Alhambra Police Department

If you, a family member, or a close friend has been arrested or investigated by the Alhambra Police Department, it is important to know more than just the “usual” nuts and bolts: what is the bail associated with the offense; what are the requirements for finding a violation of this law or this crime; what are the defenses to this charge and what punishment is possible.

It can be valuable to know a bit about the specific police department involved, such as its size, the most common crimes it investigates, the demographics of the city and even a bit of history of the area.  This information can help one better understand how serious the crime is regarded and how the prosecuting agency, including the judge assigned, may handle the case if it is filed, either at the Alhambra Superior Court or in the downtown Los Angeles Superior Court (the Clara Shortridge Foltz courthouse).

The City of Alhambra is a small city located in the western San Gabriel Valley, approximately eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles (measured at the Civic Center).

The Alhambra Police, as of 2024, has eighty-five sworn police officers, eighty full-time and part-time civilians, nine reserve police officers, 4 volunteer police chaplains and 32 community volunteers.  This is a fairly large police force for a city with a population approximately 80,000, as of the 2020 census.

The Alhambra city jail is across the street from the Alhambra Superior Court. 

Alhambra Police Department patrol vehicles today are outfitted with sophisticated computers, assault rifles, less-lethal weaponry, and in-car video cameras.  There are at least two K-9 units available for the city.

Thirty-five percent of all police violence in Alhambra involves interactions with Hispanic suspects and fifty-one percent with those of Asian / Pacific Islander descent.  Nine percent of violent police interactions involve Caucasian suspects.  Most interactions involved taser weapons, followed by “impact weapons” and then K-9 units and chemical spray.

Force was used in seventy-one incidents per 10,000 arrests, as measured over the period of 2013 to 2021.

There were eighty-three civilian complaints against the Alhambra Police Department from 2016 to 2021.  Thirteen percent were resolved in the civilian’s favor. 

Seventy-one percent of all arrests by the Alhambra Police Department involve Hispanic or Latin suspects.  Twelve percent of arrests are of those of Asian / Pacific Islander descent and six percent are of those of African American descent.  Eight percent of those arrested are Caucasian.

The population of Alhambra generally supports such an interaction rate.  As of 2020, 51% were of Asian descent, 23% were White (non-Hispanic) and 2.2% were African American.  Of the remaining populace, 36% were Hispanic or Latina / Latino.  Alhambra is widely recognized as a city with a strong Chinese influence, particularly in the last three decades. 

Each year on Valley Boulevard, the cities of Alhambra and San Gabriel used to co-host the San Gabriel Valley Luna New Year Parade and Festival, which ran from Del Mar to Garfield Avenues.  The event was of such significance to the majority Asian American demographic in Alhambra that it was broadcast live on Chinese radio, KWRM AM 1370, locally on KSCI-18, and later on worldwide cable and satellite TV.

Now Alhambra alone runs the event, just as a festival, within city limits without the parade.

The Alhambra police department handles approximately 50,000 calls for service each year, takes close to 10,000 police reports and makes approximately 2,000 arrests each year.

As of May, 2024, the most common crimes reported in Alhambra were fraud offenses, auto burglaries, shoplifting, vandalism, simple assaults, burglary, and drug offenses.  Surprisingly, DUI numbers and sex offense arrests within Alhambra are relatively low compared to other cities in the area.

The San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) runs through the city’s southern area and the I-710 Freeway ends and starts in the city’s southwest corner at Valley Boulevard. 

The Main Street Auto Row, near the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Main Street, in Alhambra is home to many car dealerships.

Watch Commander 24 hours per day

Below is the Google Map to the Alhambra Police Department.

For more information about the more common issues involved with being arrested or being under investigation, please click on the following articles: