Colton Police Department

If you, a loved one or a family member have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Colton Police Department / San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department operating in Colton, it can cause a lot of apprehension, mostly just from uncertainty of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the honesty, accuracy and competence of a police officer, who may or may not be experienced or have the same sense of urgency as you in having the police report properly written.  

Facing such a situation, knowing the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense or offenses at issue if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release may ease one’s anxiety.  It is also helpful to know what evidence is needed to convict one for the crime or crimes that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime or crimes.  

We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is smart to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be good to know the size of the police or sheriff’s department, the area’s demographics, a bit of history about the town, city or area, and the most common types of crimes the department investigates to make one’s communication with law enforcement more meaningful, more savvy and perhaps, more respectful.  This can lead to a better outcome than if one lacks such perspective and makes assumptions that may be wrong.

This article is presented with these goals in mind.

The Colton Police Department is located at 650 North La Cadena Drive in Colton.  It is a medium-sized department with fifty-seven sworn police officers and 40 civilian support personnel assigned to it.  

The City of Colton is 16.06 square miles and has a population of 52,154 as of the 2010 census. Colton is just four miles south of downtown San Bernardino.

Colton is the site of “Colton Crossing,” which was one of the busiest at-grade railroad crossings in the United States.  The crossing was installed in 1882 by the California Southern Railroad to cross the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks while building northward from San Diego.  As a result of railroad acquisitions and mergers, this became the point at which the Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Southern Transcontinental Route" crossed the Union Pacific's "Sunset Route."  

As traffic on each line began to soar in the mid-1990’s, fueled largely by the vast increase in imports passing through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the primitive crossing became a serious bottleneck.  On August 28, 2013, the at-grade crossing was officially replaced by a fly-over that raises the east–west UP tracks over the north–south BNSF tracks.

For arrests along Interstate 10 crossing Colton, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Colton Police Department for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Colton jail until bail is posted or the person is transferred to the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

As of 2010, Colton’s population was 13.0% non-Hispanic white, 5.0% Asian, 9.7% African American and 71.0% Hispanic.

Most cases arising out of the Colton Police Department’s areas of responsibility are brought at the San Bernardino Hall of Justice at 4100 Main Street in downtown San Bernardino.  

Over the last 25 years, our office has not handled any cases arising out of Colton and prosecuted in the San Bernardino Hall of Justice Courthouse.  However, we would expect such cases to include, but not be limited to DUI, violation of a protective order, domestic violence, shoplifting and possession of and / or sales of a controlled substance.  

Nonetheless, we have received phone calls from people in Colton asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to the Colton often distrust local criminal defense attorneys as being social friends with prosecutors and judges, so they are unwilling to fight too hard to preserve their friendships, so we are considered as counsel instead because we are not located in Colton and presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  City of Colton

Below is the Google Map to the Colton Police Department.