Sacramento County Arrest Records

In Sacramento County, arrests typically happen when an individual commits a crime, or there is substantive reason to believe a person plans to commit a crime. An arrest may also occur if an individual is a person of interest in crimes committed by a third party. In this case — when the individual is not the direct perpetrator of the crime — they may be arrested for outsourcing the crime, aiding and abetting, or obstructing justice.

In any way, when a person is taken into custody, the arresting agency creates a record detailing the circumstances surrounding the arrest. This includes the suspect’s name, physical description, charges, bail, bond details, and the arresting officer’s name or the agency in charge of custody. Arrests are typically made by officers of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Persons who violate criminal laws may also be arrested by law enforcement agency partners with jurisdiction in Sacramento County.

Arrest records created by these agencies are not conclusive evidence of guilt. They are only a piece of the puzzle. Sacramento County Court Records — created when a person is arraigned for an offense, inmate and criminal records offer a more complete picture of a person’s involvement with the Sacramento County justice system. To obtain these records, interested persons must contact the appropriate custodian and confirm the records are publicly available.

Are Arrest Records Public in Sacramento County?

Yes. Sacramento County arrest records are public information per Section 6254(f) of the California Public Records Act (CPRA). This provision empowers the public to contact the custodians of records generated by government agencies and obtain copies of said records. As such, arrest records created by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and its law enforcement partners are available to the public.

However, to balance state security, individual privacy, and the public’s right to open records, the CPRA restricts the disclosure of certain records. For example, juvenile arrest records are not open to the public. Similarly, sealed arrest records, expunged records, and copies of unexecuted arrest warrants are not public. Only authorized persons may access these records. Furthermore, the Public Records Act prohibits the disclosure of intelligence records and documents that would threaten the success of an investigation or the safety of witnesses or personnel.

In cases where a record is sequestered from public access, authorized persons include personnel who need access to execute their official duties, the record subject, and their legal representatives, as well as officials of certain agencies (e.g., the Department of Education when conducting background checks on potential employees). Third parties may only obtain restricted arrest records if they possess a court order or subpoena authorizing their access.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Per Section 6254(f-1) of the CPRA, arrest records contain the following information:

• Subject’s full name
• Occupation
• Physical description (eye and hair color, height, and weight)
• Sex
• Date of birth
• Time and date of arrest
• Time and date of booking
• Booking reference number
• Arrest location
• Circumstances surrounding the arrest
• Amount of bail set
• Date and conditions of release
• Jail location
• Charges (the alleged crimes)
• Warrant information
• Parole and probation details.

In addition to these details, arrest records may also contain the arrestee’s jail visitation conditions, arraignment date, scheduled court appearances, as well as court location.

Sacramento County Crime Rate

Sacramento County law enforcement reported 10,475 offenses for index crimes in 2019, including 2,408 violent crimes and 8,067 property crimes. The reported violent crimes included 36 murders, 161 rapes, 685 robberies, and 1,526 aggravated assaults. The reported property crimes included 2,276 burglaries, 5,634 larceny-thefts, 157 motor vehicle thefts, and 67 arson. Compared with the statistics reported for 2018, there was a 2.1% increase in index crimes, with violent crimes increasing by 2.4% and property crimes increasing by 2.0% year-on-year.

Sacramento County Arrest Statistics

Querying the arrest data exploratory tool maintained by the California Department of Justice revealed that Sacramento County law enforcement agencies made 25,399 arrests in 2021 and 27,454 arrests in 2022. Arrests for misdemeanor offenses made up 50.2% of all arrests. Meanwhile, violent crimes made up 21.1% of all arrests, followed by arrests for property offenses (10.3%) and arrests for drug offenses (3.1%), with sex offenses accounting for the least proportion of arrests at 0.95%. Besides these offense classes, law enforcement also made 3,871 arrests for other crimes (14.1% of all arrests).

From 2021 to 2022, the arrest rate in Sacramento County increased by 8.1%. Arrests for misdemeanors increased by 8.5%, as did felonies like violent offenses (+12%), property offenses (11.2%), and sex offenses (2.4%). However, arrests for drug offenses decreased by 16.9%.

Find Sacramento County Arrest Records

Interested persons may obtain records on persons in custody by query databases maintained by the arresting agency. For example, records on persons held in state prisons are available on the California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS) system. Similarly, for persons arrested and held in custody by a federal law enforcement agency, arrest information is typically available on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator tool. Both databases support name-based searches for inmate information.

Free Arrest Record Search in Sacramento County

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office provides free access to arrest records. Interested persons may obtain these records by searching online or visiting the Sheriff’s Office during business hours. The online option is more convenient. However, because this source only provides basic arrest information, requestors often choose to visit the Sheriff’s Office and submit an open records request. While this method may provide additional details than available online, the requestors may have to cover the cost of retrieving and duplicating the records.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
4500 Orange Grove Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95841
Phone: (916) 874-5383

Furthermore, the aforementioned sources only provide access to arrest records maintained by Sacramento County law enforcement. Arrest records from adjacent counties on that individual are not available. For example, if a person of interest recently moved to Sacramento County, their arrest records from the previous jurisdiction may not be available unless both law enforcement agencies have an information-sharing agreement.

To overcome this limitation and broaden the availability of arrest records, searchers often choose to query third-party databases. These independent service providers aggregate arrest records from several sources and across jurisdictions, so searching them removes the geographic limitation. However, because third-party service providers are not affiliated with the government, there is no guarantee of record accuracy, completeness, or availability.

Get Sacramento County Criminal Records

Criminal records, a.k.a. criminal history summary records or rap sheets, are documents containing a chronological history of all instances where a person has been involved with the California criminal justice system. These records are only available to the record subjects in Sacramento County. The California Department of Justice (DOJ) is the custodian of criminal records.

Persons who wish to obtain a copy of their criminal history must first obtain a fingerprint card at an authorized Live Scan site. Usually, this is the Sheriff’s Office or the police department in their municipality. The requestor must also complete the criminal record application (Form BCIA 8016RR). The completed form, fingerprint card, and payment for the services ($25 personal check or money order) will be collected at the Live Scan site to process the request for criminal records.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
4500 Orange Grove Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95841
Phone: (916) 874-5383

Sacramento County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

One common misconception is that criminal records and arrest records are the same. Indeed, both records are similar in a few ways than they are different. An arrest record contains information about the circumstances surrounding when law enforcement took an individual into custody. On the other hand, a criminal record is a document containing information about prosecutions and convictions. In other words, an arrest record is essentially a subset of a criminal record.

Furthermore, the existence of an arrest record is not definitive proof of guilt—because arrest records seldom contain the outcome of a court ruling. Conversely, criminal records contain details about the subject’s prosecution and conviction of guilt after criminal proceedings.

It is also important to consider the scope of these records. Sacramento County arrest records only contain information about arrests that happened in Sacramento County. Records of arrests from other jurisdictions are not available. On the other hand, criminal records are statewide, meaning the document contains information about the subject’s arrests, prosecutions, convictions, and incarcerations from all counties in California.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

It depends. Per Section 851.93 of the California Penal Code, the Department of Justice reviews the state criminal justice database every month for arrest records that qualify for automatic expungement. However, arrests that qualify under this provision include:

• Misdemeanors where the charges were dismissed
• Misdemeanors where the District Attorney’s Office did not initiate criminal proceedings after a calendar year
• Arrests for misdemeanors where the suspect was not convicted or the court acquitted them of the charges
• Arrests for offenses under Section 1170(h)(1-2) where criminal proceedings were not initiated after three years, and the suspect was not convicted, or the court acquitted them
• Arrests for offenses where the subject completed a pre-filing diversion program or a pre-trial diversion program

Aside from the conditions described above, arrests remain on record in perpetuity unless the subject files and successfully receives arrest relief from the Superior Court. Arrest record relief means the arrest never happened, and related documents are expunged from public repositories.

Expunge Sacramento County Arrest Records

Persons whose arrests did not qualify for automatic expungement under Section 851.93 of the California Penal Code may file a petition to seal arrest and related records with the Superior Court. The procedures for filing an expungement require that the petition qualify for an expungement under Section 851.91 of the Penal Code.

To begin, the individual may write their own petition or use the standardized application form (CR-409). Either way, the petitioner must provide personal information as well as information about the arrest under consideration. Where an individual wishes to seal several arrests, they must file a separate petition for each arrest. Furthermore, petitions for arrests are filed in the county where the arrest happened.

Upon completing the form, submit the application in person or by mail to the Sacramento County Superior Court Clerk’s Office. Following submission, the petitioner can expect a notice of court hearing scheduled at least 15 days from the petition date. The actual date for the court hearing will depend on the judiciary caseload.

Sacramento County Superior Court
Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse
720 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 874-5522

If the petition is successful, the court will grant arrest relief in the interest of justice. In other words, the court will order the removal of the arrest record and related records from the public domain if the arrest qualifies and the record's existence causes hardship. The court may also consider character references and other relevant factors when issuing an order to expunge arrest records.

Sacramento County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a written order issued by a Superior Court judge or magistrate authorizing law enforcement officers to take an individual into custody. Courts only issue arrest warrants based on probable cause, not mere suspicion. In other words, law enforcement must have substantive proof to believe a person committed a crime or is in the act of committing one.

Section 813 of the California Penal Code regulates the procedure for issuing arrest warrants in California counties. Generally, the requesting officer must submit an affidavit, provide a witness, or be examined under oath before the judge or magistrate will issue the arrest warrant.

An arrest warrant contains the following information:

• Defendant’s name
• Date and time of warrant issue
• City or county of warrant issue
• Signature of the issuing judge or magistrate
• Charges or offense
• Booking, bail, and release conditions.

Sacramento County Arrest Warrant Search

Generally, Sacramento County arrest warrants become public records after they have been executed. Executed arrest warrants may also be removed from the public domain if their disclosure will compromise the success of the criminal justice procedure.

Interested persons may lookup Sacramento County arrest warrants through the Sheriff’s Office. Generally, warrant information is only available to the subject of the warrant or their legal representative upon verification of their identity. Contact the Records and Warrants Division to access warrant information from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Records and Warrants
4510 Orange Grove Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95841
Phone: (916) 874-5383

Alternatively, interested persons may search the Department of Justice Wanted Persons System (WPS). The WPS is primarily a law enforcement tool, so public access may be limited. In this case, interested persons may contact the Public Inquiries Unit to confirm the existence of an arrest warrant. The PIU may share this information if the warrant subject is considered dangerous and armed.

California Department of Justice
Public Inquiry Unit
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Phone: (800) 952-5225 (Toll-free in CA) or (916) 322-3360
Fax: (916) 323-5341

Do Sacramento County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Sacramento County arrest warrants remain active until they have been executed. However, law enforcement's ability to execute the warrant may be restricted depending on the offense. For example, warrants issued for felony offenses may be executed at any time. However, law enforcement may only execute warrants issued for misdemeanor offenses between 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM unless otherwise specified when the warrant was issued.