Santa Cruz County Booking Lookup

Santa Cruz County 72 hour booking records are available through a Jail Viewer tool published by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office. The Jail Viewer shows who is currently held at the county jail and provides core booking data for each inmate. Santa Cruz County sits along the Central Coast of California between San Francisco and Monterey. The sheriff operates the county jail in Santa Cruz and posts inmate data online for free. This page covers how to use the Jail Viewer, what California law requires about booking records, and how to contact the sheriff for additional data.

Santa Cruz Jail Viewer Tool

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff runs a Jail Viewer that lists everyone currently in custody at the county jail. The Jail Viewer is a web-based tool that anyone can access. No account needed. No fee. Just open the page and browse or search for a specific person. Each entry shows the inmate's name, booking date, charges, and bail information.

The Jail Viewer pulls data from the Santa Cruz County jail booking system. It updates as new people are booked and existing inmates are released. If someone was booked today, they should appear on the Jail Viewer within hours. The tool focuses on who is currently in custody. Once someone posts bail or is released, they drop off the list. For records of people who have already been released, you need to file a request with the sheriff.

Santa Cruz County processes a moderate number of bookings. The county includes the city of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Capitola. Arrests from all local police departments in the county funnel into the same jail system. The Jail Viewer captures them all in one place.

Santa Cruz Booking Screenshot

The Santa Cruz County Jail Viewer gives you a live look at who is in custody at the county jail.

The screenshot shows the Jail Viewer interface. It lists inmates with their booking data in a table format. You can scroll through the list or look for a specific name. The layout is basic but functional. Santa Cruz County keeps it simple and it works.

Santa Cruz Booking Laws

California Government Code 7923.610 requires every California law enforcement agency to release booking data to the public. Santa Cruz County must follow this statute. The law mandates the release of the person's full name, date of birth, physical description, arrest date and time, booking date and time, arrest location, all charges, bail amount, and which facility holds them. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff cannot refuse to share this information.

The Jail Viewer is one way Santa Cruz County meets this legal requirement. It provides real-time access to current inmate booking data. But the 72 hour rule covers all recent bookings, not just people still in custody. If someone was booked and released within hours, the Jail Viewer may have already dropped them. Their booking record still exists though. The California Public Records Act gives you the right to request it from the sheriff's office in writing.

Arrested people in Santa Cruz County have phone call rights under Penal Code 851.5. Three free calls within three hours of being booked. Calls can go to an attorney, bail bond agent, or family member. This right applies at the Santa Cruz County jail to every person processed there.

Note: The Jail Viewer shows only current inmates. Booking records for released individuals require a separate records request.

Santa Cruz County Jail Info

The Santa Cruz County jail is at 259 Water Street in Santa Cruz. The sheriff's office runs the facility. It handles bookings from the Santa Cruz Police Department, Watsonville Police Department, Scotts Valley Police Department, Capitola Police Department, and the sheriff's patrol division. All arrests in the county come through this one jail. That means one search tool covers every booking in Santa Cruz County.

You can reach the Santa Cruz County Sheriff at (831) 454-2311. The jail has its own information line for questions about specific inmates, bail, and visiting hours. For formal records requests, write to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff, Records Division, 701 Ocean Street, Room 340, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Include the person's name and an approximate booking date. The sheriff's office has 10 days to respond under the California Public Records Act. There is no fee for viewing online data. Paper copies may have a small charge.

Santa Cruz County covers a compact area along the coast and into the Santa Cruz Mountains. The county is not huge, but it has a university campus, beach tourism, and a mix of urban and rural areas. Booking volume picks up during summer and around major events. The Jail Viewer stays current regardless of volume.

Santa Cruz Booking Data Fields

Each booking record in Santa Cruz County includes the data fields mandated by California law. The Jail Viewer shows most of this information directly on the page. Here is what a typical Santa Cruz County booking record contains:

• Full legal name and date of birth
• Physical description
• Date, time, and location of arrest
• Date and time of booking
• All charges at time of booking
• Bail amount or hold status

Some records may also include a booking photo. The Jail Viewer varies in whether it shows photos for all inmates. If you need a specific booking photo, request it directly from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's records division. All booking data is public. You do not need to give a reason for your request.

Nearby County Booking Records

Santa Cruz County borders several other California counties. If you are not sure where an arrest happened, check these neighboring counties as well.