Fountain Valley Police Department

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Fountain Valley Police Department, it can cause frustration and fear of the unknown. 

Facing such a situation, it can be valuable to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense or offenses if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release.  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 prudent to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be smart to know the size of the police or sheriff’s department, the area’s demographics, the most common types of crimes the department investigates and just a bit about the area’s history 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.

This article is presented with these goals in mind.

The Fountain Valley Police Department is a small force with 38 sworn police officers and 9 civilian support personnel assigned to it. 

The Fountain Valley Police Department is responsible for patrolling the City of Fountain Valley, which has a population of 57,047 as of the 2020 census.  The city is 9.08 square miles, which is a medium sized city. 

The I-405 (San Diego Freeway) bisects the city.  Huntington Beach is to its south and west.  Westminster and Garden Grove are to its north.  Costa Mesa is to its southeast and Santa Ana is to its northeast.  Its eastern border is the Santa Ana River.  Arrests that take place on the I-405 Freeway are handled by the California Highway Patrol, not the Garden Grove Police Department.

The name of Fountain Valley refers to the very high water table in the area at the time the name was chosen, and the many corresponding artesian wells in the area. Early settlers constructed drainage canals to make the land usable for agriculture, which remained the dominant use of land until the 1960’s, when construction of large housing tracts accelerated.

The first mayor of Fountain Valley was James Kanno, who with this appointment became one of the first Japanese American mayors of a mainland United States city. 

After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, there was a large influx of Vietnamese refugees settling in Fountain Valley, especially in the late 1970’s and throughout the 1980’s, forming a large percentage of Asian Americans in the city.

As of 2010, the city’s population was 49.2% non-Hispanic white, 33.3% Asian, 0.9% African American and 13.1% Hispanic.

Fountain Valley is home to Mile Square Park, a large park with two lakes and many bike paths that loop around and within the park.

 
As a suburban city, most of Fountain Valley's residents commute to work in other urban centers. However, in recent years, the city has seen an increase in commercial jobs in the city, with the growth of a commercial center near the Santa Ana River, known as the "Southpark" district.  Hyundai Motor Corporation is headquartered out of Fountain Valley. 

Most cases arising out of the Fountain Valley Police Department’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Westminster Courthouse, but some are also brought at the Central Justice Center at 700 Civic Center Driver West in downtown Santa Ana.  Cases that may be filed at the Central Justice Center instead of at the Westminster Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Over the last 25 years, our office has handled perhaps 100 cases arising out the Fountain Valley Police Station and brought in the Westminster Courthouse.  Such cases vary from DUI to domestic violence, to public intoxication, to shoplifting.