Clifton Booking Release Records
Clifton arrests lead to bookings at the Passaic County Jail in Paterson. The jail is at 11 Marshall Street and can hold 1,242 people. Clifton police handle the arrest and then transfer the person to the county facility. Each booking creates a record with the person's name, charges, and intake date. Passaic County runs an online inmate search tool that lets you check who is in custody right now. The public can also request older booking records through the OPRA process.
Clifton Police Arrest and Booking Records
The Clifton Police Department is at 900 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013. The main desk number is (973) 470-5262. For non-emergency calls, dial (973) 470-5900. The Records Department has its own line at (973) 470-5877. Records staff are available Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. On Tuesday evenings, the office stays open until 7 PM for pickups.
When Clifton officers make an arrest, they file a report at the station. The person is then moved to the Passaic County Jail for booking. The arrest report stays with Clifton police. The booking record is made at the county jail. If you want a copy of an arrest report, call the Records Department during business hours. They can tell you what you need to bring or send.
The Clifton Police Department website has contact details and general department information.
| Address | 900 Clifton Ave, Clifton, NJ 07013 |
|---|---|
| Main Desk | (973) 470-5262 |
| Non-Emergency | (973) 470-5900 |
| Records Dept | (973) 470-5877 M-F 10 AM - 4 PM, Tue until 7 PM |
Clifton Bookings at Passaic County Jail
The Passaic County Jail is where all Clifton bookings are processed. The jail is at 11 Marshall Street in Paterson. You can call (973) 881-4620. It has a capacity of 1,242 beds. Staff log each person who comes in, take a photo, and note the charges. The booking number assigned at intake follows the person through the court process.
After booking, the court decides on release. Under the New Jersey Criminal Justice Reform Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:162-15, judges use a risk score to set conditions. A person from Clifton who faces minor charges may be released within hours. Someone facing serious charges may be held until trial. The booking record tracks each step from intake to release.
Sheriff Richard Berdnik runs the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, which oversees the jail. The sheriff's office is at 435 Minnisink Road in Totowa. Call (973) 389-5900 for questions. The Passaic County Sheriff page has more details on the facility and its operations.
How to Search Clifton Booking Releases
Passaic County offers an online inmate search tool. You can find it at the Passaic County Inmate Lookup page. The tool lets you search by name. It shows who is in the jail right now, their charges, and their booking details. This tool is free and open to anyone.
If the person is not in the county jail, try the state tools. The New Jersey Department of Corrections runs a statewide inmate finder for state prisons. The New Jersey Courts portal at portal.njcourts.gov covers criminal case data from every court in the state. You can also use VINELink to get alerts when a person's custody status changes. All of these are free.
For records that are not online, you file an OPRA request. The next section covers how to do that for Clifton booking data.
Clifton Public Records and OPRA Requests
The Open Public Records Act lets you ask for booking and arrest data. For Clifton police records, you submit an OPRA request to the city. You can email opra@cliftonnj.org or call (973) 470-5825. The city also has an online portal at cliftonnj.nextrequest.com where you can submit and track requests. Under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5, the city must respond within seven business days.
For jail records from the Passaic County level, you file with the county OPRA office. Most booking data is public under the law. Names, charges, booking dates, and release dates are not sealed in most cases. The county may charge a small fee for copies. If a request is denied, you can appeal to the New Jersey Government Records Council.
- Clifton OPRA email: opra@cliftonnj.org
- Clifton OPRA phone: (973) 470-5825
- Online portal: cliftonnj.nextrequest.com
- Statewide portal: njopraportal.com
The statewide OPRA portal at njopraportal.com also works for filing requests with multiple agencies at once.
Clifton Court Records and Case Data
Felony cases from Clifton go to the Passaic County Superior Court at 77 Hamilton Street in Paterson. The Passaic County vicinage page lists schedules, phone numbers, and directions. When a person is booked after a Clifton arrest, their case moves through this court. The judge reviews charges, sets conditions, and schedules hearings.
You can search case records online through the New Jersey Courts portal. Enter the person's name or case number. The system shows charges, court dates, and case status. Each case ties back to a booking. If you have the booking number, the court can match it to the case file. Call the Criminal Division for help linking the two.
Lower-level offenses may stay at the municipal court level. Clifton has its own municipal court for these cases. Check with the court clerk if you are not sure where a case was heard.
Passaic County Warrants and Clifton Arrests
The Passaic County Sheriff serves warrants across the county. This includes Clifton. When a warrant is served, the person is arrested and booked at the county jail. A bench warrant can come from a missed court date. Per N.J.S.A. 2B:12-21, a judge may issue one when a person fails to appear. An arrest warrant comes from a criminal complaint.
Both types lead to a new booking record. The sheriff's office tracks active warrants. You can call (973) 389-5900 to ask about a specific warrant. Warrants are public records under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1. The booking that results from a warrant is also a public record. You can request copies through the OPRA process if they are not shown on the online inmate tool.
Passaic County Booking Records
Clifton is in Passaic County. All bookings from the city go through the Passaic County Jail in Paterson. The county manages booking and release records for every municipality within its borders. For more on the county jail, inmate search tools, OPRA contacts, and related resources, visit the Passaic County booking releases page.