Where LAPD Jail Releases Go
LAPD city jails are a short-term custody layer, not the same thing as a long-term LASD county jail facility or a CDCR prison. Section 0 states that many LAPD arrests move into LASD jail or court processes, while a person released at the city-jail stage may not have the same LASD jail record footprint as someone booked into a long-term county facility. That is why the correct first step is the custody phone line, followed by the agency and court records that match the arrest path.
If a person was released before transfer into LASD custody, the release question may be an LAPD records and court question. If the person was transferred into LASD custody, then the LASD Inmate Information Center, release reports, VINE, and custody records become relevant. If the case led to state prison, federal custody, or immigration custody, those later systems must be checked separately.
Confirm an LAPD Custody Release
- Call 213-473-6100 for current custody information. LAPD specifically says this number is available 24 hours a day for people in LAPD or LASD jails.
- If the person moved into LASD custody, search the LASD Inmate Information Center and check the LASD Custody Reports page for release-related PDFs.
- Use the Los Angeles VINE phone path, 1-877-VINE-4LA / 1-877-846-3452, when the person is in the Los Angeles County Jail System. LAPD says VINE monitors inmate activity in the county jail system and calls when an inmate is transferred or released.
- Search the Los Angeles Superior Court criminal case if a case was filed. Court records may show bail, release order, sentence, disposition, warrants, or later record-clearing activity.
- Use LAPD or LASD records depending on which agency held the custody record. For LASD jail records, the custody-related CPRA path is the formal fallback for inmate records and information.
LAPD Jail Records and Contact
The most important confirmed LAPD jail contact from the research is the shared custody information line. For records beyond immediate custody status, route the request to the agency that created the record. If LAPD held the person only temporarily, LAPD records may be relevant. If LASD booked or housed the person, LASD custody records are the release-record source. If the court ordered release, official court records may be needed to confirm the order.
Temporary custody channels
Custody status: 213-473-6100, 24 hours a day for LAPD or LASD jail custody information.
VINE phone: 1-877-VINE-4LA / 1-877-846-3452 for Los Angeles County Jail System custody status and release or transfer notifications.
LASD custody records: use the Custody Services Support Bureau PRA Unit path for inmate records/information when the person entered LASD custody.
LASC court records: verify release orders and dispositions through official court records when online data is not enough.
About LAPD City Jails
LAPD city jails and temporary holding facilities are listed in the facility map as a city jail / temporary detention path operated by the Los Angeles Police Department. The release page should not treat them like a separate county-jail archive. Their role is to identify whether the person is still in city custody, moved to LASD, went to court, or was released at the temporary-holding stage.
| Facility type | City jail and temporary detention. |
|---|---|
| Operating agency | Los Angeles Police Department. |
| Primary public check | 213-473-6100 custody status line for LAPD or LASD jails. |
| Common next records | LASD custody records, VINE, LASC court case, or LAPD records depending on the custody path. |
Release or Transfer
A person leaving an LAPD holding facility may be released, transferred to LASD, sent to court, or held for another process. Do not assume that a person missing from one lookup has been released. The countywide research repeatedly cautions that absence from a current-custody search can reflect transfer, data lag, court movement, hospital movement, a hold, limited records, or a search mismatch. Use the phone line and court record to separate release from transfer.
This is especially important for LAPD arrests because the first custody location can be temporary. A person may be cited or released before a longer jail booking, or the case may move into the LASD jail system and then appear under county custody records. If a caller is trying to meet someone at release, confirm the current holding agency before traveling. The research did not identify a separate LAPD public last-24-hour or last-72-hour completed-release feed, so the reliable route is still custody status, VINE where LASD custody applies, court records, and the records office that owns the booking.
VINE and Court Records
VINE is useful only when the person is in the Los Angeles County Jail System data flow. LAPD's VINE page says callers enter the inmate's name or booking number, receive immediate custody status, and may register after the status is provided. It also says VINE will call when an inmate is transferred or released, and that the PIN is the only way to stop notification calls. For formal release details, use VINE as a status tool and pair it with the court case or agency records.
The Los Angeles Superior Court case can show why custody ended: bail, own-recognizance release, sentence, dismissal, next hearing, warrant, or probation terms. LASC warns that online case information is not the official court record, so important release decisions should be verified against official records.
If the court case later shows probation, PRCS, parole, dismissal, or record-cleaning activity, keep that separate from the city-jail release event. California Courts' self-help material says true expungement does not exist in California, although record-cleaning options may affect public access depending on the order. A temporary custody release record, a court disposition, and a later record-cleaning order can each live in a different system with different access rules.
For immediate status, the custody phone line remains the fastest verified first starting point before using slower records channels.