San Bernardino Booking Report Search

San Bernardino booking reports are managed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The city of San Bernardino is the county seat and sits in the heart of the Inland Empire. People arrested in the city get booked into the county jail system. You can search for San Bernardino booking reports online through the sheriff's inmate locator tool. The city's police department also keeps arrest records that you can request separately. This guide explains how to find booking records, what they cost, and what California law says about your right to access San Bernardino booking data.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Booking System

San Bernardino County operates multiple detention centers across the largest county by area in the contiguous United States. The West Valley Detention Center is one of the main facilities that processes bookings from the city of San Bernardino. When the San Bernardino Police Department makes an arrest, the person goes to a county facility for booking. The sheriff creates the booking report and stores it in the county database. This makes the county sheriff your primary source for San Bernardino booking records.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff runs an online Inmate Locator search tool. Enter a name to look up anyone currently in county custody. The system shows booking data for people held at any county facility. Under Government Code Section 6254(f), certain names may be withheld based on legal exemptions. But for most San Bernardino bookings, the data appears in the search tool shortly after processing. The online search is free and runs around the clock.

San Bernardino Police Records and Fees

The San Bernardino Police Department keeps arrest reports separate from the county booking records. The city offers a favorable fee structure for getting copies. Your first five pages are free. After that, each additional page costs $0.25. This is one of the most affordable options in the Inland Empire for police records. Keep in mind that processing takes 3 to 4 weeks, so plan ahead if you need records by a certain date.

The arrest report from San Bernardino Police covers the events leading up to and during the arrest. It includes the officer's narrative, witness information, and evidence details. The booking report from the county sheriff covers the jail intake process, charges filed, and bail amount. For a full picture of a San Bernardino arrest, you may want both documents. Submit your request to the police department for the arrest report and to the county sheriff for the booking report.

Note: Allow 3-4 weeks for the San Bernardino Police Department to process records requests due to high volume.

San Bernardino Booking Records Under California Law

The California Public Records Act gives you the right to request San Bernardino booking reports from any government agency that holds them. Government Code Section 7920.000 sets the rules. Agencies must respond within 10 days. Government Code Section 7923.600 lists what information must be released from booking reports: full name, physical description, date of birth, arrest time, booking time, charges, bail, and custody location. Both the San Bernardino Police Department and the county sheriff must follow these rules.

Penal Code Section 851.5 also protects the rights of people being booked. Anyone booked in San Bernardino has the right to make at least three phone calls within three hours of arrest. This includes calls to a lawyer, bail bond agent, or family member. The booking report should reflect the time of booking, and the three-hour clock starts from the arrest time. This statute is relevant if you are looking at a San Bernardino booking report and checking whether the person's rights were respected during the process.

Statewide Search Tools for San Bernardino

Beyond the county inmate locator, California has state-level tools that can show records for people originally booked in San Bernardino. The California DOJ Record Review page explains how to get your own criminal history.

The DOJ maintains criminal history records for the entire state. You can request your own record through a Live Scan fingerprint process with a $25 fee. This shows all past bookings across California, not just San Bernardino.

The California VINE system tracks custody changes in San Bernardino County. Register for free alerts when someone booked in San Bernardino gets released or transferred. The CDCR Inmate Search covers people who moved from county jail to state prison. Together, these tools give you multiple ways to search for records connected to a San Bernardino booking.

Sealing San Bernardino Booking Records

Arrests in San Bernardino that do not result in conviction can potentially be sealed. Penal Code Section 851.91 lets people petition the San Bernardino County Superior Court to seal arrest records when charges are dropped or dismissed. If the court agrees, the booking report from San Bernardino will no longer be visible in public searches.

For people found factually innocent under Penal Code Section 851.8, the court orders all booking records, photos, and evidence sealed for three years. After three years, the records get destroyed. This applies to San Bernardino bookings the same as any other California city. A criminal defense lawyer or the county public defender can help with the petition.

Nearby City Booking Reports

San Bernardino is surrounded by other Inland Empire cities. Most share the same county jail system. If your search involves a nearby city, check these pages.