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Are mugshots public record in California?

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    Q: Reporters from our news organization deal with various police departments that routinely turn down requests for mug shots of suspects. Most recently, a mug shot of a driver was requested in a fatal hit-and-run case. As always, the police denied our request for the mug shot and offered this standard justification for the waiver:

    A: “Based on your request for ‘the mug shot of the suspect arrested by the fatal hit this morning and run’, the City must deny your application for the following reasons: Police Records: Records of complaints or investigations conducted by or 1. Records of intelligence information or security procedures by … a local law enforcement agency or state or any investigative or Security files compiled by a… local authority for correction, law enforcement, or licensing purposes. In this case, the requested mugshot is part of the law enforcement investigative file. In addition, the police investigation into this matter is active and ongoing and the release of the mugshot you have requested would jeopardize the successful completion of the investigation and possible future prosecution. (Gov. Code 6254(f), 86 Cal. Atty. Gen. Ops. 132.)

    California Crime and Arrest Statistics

    • In 2018 more than 1 million arrests of 700 law enforcement agencies in California, including 42,958 arrests of children under the age of 18.
    • Made 110,236 arrests for violent crimes, including 1,409 arrests for murder and non-negligent manslaughter, 2,539 arrests for rape and 16,670 arrests for robbery
    • Substance abuse violations were the leading cause of arrests, with 219,251, followed driving under the influence with 127,250 arrests and serious bodily harm with 89,618 arrests.
    • There were 58,286 arrests for intoxication and 5,948 for violating the Alcoholic Beverages Act.
    • California has more than 106,000 registered sex offenders.

    Sources: FBI: 2018 Crime in the United States, California Department of State Security

    California Mugshot Law and The Publishing Industry

    Non-Federal Law The mugshot publishing industry is part of a market for tabloid journalism.

    With regard to California’s mugshot law, the California mugshot publishing industry includes organizations that publish mugshots and other arrest record information statewide.

    How can people access your arrest records?

    Arrest records are public records in the State of California. This means that under California law, people arrested for a crime have the right to search for or access them. This right is granted by:

    • the Public Records Act and
    • the California Constitution.

    Is there a way to do an order verification for Oakland by a state agency?

    Civilians do not have access to Oakland’s warrant listing. However, you can view details of the active warrants for a specific suspect. However, this must also be obtained from the local judiciary via case research. For-

    You can visit the Rene C. Davidson courthouse. The public terminals in Room 107 are free to use to view case files, including details of pending warrants.

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