Fontana Police Department

If a family member, a loved one or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Fontana Police Department / San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department operating in Fontana, it can cause a lot of angst, mostly just from fear of the unknown of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the accuracy, honesty 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 decrease one’s uncertainty.  It is also good 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 well worth the time to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be valuable 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 Fontana Police Department is located at 17005 Upland Avenue in Fontana.  It is a large station with 188 sworn police officers and, we estimate, 70 civilian support personnel assigned to it.  

The City of Fontana is 52.04 square miles and has a population of 212,704 as of the 2020 census.  

Founded in 1913, Fontana was essentially rural under World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area.  Fontana is now a regional hub of the trucking industry, with the east–west Interstate 10 and State Route 210 crossing the city and Interstate 215 passing diagonally through its northwestern quadrant.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Fontana was home to a drag racing strip that was a venue in the NHRA circuit.  Mickey Thompson's Fontana International Dragway was also referred to as Fontana Drag City or Fontana Drag Strip.  The original Fontana strip is gone, but the owners of NASCAR’s new Auto Club Speedway opened a NHRA-sanctioned drag strip just outside Fontana in mid-2006.

For arrests along the 10, 15 and 210, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Fontana Police Department for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Fontana jail until bail is posted or the person is transferred to the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

As of 2020, Fontana’s population was 12.42% non-Hispanic white, 8.15% Asian, 8.47% African American and 67.79% Hispanic.

Most cases arising out of the Fontana Police Department’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Fontana Courthouse, but some are also brought at the San Bernardino Hall of Justice at 4100 Main Street in downtown San Bernardino.  

Over the last 25 years, our office has handled perhaps five cases arising out of Fontana and prosecuted in the Fontana Courthouse.  These included a large drug possession for sales case, as well as a DUI and several post-conviction matters.  We would expect other 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 Fontana asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to the Fontana 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 Fontana and presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  City of Fontana

Below is the Google Map to the Fontana Police Department.