Stanislaus County Jail to be featured once again in A&E’s ‘Booked: First Day In.’

The Stanislaus County Public Safety Center will once again be featured as the central setting for the A&E docu-series “Booked: First Day In,” which follows suspects and their interactions with jail staff following their arrests.

Unlike the hit show “COPS,” which follows law enforcement as they work in the field, “Booked: First Day In” documents an arrestee’s experience after they are brought to jail then booked, processed and sometimes released.

“More specifically, it is about the first day struggles of someone who finds themselves in-custody at our facility,” wrote Sgt. Schwartz, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, in a text message.

The Stanislaus jail was featured in every episode of the show’s inaugural season in 2023, along with several other departments across the country. The Sheriff’s Office said season two, which will premiere later this month, will follow an identical format.

The show features interviews with the suspects, jail staff and arresting officers. The alleged crimes of those brought in range from misdemeanors to felonies.

In one clip from the show’s first season, a 52-year-old named Russell was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public. Russell asked if the reason he was arrested was because he passed out on his way back from a bar to where he was staying — DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Modesto. Deputies confirmed this was the reason and informed him that he allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .23.

“My best friend had a stroke and I went to visit her and I broke down,” said Russell in a clip of the show. “And so I was like, ‘I gotta go to the bar.’ And I went there and I had a bunch to drink… I walked back to the hotel and they were like, ‘oh, you’re drunk in public.’ And I’m like, ‘What? What the [expletive].’”

He was taken to a ‘sobering cell,’ also known as a ‘drunk tank,’ for several hours until he was released with an order to appear at court at a later date.

Another clip from the show’s first season depicted the booking of a 24-year-old named Ivan, who was arrested on a slew of charges including being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“It was for my protection, because I did get shot six times,” said Ivan. “That was in a drive-by, out-of-state… I move out here with my family, I’m still holding onto a gun to ‘protect my family’ and all that.”

Ivan was hoping to bail out and be released soon but realized that wasn’t going to happen once he was read his charges. He faced five felony charges: carrying a loaded firearm he did not own, carrying a concealed firearm that he didn’t own, having a short-barrel rifle or shotgun and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. His bond was set to $160,000, which he could not afford.

According to the show’s text, Ivan spent five days in jail before he was able to see a judge. His father was able to hire a private attorney, who was able to reduce his charges and bail to $50,000. This he could afford and he was released.

“We are proud of how (the show) also demonstrates our staff handling themselves professionally, fairly, equitably and positively towards folks who find themselves incarcerated,” wrote Schwartz. “The Sheriff’s Office commits itself to openness and transparency in the interests of further public safety to all who live and visit here.”

The second season of “Booked: First Day In” plays Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on A&E, starting on Jan. 10.