What to Do if You Are Arrested in Los Angeles

Written by the attorneys at Kosnett Law Firm. Reviewed by James V. Kosnett, criminal defense attorney, UCLA School of Law J.D. 1976, practicing California criminal law for roughly 50 years. Last reviewed: September 2026.

If you are arrested in Los Angeles, stay calm and do not resist, argue, or run. Give officers your name and identification, then say clearly, “I want to remain silent and I want a lawyer,” and stop talking. You will be booked, then either released with a court date or held until arraignment, which usually happens within 48 hours. Call a criminal defense attorney as soon as you can.

That is the short version. The rest of this page goes through what happens next, in order, and what you (or the person trying to help you from outside) should do at each step. For immediate help from a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, call Kosnett Law Firm at 310-445-5900.

What should you do in the first five minutes of an arrest?

Do three things: stay physically calm, say the words that invoke your rights, and then stop talking. Everything else can wait for your lawyer.

1. Do not resist, argue, or run. Even if the arrest is wrong, the street is not where you fix it. Resisting or delaying an officer can be charged as its own offense under Penal Code 148, and it turns a case that might have been weak into one with a second count and a use-of-force report. Keep your hands visible. Do not reach into pockets or bags.

2. Identify yourself, then invoke your rights. You can give your name, address, and identification. Beyond that, you do not have to answer questions. Say, out loud and plainly: “I want to remain silent. I want to speak to an attorney.” Vague versions (“maybe I should get a lawyer?”) do not work as well. Courts have treated ambiguous requests as not being requests at all.

3. Then actually stay silent. This is the hard part. Officers will often keep the conversation going in a friendly way, tell you that talking will help, or say they just want to “clear things up.” You cannot clear things up at this stage. Anything you say can be used against you, and a version of events told under stress in a patrol car is rarely the version you would want a jury to hear. Once you have asked for a lawyer, questioning is supposed to stop. If it does not, keep repeating the same sentence.

Do not consent to searches. You do not have to physically block anything, and you should not. Just say, “I do not consent to a search.” Whether the search was legal is something your attorney can litigate later, and your words on the scene help preserve that argument.

What happens after you are arrested in Los Angeles?

After the arrest you are taken to a station or jail for booking, which records your identity and the alleged offense. From there you are either released with a citation or a court date, released on bail or your own recognizance, or held for arraignment.

Here is the typical sequence in LA County. Timing varies with the charge, the agency, and whether you were arrested on a weekend.

The most important fact in that table is the 48-hour rule. If you are held, you have a right to be brought before a judge quickly. If you were arrested on a Friday night, that can still mean Monday or Tuesday. A lawyer who is contacted early can sometimes get you in front of a judge sooner, or get release conditions addressed before the hearing.

What happens during booking?

Booking is the administrative step that turns an arrest into a record. Officers take your fingerprints and photograph, enter your personal information and the alleged offense into the system, inventory your property, and place you in a holding cell.

A few things to know while you are there:

• Your rights do not pause in the holding cell. Do not discuss your case with cellmates. People in custody sometimes trade information to help their own situation.
• Jail phones are recorded. Calls to your attorney are not supposed to be monitored. Assume every other call is being recorded and could be played in court.
• You may be asked to sign things. Property receipts are fine. Anything that looks like a statement, a waiver, or a consent form should wait until you have talked to a lawyer.
• Medical needs. If you take prescription medication or have a medical condition, tell the booking officer. That is not a statement about your case and it can matter.

Booking can take a few hours or most of a day depending on how busy the facility is. Waiting it out is not the same as cooperating with an interrogation.

Should you talk to the police if you are innocent?

No. Being innocent is a reason to talk to a lawyer first, not a reason to talk to the police first.

This is the question we get most often, and the instinct behind it is understandable. If you did nothing wrong, why not just explain? The problem is that an interrogation is not a conversation between equals. Officers are allowed to tell you things that are not true about the evidence they have. They are trained to ask the same question several ways and treat any inconsistency as a lie. A detail you remember wrong under stress becomes a “false statement.” A perfectly true statement can still place you somewhere, confirm a relationship, or supply a motive.

Your lawyer can give the police your account later, in writing, after reviewing what the police actually have. That version does not come with an inconsistency and does not get cut into pieces.

How do you use your phone calls after an arrest?

Use them to reach the one person most likely to get you a lawyer, and keep the call short and free of details about the case.

In practice “one phone call” is a bit of a myth. Under Penal Code 851.5, an arrested person has the right to make at least three completed calls, at no expense if the call is local, immediately on being booked and no later than three hours after arrest. If you are a parent with custody of a minor child, you are entitled to additional calls to arrange for childcare.

Whoever you call, tell them four things:

1. Where you are (the station or facility name if you know it).
2. That you have been arrested.
3. What the officers said the charge is, if they told you.
4. That you need them to call a criminal defense lawyer.

Do not explain what happened. Do not say “it wasn’t me” or “I only had two drinks.” The call is recorded.

How do you find someone who has been arrested in Los Angeles?

If a family member or friend has been arrested and you are trying to locate them, start with the LA County Sheriff’s inmate locator, then the LAPD’s inmate information line, then the arresting agency directly. Have their full name and date of birth ready.

• LA County Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information Center covers people booked into county jail facilities. Someone arrested by LAPD may not appear here until they are transferred from the division station.
• LAPD inmate information line covers people held at LAPD jail facilities, such as Metropolitan Detention Center, 77th Street, Van Nuys, and Pacific.
• The arresting agency’s station, if you know which one it was. Ask for the watch commander or the jailer.
• Other cities’ police departments (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Long Beach, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Torrance, and others) run their own jails and their own lookup lines. People arrested by those agencies often are not in county custody until arraignment.

There is usually a lag of several hours between arrest and the person appearing in any system. If the search comes up empty, wait and try again rather than assuming they were released.

Once you have found them, the most useful thing you can do is contact a criminal defense attorney. A lawyer can call the facility, confirm the charge and bail status, and often speak with the person before anyone else can. If you call Kosnett Law Firm at 310-445-5900, we can begin that process the same day.

How does bail and release work in LA County right now?

Most people arrested for misdemeanors and many lower-level felonies in LA County are released before arraignment without posting cash bail. People arrested for serious or violent offenses, or who have certain histories, are generally held for a judge to decide.

Since October 1, 2023, the Los Angeles Superior Court has used Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols (PARP) in place of the traditional cash bail schedule for most offenses. Under that system, an arrest generally results in one of three things:

Some charges are excluded from pre-arraignment release entirely and still carry cash bail or a hold. Being on probation, parole, or post-release community supervision at the time of arrest generally means magistrate review rather than automatic release. If bail is set, you can pay the full amount to the court (returned at the end of the case if you appear) or use a bail bond agent, who charges a non-refundable fee, typically 10 percent of the bail amount. Some bond agents charge less if you already have an attorney.

A lawyer can ask the judge to reduce bail, release you on your own recognizance, or modify conditions that make it hard to work or see your children. That request is stronger when it is made early with documentation (employment, residence, family ties) than when it is made cold at arraignment.

We keep a more detailed page on this: Zero Bail in Los Angeles County. Because this policy changes, check the review date on that page.

What happens at your arraignment in Los Angeles?

Arraignment is your first court appearance. The judge tells you the charges, you enter a plea (usually not guilty), and the judge sets or reviews release conditions and schedules the next date.

Where it happens depends on where you were arrested. Most in-custody felony arraignments for central Los Angeles go through the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center downtown. Cases from the west side often go to the Airport Courthouse near LAX, the Valley goes to Van Nuys, and other regions have their own courthouses (Compton, Long Beach, Pasadena, Torrance, Pomona, and others).

A few things about arraignment that surprise people:

• You should almost always plead not guilty at this stage. A not guilty plea is not a claim that nothing happened. It preserves your rights and gives your lawyer time to see the evidence. Pleading guilty at arraignment, without a lawyer, to “get it over with” is a mistake we see a lot, and it is hard to undo.
• Charges can differ from what the officer said. The District Attorney (or the City Attorney for many misdemeanors within the City of Los Angeles) decides what to file. The charge at arraignment may be more serious or less serious than the arrest charge, or the office may decline to file at all.
• If no charges are filed by the arraignment date, you are released, though the prosecutor can still file later within the statute of limitations.
• Protective orders often issue here. In domestic violence cases, a criminal protective order at arraignment can bar you from your own home. Tell your lawyer beforehand if that would create problems so it can be addressed.

If you do not have a lawyer by arraignment, ask the court to appoint the public defender or ask for a short continuance to retain one. Do not enter a plea just because the line is moving.

What happens after arraignment, from pretrial hearings through trial and sentencing, is covered in our guide to the criminal court process in Los Angeles.

What should you not do after being released?

Do not talk about the case with anyone but your lawyer, do not contact the alleged victim or witnesses, and do not post anything about it online. Show up to every court date.

More specifically:

• No social media. Not a vague post, not a “prayers appreciated,” not a deleted-later story. Prosecutors and investigators look. Deleting content after the fact can create its own problems.
• No contact with the accuser or witnesses, even to apologize, even through a friend, even if they reach out to you first. In domestic violence cases this can violate a protective order and lead to a new arrest.
• No “explaining” to your employer beyond what you must. Some jobs and all professional licenses have reporting rules, and the wording matters. Ask your lawyer first.
• Do not miss court. A missed date turns into a bench warrant, and in a case that was going well it changes the judge’s view of you.
• Do not ignore any DMV paperwork if the arrest was for DUI. The 10-day window to request a DMV hearing runs from the date of arrest, not from your court date. See our Los Angeles DUI defense page.

What should you write down while it is fresh?

As soon as you are somewhere private, write down everything you remember about the arrest, in order, and give it only to your lawyer.

Include:

• Where you were and what time it was, as best you can reconstruct it.
• Who else was there, including names or descriptions of officers and witnesses.
• What the officers said, especially anything about why they stopped you or what they were looking for.
• Whether you were read your rights, and when.
• Whether you were searched, what was searched, and whether anyone asked for consent.
• What you said, as precisely as you can remember it.
• Any injuries, and any photos of them.
• Any video you or bystanders may have. Save it somewhere it will not be auto-deleted.

Memory fades fast and gets rewritten by every conversation you have about it. A note written the same night is worth more than a clear recollection a month later. Do not share this note with family or friends. A communication to your attorney is privileged, a group text is not.

Does an arrest go on your record even if you are not charged?

Yes. An arrest creates a record with the arresting agency and the California Department of Justice even if no charges are filed. California law allows many of these records to be sealed under Penal Code 851.91, and in some situations sealing is a matter of right.

That matters for background checks, licensing, and immigration. If your case ends without a conviction (no charges filed, charges dismissed, or acquittal), ask your lawyer about sealing the arrest. We cover the process on our sealing your arrest record page.

If you are not a U.S. citizen, tell your lawyer at the first conversation. Some charges carry immigration consequences that are worse than the criminal penalty, and the plea decisions have to account for that from the start.

What if you hold a professional license?

If you are a nurse, physician, teacher, contractor, real estate agent, pharmacist, or hold any other California state license, an arrest can trigger reporting duties and a licensing board investigation that runs separately from the criminal case.

Boards find out. Fingerprint-based arrest notifications go to licensing agencies through the Department of Justice, often before the criminal case is resolved. Many boards require you to report an arrest or conviction within a set number of days or on your next renewal, and a late or inaccurate report can become its own violation.

Few criminal defense firms also do licensing work. This one does. James V. Kosnett has practiced professional licensing defense for more than 30 years alongside criminal defense, which means the criminal strategy and the licensing strategy can be planned together rather than by two lawyers who never talk to each other. A plea that looks fine in criminal court can be the worst option for your license. Tell us early.

When should you call a criminal defense lawyer after an arrest?

Immediately, and ideally before you are questioned. The window between arrest and arraignment is when a lawyer can do the most with the least: stop an interrogation, get release conditions addressed, contact the prosecutor before a filing decision is made, and preserve evidence that disappears quickly (surveillance video, phone data, witness memory).

If you are reading this on behalf of someone in custody, call now. If you are reading this after your own release, the next most important date is arraignment, and there is real work a lawyer can do before it.

Why Kosnett Law Firm

Kosnett Law Firm is a Los Angeles criminal defense firm at 11400 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite 200, in West Los Angeles. James V. Kosnett (Yale B.A. 1973, UCLA School of Law J.D. 1976) has practiced California criminal law for roughly 50 years and also handles professional licensing defense. Louis V. Kosnett (California Bar 2014) was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in 2023 and 2024. We take calls from people in custody and from the families trying to reach them, and we handle cases in courthouses across Los Angeles County.

Talk to a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney

If you or someone you care about has been arrested in Los Angeles, contact Kosnett Law Firm or call 310-445-5900 for a free confidential consultation. We can confirm where the person is being held, what the charge is, and what can be done before arraignment.

Frequently asked questions about being arrested in Los Angeles

What should I say when I am arrested?

Give your name and identification, then say: “I want to remain silent and I want to speak to an attorney.” Say it clearly, not as a question, and then stop talking. You do not need to explain, argue, or answer follow-up questions. Repeat the same sentence if officers keep asking. Politeness helps; conversation does not.

How long can police hold you before charging you in California?

If you are held after arrest, you generally must be brought before a judge for arraignment within 48 hours, not counting Sundays and court holidays. If the prosecutor has not filed charges by then, you are released, although charges can still be filed later within the statute of limitations.

Do I have to answer police questions if I am not under arrest?

You generally have to identify yourself in a lawful stop, but you do not have to answer other questions, and you can ask whether you are free to leave. If you are free to leave, leave calmly. If you are not, you are being detained, and the same advice applies: say you want a lawyer and stay silent.

Can the police lie to me during questioning?

In many situations, yes. Officers may tell you that a co-defendant confessed, that they have video, or that talking will help you, even when none of that is true. This is one of the main reasons to ask for a lawyer instead of trying to talk your way out.

How do I find out if someone has been arrested in Los Angeles?

Search the LA County Sheriff’s inmate locator online with their full name and date of birth, then try the LAPD inmate information line and the arresting agency’s station. Allow several hours for the record to appear. A criminal defense attorney can also call the facility directly and confirm charge and bail status.

Will I be released the same day after an arrest in LA County?

Often, for misdemeanors and many lower-level felonies, under LA County’s pre-arraignment release rules. More serious charges, domestic violence, DUI with injury, and some repeat offenses generally go to a magistrate for review or are held for arraignment. The rules change, so confirm your specific situation with a lawyer.

What is an arraignment?

Arraignment is your first court appearance. The judge reads the charges, you enter a plea (usually not guilty), and the judge addresses release conditions and sets the next court date. If you do not have a lawyer, you can ask the court to appoint one or to continue the hearing so you can hire one.

Should I plead guilty at arraignment to get it over with?

Almost never without talking to a lawyer first. A guilty plea at arraignment is a conviction with permanent consequences, entered before you or anyone has seen the evidence. A not guilty plea preserves your options. Cases are regularly reduced or dismissed after the evidence is reviewed.

Does an arrest show up on a background check if I was never charged?

It can. The arrest record exists with the arresting agency and the California DOJ even without charges. Many arrests that do not lead to a conviction can be sealed by petition, and some as a matter of right. Ask your lawyer about sealing once the case ends.

What if I was arrested and I hold a professional license?

Tell your lawyer right away. Licensing boards receive arrest notifications through fingerprint reporting, and many require you to report an arrest or conviction within a set period. Kosnett Law Firm handles both criminal defense and professional licensing defense, so both can be planned together.