SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.

About this guide

Alameda County, California, has about 1.6 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Alameda County depends on where the incident happened: the Alameda County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the California Public Records Act requires of it.

This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.

Related guides: Alameda County public records, Alameda County arrest records, Alameda County warrants, Alameda County inmate search, Alameda County criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.

Which Agency Holds a Report from Alameda County

The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.

In Alameda County that is the Alameda County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.

The FBI's list also places the Highway Patrol's six offices in Alameda County; a report taken on a state highway by one of them comes from that agency's own records office.

The FBI's agency list also places three other agencies, one state agency and three campus police departments in Alameda County, each with a records office of its own.

Reports from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 630 violent and 1,972 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 2,610 arrests for 2025.

Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at acgov.org/sheriff_app (page title: Inmate Locator), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.

Reports from the City Agencies in Alameda County

The 14 cities the FBI lists in Alameda County with a reporting agency of their own, the largest twelve first, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:

A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.

The rest: Emeryville and Piedmont.

How Many Reports: Alameda County in 2025

The 15 agencies in Alameda County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 10,576 violent and 52,050 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.

Together, the 13 agencies in Alameda County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 14,194 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.

What the California Public Records Act Requires

The California Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances, at a charge of the direct cost of copying only, not staff time, from the agency that holds the report.

Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at auditor.alamedacountyca.gov/public-records-request (page title: Public Records Request | Alameda County Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder).

A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a police report in Alameda County?

From the agency whose officer took it: the Alameda County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.

How long does an agency in Alameda County have to answer?

Under the California Public Records Act, within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances. It may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time.

Who has a crash report from a state highway in Alameda County?

The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol's six offices in Alameda County.

How do I get a report from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office?

From its records unit. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.

Is this the official Alameda 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.