A complaint may be made by telephone, by mail, or in person. The complaint may be made at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office or another mutually convenient location. The Sheriff’s Office is primarily interested in learning of your concerns about law enforcement conduct or a need for improvement in our delivery of services.

Call the Police Department at 707-996-3602.  Provide the Report Number, date and contact information. You must be named as a party involved in the accident or an insurer of the named party to obtain a copy of the report. Please bring photo ID when picking up the report.

Depending upon the nature of the case, reports will be released at the discretion of the
Records Personnel. You must be an involved party and named in the report.
You will need: photo ID, case number. You may call 707-996-3602 or come to our office
during business hours Monday – Friday 9am-5pm to request a report.

Vehicles will only be released to the registered owner. The fee for a vehicle release is $272.00 which can paid by cash, debit card or credit card.

You may pay or appeal your parking citation online by visiting: www.CitationProcessingCenter.com and entering the required information.

If you make payment or appeal by mail, send the proper amount of penalty in money order, cashier’s check or personal check, payable to: City of Sonoma.

• DO NOT SEND CASH!
• Enclose the notice of parking violation with your payment.
• Write your citation number on your payment.

Mailing Address for Payments

City of Sonoma  C/O Citation Processing Center
P.O. Box 10479
Newport Beach, CA 92658-0479

Request for Citation Review/Hearing

Citation Processing Center
P.O. Box 11024
Newport Beach, CA 92658

Inquiries and payments can be made by calling (800) 989- 2058

To report continuous and unprovoked barking or howling, call the Police Department business office at (707)996-3602, Monday – Friday 9am- 5pm.  All other times call non-emergency dispatch at (707)996-3601.

Report graffiti or tagging to the Public Works Department at (707) 938-3332, or use our online reporting form, which allows you to include a description or attach a photo.

You may use the Traffic Pay By Web system to pay and close your citation, or to sign up and pay for Traffic School (if eligible).

Options to Clear Your Citation

If the citation does not require a mandatory court appearance, you may follow the instructions on
the court’s Courtesy Notice to clear a citation. Options generally available include the following:

1. Pay (forfeit) the bail amount. This will close the citation and report the conviction to your
driver’s license record (if the violation is reportable to the California Department of
Motor Vehicles).

2. Submit the signed “Certificate of Correction” with appropriate fees to the court. Any
police officer may sign-off most correctable violations. Violations of 16028 VC
(automobile liability insurance) will only be dismissed upon: (1) showing or mailing
evidence of financial responsibility (to the court) which was valid at the time the notice to
appear was issued and (2) payment of a transaction fee shown on your Courtesy Notice.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) may only sign-off vehicle
registration and driver’s license violations.

3. Sign-up with the court to attend Traffic Violator School (TVS) (if eligible). Classroom,
home study, and online internet classes are available throughout California. NOTE: If
you are eligible and decide not to attend Traffic Violator School, your automobile
insurance may be adversely affected. One conviction in any 18-month period will be held
confidential on your DMV record if you complete a Traffic Violator School and pay all
related Traffic Violator School fees. See below for further information regarding Traffic
Violator School.

4. Request a court trial. Please refer to the section entitled “To Contest Your Citation”
for more information.

The complaint is received, reviewed and assigned to a supervisor for further investigation. If the supervisor is able to resolve the complaint after examining all the facts and circumstances, you will be notified.

If the complaint requires further review, it will be forwarded to the Administration Division Captain for a formal recommendation and then to the affected division’s Assistant Sheriff for a final determination. You will be notified in writing the disposition of the complaint.

We invite citizens to bring their concerns regarding law enforcement practices and services to our attention, however, anyone who alleges that a crime was committed and reports that to a peace officer, knowing the report to be false, could be charged with a misdemeanor.

A citizen’s complaint is your opportunity to address whatever issue or concern you may have about a Sheriff’s Office member’s performance. You can make a complaint about anything that concerns you. It will be taken seriously and handled appropriately by supervisory staff.

A complaint may be made 24 hours a day. After normal business hours, a personnel complaint may be registered with any supervisor or the on-duty Watch Commander, or by calling (707) 565-2650.

The Sonoma Police Department provides Live Scan fingerprinting service. You must provide the “Request for Live Scan” form provided by the requesting company/agency. Fees vary and are determined by the company/agency who is requesting this service, all payment methods are accepted.

To schedule an appointment, call 996-3602 during business hours  (9 am -5 pm).

A personnel complaint may be made by anyone. However, if the complainant is under the age of 18, we require that the complainant be accompanied by a parent or an adult.

The non-emergency, 24-hour dispatch number is (707)996-3601.  In an emergency, always dial 9-1-1.

The business number for the Sonoma Police Department is (707)996-3602.

A complainant does not normally have to testify in any formal hearing. During the investigation you, along with all witnesses, may be questioned concerning the incident. It is essential to any investigation to ask all pertinent questions and obtain factual information. Once an investigation is concluded, a disposition will be determined.

Employees of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office have the right to appeal any discipline recommended or imposed. In some cases these