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.
San Diego County, California, has about 3.3 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from San Diego County depends on where the incident happened: the San Diego 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: San Diego County public records, San Diego County arrest records, San Diego County warrants, San Diego County criminal records, San Diego County court records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from San Diego 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 San Diego County that is the San Diego 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 seven offices in San Diego 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 six campus police departments, one other agency and four state agencies in San Diego County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office
The San Diego County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 1,634 violent and 3,294 property crimes reported for 2023 and reported 4,913 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in San Diego County
The 18 cities the FBI lists in San Diego 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:
- San Diego: 5,858 violent and 25,240 property crimes reported for 2023; 22,407 arrests reported for 2025.
- Chula Vista: 984 violent and 3,636 property crimes reported for 2023; 3,871 arrests reported for 2025. The Chula Vista police records page is at chulavistaca.gov/departments/police-department/services/request-a-c..., phone 619-691-5151 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Oceanside: 755 violent and 3,106 property crimes reported for 2023; 3,143 arrests reported for 2025.
- Escondido: 582 violent and 2,421 property crimes reported for 2023; 4,830 arrests reported for 2025.
- Carlsbad: 231 violent and 1,874 property crimes reported for 2023; 1,752 arrests reported for 2025. The Carlsbad police records page is at carlsbadca.gov/departments/police/police/records-reports/request-a-..., phone 442-339-2119 (verified September 25, 2026).
- El Cajon: 494 violent and 1,602 property crimes reported for 2023; 3,246 arrests reported for 2025. The El Cajon police records page is at elcajon.gov/your-government/departments/police/information-you-may-..., phone 619.441.4588 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Vista: 378 violent and 1,179 property crimes reported for 2023; 1,670 arrests reported for 2025.
- San Marcos: 225 violent and 767 property crimes reported for 2023; 946 arrests reported for 2025.
- Encinitas: 136 violent and 738 property crimes reported for 2023; 1,057 arrests reported for 2024. The Encinitas police department's page is at encinitasca.gov/government/departments/public-safety/law-enforcement, phone (760) 633-2710 (verified September 25, 2026).
- La Mesa: 230 violent and 1,009 property crimes reported for 2023; 1,802 arrests reported for 2025.
- Santee: 173 violent and 564 property crimes reported for 2023; 744 arrests reported for 2025. The Santee police department's page is at cityofsanteeca.gov/departments/law-enforcement, phone (619) 258-4100 (verified September 25, 2026).
- National City: 365 violent and 1,176 property crimes reported for 2023; 1,594 arrests reported for 2025. The National City police records page is at nationalcityca.gov/government/police/divisions/records, phone (619) 336-4400 (verified September 25, 2026).
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: Poway, Lemon Grove, Imperial Beach, Coronado, Solana Beach and Del Mar.
How Many Reports: San Diego County in 2023
The 19 agencies in San Diego County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 12,478 violent and 48,321 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 15 agencies in San Diego County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 51,876 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 pra.sandiegocounty.gov (page title: Public Records Request CenterNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in San Diego County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol's seven offices in San Diego County.
How do I get a report from the San Diego 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 San Diego 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.