Merced Arrest and Public Records | California.StateRecords.org

What Are Merced City Public Records?

Merced City’s executives and employees comply with the California Public Records Act. The CPRA recognizes a public record as any piece of written, typed, or digital media that a Merced City official creates, uses, or stores while conducting official business. Merced City public records may take multiple forms, including letters, contracts, maps, photographs, audio and video recordings, and other digitally stored documents.

Not all Merced City records are publicly available. The CPRA exempts the public from obtaining the following types of documents:

Private individual details, whose disclosure would constitute a privacy breach;
Records protected under client-attorney privilege;
Records containing information about ongoing law enforcement investigations;
Juvenile information
Preliminary drafts, notes, or comments
Classified data
Trade secrets and proprietary innovations
Information for citizens and private monetary information.

Merced City Crime Statistics

The Merced City Police Department collates crime and arrest records and provides statistics on its Police Statistics Page. Interested persons can look through the portal to see how criminal activity in the city has grown or decreased over recent years. In 2019, the Department recorded 1150 crimes against people and 2385 crimes against property. Among violent crimes, there were six murders, 31 rape cases, 102 robberies, and 1011 cases of aggravated assault. Compared to the previous year, these numbers represent a 5% increase in crimes against people. The chances of becoming a violent crime victim in Merced City are 0.65%, while the statewide chances are 0.44%.

A closer look at Merced City’s 2019 property crimes revealed 393 burglaries - a 3% increase from the previous year. The city also recorded 1426 cases of larceny-theft, 497 instances of vehicular theft, and 69 arson cases. Property crime numbers in 2019 were also 5% higher than the previous year. The chances of being a property crime victim in Merced City are 1.34%, while the statewide chances are 2.33%.

Are Merced City Criminal Records Public?

Per California’s statutes, some, but not all, public members may request and view Merced City criminal records. For example, the California Department of Justice allows the following types of businesses to obtain criminal background checks:

Security guard firms;
Child care centers;
Law enforcement offices;
Public utility organizations.

While the DOJ does not allow individual public members to obtain criminal background checks on others, it enables individuals to request background checks on themselves. The Merced City Police Department also allows persons with arrest records to request, view, and copy their documents.

How to Obtain Merced City Police Reports and Arrest Records

The Merced City Police Department’s Records Division is responsible for transcribing, copying, and filing all police reports generated that the Police Department divisions create. They also provide copies of Merced City police reports to the public. Interested persons may obtain Merced City police reports by downloading and completing an Application to Release Police Report form, providing the following details:

Requestor’s name and address;
Requestor’s phone number and email address;
Incident date and time frame;
Police report number or incident number;
Incident location;
Names of parties involved.

Requesters may submit completed forms to the Records Division in person or by mail. The Records Section accepts in-person requesters from Monday through Thursday, between 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., and Fridays between 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Main Police Station
611 W. 22nd Street,
Merced.
Phone: (209) 385-6912
Fax: (209) 385-8808

The cost of copying Merced City police reports is ten cents per page.

How to Find Sex Offender Information in Merced City?

In Merced City, per the California Department of Justice’s rules, residents with sex offender convictions must list their details with the Merced City Police Department. The DOJ collects these details from Police Departments across the state and makes them publicly available on Sex Offender Registry. Anyone looking for Merced City sex offender information may query the registry using the desired offender’s name, phone number, address, or zip code. If the desired offender is registered, the researcher may click through detailed information like physical descriptions, mug shots, convictions, etc. Researchers may also query the portals map application to find sex offenders in specific regions.

How to Find Merced City Inmate Records?

Persons convicted of crimes within the city serve time in the Merced County Main Jail. The Merced County Sheriff is in charge of the jail and keeps a log of all inmates in prison. Interested persons may find Merced City inmate records by calling the Sheriff’s office or querying its Inmate Search Page. Persons that query the search page will find a list of all inmates in alphabetical order. Researchers may scroll through to find the desired inmate or search using the inmate’s name or booking number.

How Do I Visit an Inmate in Merced City Jail?

The Merced County Sheriff is in charge of the county jail and allows inmates to receive two thirty-minute visits per week. Each inmate must submit potential visitors’ names on an Inmate Visitor Information Form, which they may complete and submit between the 1st and 5th day of every month. The prison staff will conduct a criminal background check on each potential visitor and deny or approve visitors within five days of submission.

Visitor sign-in begins one hour before visitation starts, and all visitors must sign in at least fifteen minutes before their session. All visitors must present a valid government ID, which includes:

Any United States driver’s license;
Any United States identification card;
Military Identification Card;
United States Passport.

Adults must accompany minors and provide a copy of the minor’s birth certificate. Visitors cannot bring anything into the visitation areas except keys, their ID card, and a baby bottle if they are bringing in an infant. Visitors must dress conservatively when visiting inmates and may not wear revealing, see-through, low cut, or other provocative clothing.

The prison staff may deny or terminate a visit under the following conditions:

Visitors arrive intoxicated;
The visitor refuses to submit to a search;
The visitor does not provide acceptable identification;
The visitor’s child(ren) disturbs other visitors;
Visitors display affection inappropriately with inmates;
Visitors behave disruptively.

Merced City Court Records

Merced City is under Merced County’s jurisdiction. The Merced County Superior Court handles all legal issues in Merced City, such as criminal court cases, civil disputes, traffic, and family cases. Per the state’s public records laws, the Merced County Superior Court Clerk provides certified copies of Merced City court records to interested persons upon request. It also offers online access to Merced City court records through its Online Records page. Researchers may look for court records using the record number or the involved parties’ names.

The location of courts in Merced City are below:

Merced County Superior Court - New Courthouse (N Street Building)
2260 North Street,
Merced, CA 95340
Phone: (209) 725-4100

Merced County Superior Court - Old Courthouse (21st Street Building)
627 West 21st Street,
Merced, CA 95340
Phone: (209) 725-4100

Merced County Superior Court - Traffic Division
720 West 20th Street,
Merced, CA 95340
Phone: (209) 725-4107
Fax: (209) 725-4106

Merced County Superior Court - Juvenile Division
2840 West Sandy Mush Road,
Merced, CA 95341
Phone: (209) 725-4119
Fax: (209) 726-6585

Are Merced City Court Records Public?

Per the state’s Public Records Act, some Merced City court records are in the public domain. The Act exempts individual court records from general viewership and only allows authorized persons to view them. Examples include:

Juvenile criminal cases;
Juvenile dependency cases in which the court separates a child from his or her parents;
Civil harassment cases;
Child custody cases;
Some divorce cases.

How to Obtain Merced City Civil Court Case Records

The Merced County Superior Court handles all civil disputes in Merced City. Per the state’s public records laws, the Merced County Superior Court Clerk provides certified copies of Merced City civil court case records to interested persons. Researchers can find civil court case information in person, using the Superior Court’s public terminals and public information databases.

Researchers that cannot find their desired record may visit the Court Clerk’s office and complete a Record/Search/Copy Request Form to request a search. The application will contain the following information:

Parties’ names;
Case number;
Approximate filing year;
Specific documents requested;
The requester’s contact details.

If the Clerk’s staff takes longer than ten minutes to find the record, the search fee is $15. Copy fees are fifty cents per page, according to GC70627(a). If the researcher requires a certified copy, the cost is $40 per document.

Mail-in requesters may complete a Record/Search/Copy Request form, attach a check or money order for payment, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and send their request by US mail. All cheques should have their amounts left blank and “not to exceed $70” written below the amount line.

Merced County Superior Court - Old Courthouse (21st Street Building)
627 West 21st Street,
Merced, CA 95340
Phone: (209) 725-4100

How to Obtain Merced City Criminal Court Records

The Merced County Superior Court tries all Merced City criminal cases and provides copies per the state’s public records laws. Interested persons can find criminal court case information in person, using the Superior Court’s public terminals and public information databases.

Researchers that cannot find the desired record may visit the Court Clerk’s office and complete a Record/Search/Copy Request Form to request a search. The application will contain the following information:

Defendant’s name;
Case number;
Date of birth (if known)
The prosecutor’s name
Approximate filing year;
The requester’s contact details.

Merced County Superior Court - New Courthouse (N Street Building)
2260 North Street,
Merced, CA 95340
Phone: (209) 725-4100

What Are Merced City Vital Records?

When Merced City residents experience important events, government officials create vital records as historical evidence of such events. Vital records include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, and divorce decrees. The Merced County Superior Court is responsible for handling Merced City divorces. Simultaneously, the Merced County Recorder’s Office makes informational and certified copies of marriage, birth, and death records available to the public and eligible persons.

Where and How to get Merced City Divorce Records

The Merced County Superior Court Clerk’s Office handles all requests relating to Merced City divorce records. It provides copies of divorce records to the following persons:

The divorcees;
The divorcees’ immediate family members;
The divorcees’ legal representatives.

Eligible persons must provide accurate information about the divorce (like the divorcees’ names or the case number) to send a mail-in request. In-person requesters may find the case information using the court’s public databases or pay for clerk-assisted searches.

Researchers may complete a Record/Search/Copy Request Form to request a search or copies. The application will contain the following information:

The divorcees’ names;
The divorce date;
The case number;
The requester’s contact details;
The requester’s relationship with the divorcees.

Mail-in requesters may complete a Record/Search/Copy Request form, attach a check or money order for payment, proof of eligibility, and a self-addressed stamped envelope, and send their request by US mail. All cheques should have their amounts left blank and “not to exceed $70” written below the amount line.

Merced County Superior Court - New Courthouse (N Street Building)
2260 North Street,
Merced, CA 95340
Phone: (209) 725-4100

Where and How to Get Public Merced City Marriage Records

The Merced County Recorder’s office provides copies of public Merced City marriage certificates from approximately 1850 to the present to the following persons:

The couple (listed on the record);
The couple’s parents, children, siblings, grandparents, or adopted family.
A law enforcement agency representative on official business;
The couple’s legal representatives;
Anyone with legal permission to obtain the marriage record.

Eligible persons may order copies online through a verified third party. Requesters may also send a request to the County Recorder’s Office by completing an application for a certified copy of a marriage record, having the form notarized, attaching a self-addressed stamped envelope and a cheque or money order for $15 per certificate, and submitting the application in person or by mail to:

Merced County Clerk-Recorder
2222 M Street
Merced, CA 95340

All public Merced City marriage certificates have the words "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY" written on their faces.

Where and How to Get Confidential Merced City Marriage Records

The Merced County Clerk’s office provides copies of confidential Merced City marriage certificates to the following persons:

One of the parties to the confidential marriage;
A party with a court order that allows them to receive the record.

Merced County Clerk-Recorder
2222 M Street
Merced, CA 95340

Where and How to Get Merced City Birth Records

The Merced County Recorder’s office is responsible for the Merced City birth registry and provides informational and authorized copies of Merced City Birth Certificates. While anyone can request informational copies, only the following persons may get authorized copies:

The registrant (above eighteen years old);
Parents named on the record;
The registrant’s spouse;
The registrant’s siblings
The registrant’s legal representatives

Interested individuals who wish to get informational or authorized copies of Merced City birth certificates must complete an Application for Certified Copy of a Birth Record, including the following information:

The child’s full name;
The child’s date of birth;
The mother’s full maiden name;
The father’s full name;
The place of birth;
The requester’s return address;
A sworn, notarized statement (if requesting a certified copy).

Copies of Merced City birth certificates (information and authorized alike) cost $25 each. Persons requesting certificates by mail must include self-addressed stamped envelopes and cheques or money orders payable to the County Recorder.

Merced County Clerk-Recorder
2222 M Street
Merced, CA 95340

All informational Merced City birth certificates have the words "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY" written on their faces.

Where and How to Get Merced City Death Records

The Merced County Recorder’s office is responsible for the Merced City death registry and provides informational and authorized copies of Merced City death certificates. While anyone can request informational copies, only the following persons may get authorized copies:

The deceased’s parents;
The deceased’s spouse;
The deceased’s siblings
The deceased’s legal representatives
Anyone with a legal order to view a death record

Interested individuals who wish to get informational or authorized copies of Merced City death certificates must complete an Application for Certified Copy of a Death Record, including the following information:

The deceased’s full name;
The deceased’s date of death;
The date of death;
The requester’s return address;
A sworn, notarized statement (if requesting a certified copy).

Copies of Merced City death certificates (information and authorized alike) cost $21 each. Persons requesting certificates by mail must include self-addressed stamped envelopes and cheques or money orders payable to the County Recorder.

Merced County Clerk-Recorder
2222 M Street
Merced, CA 95340

All informational Merced City death certificates have the words "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY" written on their faces.