Opened as a Type I Detention Facility in December 2002 and converted to a Temporary Holding Facility in November 2021
Dating back to the 1970s Fremont Police Officers booked their arrestees into the Fremont City Jail located at 39710 Civic Center Dr. I can remember working in the Fremont City Jail in 1985 as a Police Explorer with Retired Detention Technicians Barbara Pifer, Sue Clark, Elliott Stephens, Dick Lesage, Dianna Farmer, and Ed Crawford. It was later determined that the Fremont Jail sat directly on the Hayward Fault line. In December 2002, the Fremont City Jail closed for business and reopened at 1990 Stevenson Blvd as a state-of-the-art 17,000 square foot Fremont Type I Detention Facility with 58 beds and capacity to hold 102 prisoners.
Due to significant changes in laws in 2014 and again in 2020 related to booking and housing prisoners, in January 2019, under Lieutenant Shadle’s leadership, we started the process of converting the Fremont Detention Facility to a Temporary Holding Facility that would require Detention Officers to transport prisoners to Santa Rita. After over two years, on November 3, 2021, the conversion was completed, and our Detention Officers transported their first prisoner to Santa Rita. After about 6 weeks, our new business model has been beneficial to patrol officers and the community as police officers can remain in Fremont to handle calls for service rather than leaving the city limits to book prisoners.
Between November 3, 2021 and November 22, 2021, Detention Officers have transported forty-one (41) prisoners to Santa Rita. During the first twelve days of December 2021, FPD Detention Officers have handled twenty-five (25) prisoner transports. We couldn’t be prouder of our Detention Officers with the way they have handled this significant transition.
By Captain Frederick H. Bobbitt
Brochure from Jail Opening in 2002:
Getting Ready for Jail Transition in 2021:
