Imperial County Criminal Records

Criminal records in Imperial County are managed by the Superior Court and the Sheriff's Office. The county sits along the Mexican border in the southeast corner of California, with El Centro as the county seat. Imperial County has a population of roughly 180,000 people. The Superior Court handles all felony and misdemeanor filings for the county. You can look up criminal cases through the court's online ROA lookup tool or visit the courthouse in person. The sheriff's office keeps jail booking records and can provide custody status information by phone. Because of its location near the border, Imperial County also sees federal criminal cases handled separately through the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of California.

Imperial County Court Records Search

The Imperial County Superior Court provides an online ROA and case lookup tool at imperial.courts.ca.gov. ROA stands for Register of Actions. It is a log of everything that has happened in a case. Each entry in the ROA shows a date, a description of the court action, and any related documents. You can search by case number or defendant name. This tool gives you a quick snapshot of where a criminal case stands without having to go to the courthouse in El Centro.

The screenshot below shows the Imperial County Superior Court's ROA and case lookup page, where you can search for criminal case records online.

For copies of court documents, you can contact the court clerk at (760) 482-2250. The main courthouse is in El Centro. Copies cost 50 cents per page under California's standard fee schedule. Certified copies are $40 each. If you need a record search that takes more than 10 minutes of staff time, the court can charge a $15 search fee. Bring a case number if you have one. It makes the process faster.

Note: The online lookup gives you case information and the register of actions, but you may still need to contact the clerk for full document copies.

Imperial County Sheriff Criminal Records

The Imperial County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail. The jail holds people arrested in Imperial County who are waiting for court hearings or serving short sentences. The sheriff does not have a public online inmate search tool like some larger counties do. To find out if someone is in custody, call the sheriff's office at (442) 265-2266. Staff can check the booking records and tell you if someone is being held, what the charges are, and whether bail has been set.

If someone has been convicted and sent to state prison from Imperial County, you can track them through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. CDCR's CIRIS inmate search covers everyone in state custody. Search by name or CDCR number. The results show the person's current facility, admission date, and upcoming parole hearing dates.

County jail records and state prison records are separate systems. The sheriff handles local custody. CDCR handles state prison. You need to check both if you are not sure where someone ended up after sentencing.

State Criminal Record Resources for Imperial County

The California Department of Justice keeps the statewide criminal history database. This covers arrests and convictions from all 58 counties, including Imperial. Anyone can request their own RAP sheet by doing Live Scan fingerprinting and paying a $25 fee to the DOJ. There are Live Scan locations in El Centro and a few other spots in Imperial County. Find one through the DOJ Live Scan locator. The process at the Live Scan site takes about 15 minutes. If you have no criminal history, results come back in 48 to 72 hours.

Employers and licensing agencies in Imperial County use the same DOJ system for background checks. They must have authorization from the state. You can track your background check status at applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov using your ATI number and date of birth. The DOJ does not offer a way to speed up the process. You just have to wait.

The sex offender registry is another statewide resource. You can search it at meganslaw.ca.gov to find registered sex offenders in Imperial County by name or address. The registry is run by the DOJ under Penal Code Section 290.46.

Note: Your DOJ RAP sheet cannot be shared with employers or anyone else. Penal Code Section 11142 makes it illegal to give your criminal history record to unauthorized third parties.

Clearing Criminal Records in Imperial County

If you have a criminal record in Imperial County, California law provides several options to clear or reduce it. Penal Code Section 1203.4 is the most common. It lets people who finished probation petition the court to dismiss their case. You file the petition with the Imperial County Superior Court. The conviction stays on your RAP sheet but shows as dismissed. This helps with job searches and housing applications, though it does not restore gun rights or remove sex offender registration requirements.

Penal Code Section 851.87 lets you seal arrest records when no conviction resulted from the arrest. You do not need to prove you were innocent. Once sealed, the arrest does not show on most background checks. Proposition 47 relief is available for certain nonviolent drug and theft felonies that can be reduced to misdemeanors. Proposition 64 covers old marijuana convictions. Both require filing a petition with the court. Legal aid organizations serving Imperial County can help if you cannot afford a private lawyer.

How to Get Imperial County Criminal Records

There are a few ways to get criminal records in Imperial County. What you need determines where you go. The court handles case files. The sheriff handles booking records. Police departments in El Centro, Calexico, and Brawley handle their own arrest and incident reports. Here is a summary of the main methods.

• Online case lookup through the Imperial County Superior Court ROA tool
• In-person at the court clerk's office in El Centro
• Copies at 50 cents per page, certified copies at $40
• Sheriff booking records by calling (442) 265-2266
• Your own RAP sheet through Live Scan ($25 DOJ fee)

Court records and police records come from different agencies. If you need the court file and the police report for the same case, you have to contact each one separately. The court has charging documents, plea records, and sentencing orders. The police department has the arrest report and any investigation notes. For records from the El Centro Police Department, contact them directly.

Nearby Counties

Criminal cases can cross county borders. These nearby counties have their own court systems and criminal record resources.