Yolo County Arrest Records

When someone is apprehended in Yolo County, what typically follows is the creation of an arrest record for public accountability and judicial fairness. These records eventually become part of Yolo County court records if the defendant is prosecuted and charged to court. Once an officer makes an arrest, they are obligated to call it in before booking, processing, and housing the arrestee at the Monroe Detention facility

Processing ‘booking’ involves documenting and transmitting the arrestee’s personal identifying information and fingerprints to the central repository of the State of California Department of Justice as vital information in the statewide criminal history records. Arrest records in Yolo County are maintained and disseminated by the local criminal justice agencies that conducted the arrest.

Anyone can access arrest information to properly observe the smooth progression of a criminal case from the arrest to the initial arraignment and the final court judgment. Record holders may also review their arrest histories when applying for an expungement, to understand the judicial process and see whether they qualify.

Are Arrest Records Public in Yolo County?

Yes. The California Public Records Act (PRA) governs citizens' statutory right to inspect and reproduce publicly available arrest records maintained by criminal justice agencies unless exempt by law.

Generally, government-owned establishments, such as the county sheriff’s office and police department, are obliged to withhold or redact certain sensitive portions of confidential arrest records per constitutional or judicial orders. A few examples include juvenile arrest information, confidential information regarding pending litigation, medical information, personal information that may jeopardize the physical safety of crime victims, and confidential informants (Cal. Gov. Code § 7923.615(b)).

Further, law enforcement is authorized to refuse public access to sealed or expunged arrest records, investigatory files, and sensitive information that may result in a breach of privacy, such as specific personal information, including driver's license numbers, social security, and phone contact details.

Nonetheless, eligible and authorized parties may peruse this restricted information provided they obtain a court order.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Members of the public may access vital information in Yolo County arrest records under Cal. Gov. Code § 7923.610. This includes

Arrestees Personal Details:

• Full legal name/aliases
• Occupation
• Date of birth
• Physical description, such as age, weight, height, hair color, eye color, race, gender, scars, and tattoos.
• Mugshot

Arrest information

• Date and time
• Circumstances surrounding the arrest
• Location of the arrest
• Arresting agency or officer
• Bail/bond amount

Details of the Crime

• Offense(s) for which the person was arrested
• Type of the offense
• Charges

Yolo County Crime Rate

The California Department of Justice Information disseminates annual crime statistics on the Open Justice Portal. According to the crime statistics, Yolo County reported a total of 5,576 crimes in 2022. Of this number, 4,968 accounted for property crimes, 561 resulted in violent crimes, and 47 were arson incidents.

The most reputable larceny-theft (3,615 incidents), motor vehicle theft (741 incidents), and burglary (612 incidents). On the other hand, aggravated assault (385 incidents) and robbery (104 incidents) constituted the most common violent crimes.

Aside from the DOJ, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office Crime Desk also publishes annual crime statistics on its website. The latest is the 2022 annual crime statistics.

Yolo County Arrest Statistics

The CA DOJ’s arrest statistics revealed that Yolo County law enforcement agencies conducted 1,195 felony offenses and 2,691 misdemeanor arrests in 2023, amounting to 3,887 arrests.

A simple breakdown of the felony arrests accounted for the following offenses:

• Violent Offenses (372)
• Property Offenses (237)
• Drug offenses (74)
• Sex offenses (12)
• Other offenses(500)

Yolo County recorded 1 status offense arrest in 2023.

Find Yolo County Arrest Records

Public members can find arrest records by utilizing the various methods provided by the law enforcement agency keeping the record. Before taking further steps, requestors are advised to verify that the said information is maintained by the agency. Again, each agency provides specific guidelines on its website for submitting public requests.

To obtain arrest information from the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office Crime Desk, requesting parties may download, fill out, print, and submit a provided Crime Report Request Form in blue or black ink. Alternatively, requests can be submitted in a written letter format.

However, only authorized parties, such as; the victim, the victim’s attorney, or the juvenile party’s parent, may request crime reports as provided in Cal. Gov. Code § 7923. Arrested persons in any case may query the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.

Anyone requesting a thorough search of arrest records must provide detailed information, a illegible or missing information may result in an incomplete response. The following details are required:

• Names of parties involved
• The report number
• The type of incident
• The date or time of arrest
• The location of the incident
• Reason for request
• Applicant's name

Once the request is submitted, the crime desk typically responds to all requests according to state and federal laws in 10 days, unless otherwise informed. The office provides free record viewing services to applicants. However, an applicable service charge may apply for obtaining copies of crime reports, usually $15 per copy. Also, there is an additional fee for any report exceeding 20 pages. Payments are acceptable in the form of cash or checks.

The Crime Desk, which is part of the Records Section also responds to walk-in visitors during office hours. Requestors can submit record requests in person seven days a week at the Monroe Detention Center, located at 140A Tony Diaz Drive, Woodland, CA, 95776.

Further, out-of-state request forms are typically received via mail to the address below:

Yolo County Records Section
140A Tony Diaz Drive
Woodland, CA 95776

Requestors will be required to submit a copy of their state-issued driver’s license or I.D., including an attached processing fee as easter mentioned. If the report is not located or releasable at the time, the payments will be returned to the provided address on the request form.

Conversely, government agencies requesting access to crime reports must submit a written request letter using the agency letterhead. Requests can be mailed to the same address mentioned above, faxed to (530) 662-1522, or emailed to Records@yolocounty.org. For questions regarding a crime report, inquirers may contact the record specialist at (530) 668-5243.

Often, state or federal agents may apprehend someone in Yolo County for violating a state or federal code. The following procedures should suffice for obtaining such record:

• To obtain arrest information of defendants incarcerated in state correctional facilities, inquirers should explore the California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS) managed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
• To access the whereabouts of anyone remanded in federal custody, one can visit the Federal Inmate Locator provided by the FBI. However, users may not find comprehensive information regarding the inmates. Hence, they may submit an FOIA request form or contact the facility for further details.
• The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) disseminates appropriate information on arrestees in their custody via the Online Detainee Locator System. Alternatively, requesting parties can hire a local ICE field office or visit the ICE detention facility in person during official hours.

Free Arrest Record Search in Yolo County

People can perform a free arrest record search in Yolo County by utilizing any of the above-mentioned resources provided by the county sheriff’s office.

In addition, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office publishes monthly booking statistics for the unincorporated areas of Yolo County on its webpage. Individuals can review the publications to see if their loved ones are booked in jail. Copies of each week’s arrest reports filed by the Sheriff’s Office are available for public perusal on the Press Board located in the lobby of the Monroe Detention Center.

Aside from the sheriff's office, some police departments within the county, like the city of Winters Police Department publish timely arrest and report logs on their website. Similarly, the City of West Sacramento Police Department provides details of persons arrested locally without charge at (916) 617-4900. One can also fill out and submit a report request form by email to policerecords@cityofwestsacramento.org, or by U.S. mail to:

West Sacramento Police Department
Records Section
550 Jefferson Boulevard
West Sacramento, CA 95605

Further, the Superior Court of Yolo County provides an online case search portal for interested persons to review cases and find charges leading to a person’s legal proceedings, sentencing, or incarceration.

Again, third-party aggregator websites are ideal platforms for researching Yolo County arrest information. These websites run by private individuals collect, collate, and disseminate public records from various government repositories to members of the society.

Ordinarily, users may perform free searches on the website. However, they may be charged an applicable subscription or one-time processing fee to get complete arrest information.

Get Yolo County Criminal Records

Yolo County criminal record (also called RAPsheet or summary criminal history information) is an official document encompassing an individual’s involvement and friction with the judicial system, including notations of arrests, charges, dispositions, sentencing, and incarceration.

The first point of visit for subjects desiring to get a copy of the RAPsheet is the Yolo County District Attorney’s office. Local criminal history records are typically requested as part of a background check. In addition, subjects who wish to file an innocence claim may fill out and submit a CSRU-REQUEST-FORM to the Conviction & Sentence Review Unit.

Residents outside the county of Yolo may request a statewide criminal background check from the California Department of Justice (DOJ). Requestors are generally required to submit a Live Scan Form at any of the approved Live Scan Locations and a copy of their fingerprints during this process. Statewide criminal background check costs $25.

However, only record holders and other official parties are eligible to obtain criminal history information or RAP sheets per Cal. Pen. Code § 11105 (for statewide criminal information) and the Cal. Pen. Code § 13320-13323 (for local criminal files).

In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issues a nationwide criminal records check to previously incarcerated defendants. This service may attract a charge of $18.

Yolo County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Yolo County arrest and criminal records are comparable to an extent, though they are implicatively different. A person’s arrest record is the beginning and entryway into the criminal justice structure. However, its existence on a person’s record does not imply guilt in a criminal offense.

Contrarily, criminal records chronicle one’s ordeals with law enforcement, prosecution departments, and the courts. It details a person’s arrest, case dispositions, sentencing, incarceration, release, and terms of probation or parole.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. Arrests generally stay on a person's criminal record until they successfully petition the court to seal or expunge the information. However, only eligible parties authorized by the California Judiciary can delete or hide their records from public view in Yolo County.

Expunge Yolo County Arrest Records

California law provides different forms of relief to formerly arrested or convicted citizens and residents of Yolo County. For example, arrests that never ended in a conviction may be petitioned in court and sealed under Cal. Pen. Code § 851.91. Sealing in this sense means that a subject’s arrest record will be ultimately restricted from the general public, except for a few government entities, such as law enforcement agencies.

However, this privilege only applies if:

• The defendant was arrested but the prosecuting attorney never filed any charges against them
• The defendant was apprehended and the prosecuting attorney filed an accusatory pleading, but there was no conviction, the charge was dismissed and never refiled
• The case went to trial but was eventually vacated or reversed on appeal
• The statute of limitations has run out on the criminal offense for which the arrest was made, and there was never an accusatory pleading
• The defendant completed a diversion program or Deferred Entry of Judgment (DEJ), and all charges have been dismissed
• The subject was found factually not guilty

To file a petition to seal arrest and related records, eligible applicants can fill out and submit a Form CR-409 at the Yolo County Superior Court.

Applicants are advised to seek legal representation for proper legal guidance during the process of application. For instance, the Record Mitigation and Community Reintegration Clinic provides legal assistance to subjects desiring record expungement and post-conviction remedies after fulfilling their probation conditions or a custodial sentence.

Interested persons can follow the following steps to mitigate an adult criminal record in Yolo County:

• Fill out and submit the online Record Mitigation Intake form
• Next, the clinic director will review the defendant’s Yolo Superior Court records, to determine their eligibility for the request, and also explore all possible methods of record relief.
• One may also be required to submit a copy of their Criminal History Report (“RAP sheet”) from the California Department of Justice.
• The application and review process may require certain days before one gets a response, usually five days or more depending on the volume of the criminal history record.
• Most record mitigation services may attract a charge of $150. However, some or all fees may be waived if specific criteria are met.

The CR-409-INFO form provides more instructions regarding filing a petition in Yolo County per Cal. Pen. Code § 851.91. If the presiding judge approves the petition to seal an individual’s arrest record, they are right to assume a state of innocence regarding the criminal charge.

On the other hand, record dismissal does not erase a person’s criminal charges as an expungement does. Instead, it redacts public access to certain information on the record. In another sense, the court will only re-open the case and replace the finding of guilt with a "not guilty" plea.

The California judiciary provides more self-help guides on the Clean Your Record webpage.

Yolo County Arrest Warrants

Yolo County arrest warrants are court orders issued by a sitting judge that enforce a law enforcement officer’s judicial right to apprehend an individual. To obtain an arrest warrant, the affiant must swear an affidavit establishing probable cause to believe that a named subject is guilty of breaking the law.

Per Cal. Pen. Code § 815, an arrest warrant may contain the defendant's name, offense(s) for which the warrant is being issued, the county of issuance, the court of issuance, time and date of issuance, bail amount, the issuing officer’s name, signature and title of office, an order to appear in court.

Anyone who discovers that they or their loved ones have been issued an arrest warrant is advised to immediately address it at the local court.

Yolo County Arrest Warrant Search

The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office publishes an updated list of fugitives who are most wanted for felonies within the jurisdiction. Hence, anyone looking to find active or pending arrest warrants can review the list and contact the office at (530) 668-5280 during business hours or call Dispatch at (530) 666-8282 after office hours.

Do Yolo County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Yolo County arrest warrants do not expire. These writ orders remain enforceable until the purpose of its issuance is earned. Warrants are considered executed when they turn themselves in or are apprehended by law enforcement. In other cases, a judge may recall or quash the order.