Arrested in Taft? What Happens in the First 48 Hours
The short version
After a Taft arrest, your loved one is booked into the Taft Police Department jail at 320 Commerce Way — not Bakersfield. Bail can be posted there. It is short-term holding, though — people who stay in custody are driven to the county jail at the Lerdo Jail Complex in Bakersfield, and the process gets slower once they are there. Call 661-324-6009 any hour.
The hardest part of the first night is not knowing what’s happening. Someone you love was arrested in Taft an hour ago, nobody is telling you much, and the county inmate search is coming back empty. Here is the actual sequence, start to finish, so you know what’s going on and when you can do something about it.
The single most important thing to understand: there is a window. Early on, your person is in Taft, minutes from your house, and bail can be posted locally. Once they are moved to Bakersfield everything takes longer. Most families lose that window simply because nobody told them it existed. How long it lasts is worth a phone call — see below.
The timeline
The arrest
If it happened inside Taft city limits, the Taft Police Department made the arrest. If it happened outside city limits — the city of Maricopa, or the unincorporated communities of Fellows, McKittrick, Derby Acres, Dustin Acres and Valley Acres — it was a Kern County Sheriff’s deputy from the Taft Substation on Gardner Field Road. Ford City, South Taft and Taft Heights are unincorporated too, right up against the city, so an arrest there is usually a Sheriff’s matter as well. That distinction decides everything that follows, so confirm which agency made the arrest rather than assuming.
Transport to the jail
A Taft PD arrest goes to the Taft Police Department jail at 320 Commerce Way — a few minutes’ drive. A Sheriff’s arrest goes the other way: the Taft Substation is a patrol base, not a booking facility, so a deputy drives straight to Bakersfield. Same town, two completely different nights.
Booking
Fingerprints, photograph, property inventory, health screening, phone call. Property is logged on a booking sheet your loved one signs when they’re released. Until booking is finished there’s usually no bail amount to work with yet — this is the stretch where families feel most powerless, and it’s normal.
Bail is set — and the window opens
Bail is set from the Kern County bail schedule based on the charges. This is the moment to act. A licensed bondsman can post the bond at the Taft jail; the facility takes cash, money orders, certified checks and bonds, though not personal checks. If the bond is posted here, your loved one is released in Taft and you pick them up in town. Some people are cited and released at this stage without any bond at all.
How long they stay in Taft
Sources disagree, so call and ask. The City of Taft’s website states a 96-hour maximum, matching the California standard for a Type I facility. The department’s own jail manual sets a stricter 48-hour limit. Either way it is a ceiling, not a guarantee: anyone needing medical care or detox is transferred to Bakersfield immediately, whatever the clock says. Call 661-763-3101 rather than planning around a number.
Transfer to Bakersfield
Anyone still in custody is transported to the county jail at the Lerdo Jail Complex, where new arrests are booked at the Sheriff’s Inmate Reception Center (the older Central Receiving Facility downtown is now court holding only) — roughly 50 to 60 minutes from Taft. They’re booked into the county system, and only now do they start appearing in the county inmate search. Most people who aren’t released quickly move on to the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility north of town.
Release
From the Taft jail, release is usually quick — it’s a small facility with a short line. From the county jail at Lerdo, expect several hours; the Sheriff says release can take up to 8 hours after bail is posted. The wait is county processing, not the bond.
Arraignment
California law (Penal Code §825) requires a first appearance within 48 hours of arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays — note that a Saturday still counts against the clock. If the time runs out while court is closed, the appearance happens at the next session. The release or court paperwork names the courthouse, department, date and time — that paperwork is the authority, not anything you read online.
One call tells you where they are, what bail is, and whether a bond is even needed.
Call 661-324-6009 — 24/7Why the county inmate search shows nothing
This is the question we get most from Taft families, and the answer is reassuring. Someone sitting in the Taft city jail has not been booked into a county facility, so they generally will not appear in the Kern County inmate database at all. An empty search result usually doesn’t mean something went wrong — it means they’re still in Taft.
Once they’re in the county system you can find them here:
- kernsheriff.org → “Inmate Search” — the Kern County Sheriff’s official database, and the one to trust.
- kerninmatesearch.org — an unofficial site some families find easier to navigate; always confirm what you find there against the Sheriff’s database.
What we need from you
You don’t have to drive anywhere, and you don’t have to have everything figured out. One phone call starts it:
- Their full name and date of birth. Enough for us to find the booking record.
- Where they were arrested, if you know — in town or out in the county. It tells us which building to call.
- We pull the record and tell you the charges, the bail amount, and whether there are any holds, before you commit to anything.
- You sign by phone or online. No trip to Bakersfield.
- We post the bond at whichever facility they’re in.
Taft arrest at a glance
| Stage | Where | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest | Taft or west Kern | Hour 0 |
| Booking | Taft PD jail, 320 Commerce Way | 1–4 hours |
| Bail set | Taft PD jail | 2–6 hours |
| Local bail window | Taft PD jail | Short-term — call to confirm |
| Transfer | Lerdo Jail Complex, Bakersfield | After the holding window |
| Release after bond | Taft | Usually quick |
| Release after bond | Lerdo (county jail) | Up to 8 hours |
| Arraignment | Kern County Superior Court | 48 hrs, excl. Sundays/holidays |
What bail costs
The premium is most commonly 10% of the bail amount — $1,000 on a $10,000 bail. It is not fixed by statute: each surety files its rates with the California Department of Insurance and its agents charge the filed rate, and many sureties file as low as 8% for qualifying cases. Ask what filed rate applies to yours. We offer payment plans and easy-to-qualify terms, and you’ll know the exact figure before you agree to anything. Run a quick estimate with our free bail bond calculator, or read how to post bail in Kern County.
Frequently asked questions
How long before they’re moved to Bakersfield?
Sources differ — the city’s website says 96 hours, the department’s own manual says 48. Past whichever applies, anyone still in custody is transported to the county jail, where new arrests are booked at the Sheriff’s Inmate Reception Center at the Lerdo Jail Complex. Medical or detox needs can trigger an earlier transfer. Call 661-763-3101 to ask.
Do I need to drive to Bakersfield to post bail?
No. If they’re still at the Taft jail, we post the bond there. And either way you don’t need to be present — paperwork is handled by phone or online.
Can I do anything in the first hour?
Call us. We often can’t post a bond until booking is done and bail is set, but we can confirm where they are, watch for the bail amount, and have the paperwork ready to go the moment it posts. That preparation is usually what saves the window.
What if they were arrested outside Taft city limits?
Then a Sheriff’s deputy made the arrest and they went straight to Bakersfield — the Taft Substation is not a booking facility. This includes Ford City, South Taft and Taft Heights, which are unincorporated. Skip the Taft jail and start with the county inmate search.
What if there’s a hold?
An out-of-county warrant or a probation or parole hold can keep someone in custody even after bail is posted. We check for holds before you pay anything.
About Cowboy Bail Bonds
For more than 50 years, Cowboy Bail Bonds has helped Kern County families — including Taft, Maricopa and the west Kern oil communities — get through the bail process from our office at 1710 Blanche Street in Bakersfield. We post bonds at the Taft jail and at the county facilities, day or night. Available 24 hours a day, every day, including holidays. Bilingual agents on staff. Se Habla Español. California Bail License #1841598.
Call 661-324-6009