Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Los Angeles County, California, has about 9.8 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Los Angeles County is held at the county jail, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Los Angeles County public records, Los Angeles County warrants, Los Angeles County criminal records, Los Angeles County court records, Los Angeles County police reports, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Los Angeles County
The county jail, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Los Angeles County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office at locator.lacounty.gov/lac/Location/3069210/los-angeles-county-sherif... (page title: Los Angeles County Sheriff | Inmate Reception Center), phone (213) 473-6100, 450 Bauchet St. Los Angeles CA 90012, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Los Angeles County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 12,780 people, down from about 16,890 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 20,965 beds, and it ran at 62 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Los Angeles County has about 9.8 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 13 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Los Angeles County Jail
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Glendale, Lancaster, Palmdale and 82 more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Los Angeles County.
The FBI's agency list also places 14 state police units, ten campus police departments, five other agencies and one state agency in Los Angeles County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Los Angeles's 48,267 for 2025, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office's 18,434 for 2023 and Long Beach's 7,154 for 2025.
Together, the 47 agencies in Los Angeles County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 111,326 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at cdcr.ca.gov/search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Los Angeles County?
Look on the custody page of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office at locator.lacounty.gov, or call (213) 473-6100. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Los Angeles County jail?
About 12,780 on an average day in 2025, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 20,965 beds.
What is the phone number for the Los Angeles County jail?
(213) 473-6100, the number on the page of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Los Angeles County go?
To a facility of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; its inmate locator is at cdcr.ca.gov/search.
Is this the official Los Angeles County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.