Oakland Arrest Records

As the primary law enforcement agency in the city, the Oakland Police Department (OPD) is responsible for carrying out arrests in Oakland. For an arrest to be lawful, the police officer must establish a reasonable belief or probable cause that the accused committed the crime or the officer can be issued an arrest warrant. During an arrest, the Oakland officer reads the offender their rights, avoids using excessive force, and follows the procedure for arrest outlined in the warrant.

As the Oakland City Jail closes down, arrestees are taken to the Alameda County Jail in Santa Rita for booking after arrest. The information collected during the booking process, such as their name, fingerprint, and mugshot, forms the arrest record. It is generally fed to the Alameda County Sheriff's and state databases. Oakland arrest records form part of Alameda County arrest records as the largest city in the county.

Are Oakland Arrests Public Record?

Yes. According to California Public Records Act (CPRA), Oakland arrests are considered public record. This means that record custodians are legally mandated to make these records available for inspection or copying upon request. If they cannot make the record available, they must let the requester know within a reasonable time and the reason for the denial.

Although arrest records are public records, some information may be restricted from access to the general public to protect citizens' public safety, the privacy of an individual, or the integrity of an ongoing case. Examples of records removed from unauthorized public access include records of minors, information on ongoing investigations, information on witnesses and informants, trade secrets, victim information, medical information, and expunged or sealed records. To be eligible to access these records, individuals must demonstrate proof of direct interest in the case by obtaining a court order and presenting it to the record custodian.

Oakland Crime Rate

According to the Open Justice Portal, in 2023, Oakland City recorded 15,491 violent crimes and. 43,048 property crimes. Some of the most popular crimes include the following:

• Larceny- theft (22,652)
• Motor vehicle theft (16,510)
• Aggravated assault (11,169)
• Robbery (3,831).

Find Oakland Arrest Records

Resources available for finding Oakland arrest records, be it for oneself or others, include the following:

• Alameda County Superior Court: Arrest records that form part of criminal records are available through the courthouse with jurisdiction over the case.
• California DOJ: They offer access to state arrest records through fingerprint-based and name-based searches.
• CDCR CIRIS Tool: It is a state tool through which individuals can find inmate information and other arrest information, including the inmate's current location, admission date, and parole information.

Individuals can also visit the Oakland police department or the Alameda Sheriff's Office to make a record request. Searches are facilitated using key information on the inmate and case, such as the inmate's full name, case number, date of arrest, etc.

Free Arrest Record Search in Oakland

Individuals can utilize available city and county resources to find arrest records for free in Oakland. These include the following:

• Oakland Police Department (OPD) Daily Arrest Logs: The OPD maintains a record of daily logs, which it makes available on its website. The police activities recorded in the logs can include arrests and incidents. Any log can be downloaded for free and checked for arrest information.
• Alameda County inmate locator: The inmate locator is a free tool provided by the sheriff's office for finding an individual's arrest information. Using this tool, a search can be conducted by the arrestee's name or personal file number (PFM).
• Third-party websites: Some third-party websites aggregate arrest records and other public records from several record custodians into a single platform and allow individuals to search their database for free. However, a free search may only offer basic arrest information. Another downside of third-party websites is that they are not as up-to-date as records from official government sources.

Criminal Background Check in California

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) is the central criminal record repository in California. It oversees criminal background checks. It offers a name-based search (for private agencies) or a fingerprint-based search. The record owner or external individuals, including landlords and employers, can request a background check. To request their records, individuals submit their live scan fingerprint using the BCIA 8016RR form and pay the DOJ a filing fee of $25.

Individuals conducting background searches for others must obtain a consent form from the requested record's owner. In addition to official state sources, individuals may also use third-party tools to conduct a criminal background check. Third-party tools may not require identification or consent from the record's owner.

Oakland Inmate Search

Individuals can use the California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS) to find information on inmates currently incarcerated in state prisons in California. This tool, maintained by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), allows a person to search for an inmate using their name or CDCR number. While conducting a name search, more exact results can be obtained by including the inmates' age range and the county where they were committed.

Oakland Police Record Lookup

As governed by the California Public Records Act, individuals can request police records from the Oakland police department and receive them if it does not interfere with an ongoing investigation or another person's right to privacy. These police records can include the following:

• Vehicle collision reports
• accident reports
• complaints
• Crime reports
• Offense reports
• Traffic enforcement incidents
• Police department publications and recordings.

To look up a record, a person can contact the Oakland Police in person, by phone, mail or they can fill out and submit a Public Records Request Form. A response or denial to the record request will be received within 10 calendar days of the submission. It costs 5 cents per page to duplicate a record. The contact information for submitting a record request is as follows:

Public Records Request Coordinator
OPD Records Section
455 7th Street, Room 306
Oakland, CA 94607
Email: opdrecordrequest@oaklandca.gov
Phone: (510) 238-7143

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record in Oakland?

Indefinitely. In California, an arrest will stay on your record forever unless it is expunged (per Penal Code § 1203.4) or sealed (Penal Code § 851.8). Although sealed and expunged records are removed from public access in city, county, state, and federal databases, they are still accessible to some government agencies. These include law enforcement agencies and licensing boards.

How Can I Get My Record Expunged for Free in Oakland?

Expunction is the legal removal of a charge from a person's criminal history. In Oakland and other cities in California, to be eligible for expunction in Oakland, the charge needs to be a first-time misdemeanor, a dismissed charge, or a felony reduced to a misdemeanor. Counties like the Alameda County Public Defender's Office also offer a clean slate program through which individuals can get their records expunged for free.

Per California law, an individual can file their expunction petition (propria persona) for free by filling out free court forms such as the CR-180, CR-181, FW-001, and FW-003. The FW-001 and FW-003, if granted, will waive the court fees for the applicant. To qualify for the fee waiver, a person must show financial hardship and their income is below 125% of the federal poverty level. Free legal clinics and nongovernmental agencies can help people get their records expunged for free by covering the filing costs. The expungement process may take up to 8 months to complete.

Oakland Warrant Search

An Oakland arrest warrant is a court order granting law enforcement officers the right to arrest suspects of committing a crime. Arrest warrants are only issued by a judge when sufficient probable cause is established that the accused committed the crime and needs to be immediately detained. On the other hand, an Oakland bench warrant is issued for an individual's arrest when they do not comply with a court order.

A person must confirm whether a warrant is issued in their name, as warrants can be enforced at any time with or without the defendant's knowledge. A person can check if they have a warrant in Oakland by searching through online warrant lists or the most wanted lists of the city and county. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office oversees law enforcement in all Alameda County cities, including Oakland, and maintains an online Most Wanted List. As warrants are court-issued documents, information on a warrant can also be found by contacting the court.

A person can contact the Oakland Police Department online or in person with their information and ID to search. Individuals are advised against conducting an in-person warrant search without an attorney as they may be arrested on sight if a warrant is found.

Do Oakland Warrants Expire?

No. Like other warrants in California, Oakland warrants do not expire but remain active until they are served (an arrest is made), recalled, or until the individual named on the warrant is deceased. For felony and misdemeanor warrants, the case being dismissed due to the expiration of the criminal statute of limitations may also nullify the execution of the warrant. Search warrants become void after 10 days and must be reissued by a judge.