailey Detention Facility at 446 Alta Road handles bookings from South Bay areas like Chula Vista and National City. East Mesa Reentry Facility focuses on inmates preparing for release. Las Colinas in Santee serves as the main women's facility for the county.
Each of these facilities feeds booking data into the same county system. It does not matter which jail processed the booking. The same Who's In Jail tool will pull up the record. You just need a name to search.
San Diego Booking Records by Mail
You can also get San Diego County booking records by mail. Send a written request to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, Records Division, at 9621 Ridgehaven Court, San Diego, CA 92123. Include the full name of the person, an approximate date of booking, and any other identifying details. The office may charge a fee for copies. Response times follow the California Public Records Act timeline, which is 10 business days in most cases.
For phone inquiries, call the sheriff's records unit. They can confirm basic booking details over the phone. If you need a certified copy of a booking record for court use, you will likely need to submit a formal request in writing. Walk-in requests at the sheriff's office are also accepted during business hours.
San Diego County Arrest Records
Booking records and arrest records overlap but are not the same thing. A booking record gets created at the jail. An arrest record is broader and may include the police report, incident narrative, and case details. In San Diego County, the sheriff handles booking records for all county jails. Individual police departments handle arrest reports for their cities. If someone was arrested by San Diego PD, you would contact SDPD for the arrest report. If the arrest was in Chula Vista, you go to Chula Vista PD.
The 72 hour booking record is always public. Arrest reports can have more restrictions. Parts of a report may be redacted if the case is still under investigation. But the booking data itself must be shared. San Diego County makes this simple by posting it all through the Who's In Jail tool.
Note: For federal arrests in San Diego County, check the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator or the U.S. Marshals Service website.
Cities in San Diego County
San Diego County has many cities, and several large ones have their own police departments. But all jail bookings go through the county sheriff's system. No matter which city makes the arrest, the booking record ends up in the same place. Here are the largest cities in San Diego County with dedicated pages on this site.
Smaller cities and unincorporated areas in the county are served directly by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for patrol and booking.
Nearby County Booking Records
Need to search booking records in a county next to San Diego? These nearby counties also post jail data online.